Danish Women's Handball League
The Danish Women's Handball League (Danish: Damehåndboldligaen) is the top professional league for Danish women's handball clubs. It is administered by the Danish Handball Federation, and the winners are recognized as Danish champions. The league is officially called HTH Ligaen for sponsorship reasons. It has previously been known as HTH GO Ligaen, Primo Tours Ligaen, Boxer Dameligaen, TOMS Ligaen and GuldBageren Ligaen. The current title holder is Team Esbjerg. The European Handball Federation (EHF) ranks the Danish league 4th in the coefficients of leagues based on performances in European competitions over the past seasons.
Current season, competition or edition: 2020-21 | |
| Countries | Denmark |
|---|---|
| Confederation | EHF |
| Founded | 1936 |
| Number of teams | 14 |
| Relegation to | 1. Division |
| Domestic cup(s) | Santander Cup |
| International cup(s) | Champions League EHF Cup Challenge Cup |
| Current champions | Team Esbjerg (3rd title) (2019-20) |
| Most championships | Viborg HK (14 titles) |
| TV partners | TV 2, TV 2 Sport |
| Website | dhf.dk |
Competition format
The Danish Women's Handball League shares the season style with the men's league. It consists of 12 teams, each playing 22 regular season games. The six teams with most points at the end of the regular season advance to the play-offs. They are divided into two groups of three, based on their placement. Group A is formed by 1, 3 and 6 while Group B has 2, 4 and 5. Four matches are played in each group, in home and away form. Teams ending first and second at the regular season start with one bonus point. The two group winners advance to the championship finals, while the runners-up will play for the bronze medal. Both the finals and the bronze matches are played as a "best of three" series.
The lowest placed team of the regular season is directly relegated to the second-best division, and replaced by the winner of this. The teams finishing 7 to 11 will together with number 2 to 4 from 1st division be divided into two groups of four teams. Group A is formed by: Number 7 from the league (2 bonus points), number 10 from the league (1 bonus point) and number 2 and 4 from the 1st division. On the other hand, Group B has: Number 8 from the league (2 bonus points), number 9 from the league (1 bonus point), number 11 from the league and number 3 from the 1st division.
The group winners and the runners-up will qualify for the league in the next season. The teams placed third in each group will meet each other in up to three games to play for the last spot in the league. The loser of this matches and number four in each group will play the 1st division the following season.
Previous format
Before the 2008/09 season, the four best teams of the regular season would advance to the playoffs, semi-finals and finals. Both the semi-finals and the finals were played as a "best of 3" series of matches.
Seasons
Current teams (2019-20)
The fourteen teams of the 2019/20 season are:
| Team | Finishing pos. in last season |
First season of current spell in top division |
Top division titles |
|---|---|---|---|
| EH Aalborg | 12th | 2018-19 | 0 |
| Aarhus United | 6th | 2017-18 | 0 |
| Ajax København | 12th | 2017-18 | 0 |
| Herning-Ikast Håndbold |  | 1991-92 | 5 |
| København Håndbold | 4th | 2013-14 | 1 |
| Nykøbing F. Håndbold | 5th | 2013-14 | 1 |
| Odense Håndbold |  | 2009-10 | 0 |
| Randers HK | 10th | 2000-01 | 1 |
| Skanderborg Håndbold | 13th | 2018-19 | 0 |
| Silkeborg-Voel KFUM | 9th | 2013-14 | 0 |
| Team Esbjerg |  | 2007-08 | 2 |
| TTH Holstebro | 8th | 2008-09 | 0 |
| Viborg HK | 7th | 1988-89 | 10 |
| Horsens HK | 1st in (1st division)  | 2019-20 | 0 |
Champions
The complete list of champions since 1936:
| Season | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1935–1936 | K.I. | ||
| 1936–1937 | K.K.G. | ||
| 1937–1938 | K.I. | ||
| 1938–1939 | R.H. 33 | ||
| 1939–1940 | K.K.G. | ||
| 1940–1941 | K.K.G. | ||
| 1941–1942 | AGF | ||
| 1942–1943 | K.I. | ||
| 1943–1944 | K.I. | ||
| 1944–1945 | Didn't take place | ||
| 1945–1946 | K.K.G. | ||
| 1946–1947 | K.I. | ||
| 1947–1948 | K.I. | ||
| 1948–1949 | AGF | ||
| 1949–1950 | K.I. | ||
| 1950–1951 | H.G. | ||
| 1951–1952 | V.R.I. | ||
| 1952–1953 | H.G. | ||
| 1953–1954 | K.I. | ||
| 1954–1955 | USG | ||
| 1955–1956 | FIF | ||
| 1956–1957 | H.G. | ||
| 1957–1958 | H.G. | ||
| 1958–1959 | FIF | ||
| 1959–1960 | H.G. | ||
| 1960–1961 | Svendborg HK | ||
| 1961–1962 | FIF | ||
| 1962–1963 | Helsingør IF | ||
| 1963–1964 | H.G. | ||
| 1964–1965 | H.G. | ||
| 1965–1966 | FIF | H.G. | IK Skovbakken |
| 1966–1967 | FIF | H.G. | IK Skovbakken |
| 1967–1968 | H.G. | FIF | K.I. |
| 1968–1969 | H.G. | FIF | K.I. |
| 1969–1970 | H.G. | FIF | Glostrup IC |
| 1970–1971 | FIF | H.G. | Glostrup IC |
| 1971–1972 | FIF | Glostrup IC | Hørsholm-Usserød IK |
| 1972–1973 | FIF | Funder GF | Næstved IF |
| 1973–1974 | FIF | H.G. | Glostrup IC |
| 1974–1975 | H.G. | FIF | Helsingør IF |
| 1975–1976 | FIF | AIA-Tranbjerg | H.G. |
| 1976–1977 | H.G. | FIF | Svendborg HK |
| 1977–1978 | FIF | AIA-Tranbjerg | Svendborg HK |
| 1978–1979 | Svendborg HK | FIF | AIA-Tranbjerg |
| 1979–1980 | FIF | Helsingør IF | Greve IF |
| 1980–1981 | FIF | IF Stjernen | Svendborg HK |
| 1981–1982 | AIA-Tranbjerg | Svendborg HK | FIF |
| 1982–1983 | Helsingør IF | Holstebro KFUM | FIF |
| 1983–1984 | Helsingør IF | AIA-Tranbjerg | Rødovre HK |
| 1984–1985 | FIF | Helsingør IF | IF Stjernen |
| 1985–1986 | IF Stjernen | Rødovre HK | GOG |
| 1986–1987 | Rødovre HK | Lyngså BK | NNfH Lemvig |
| 1987–1988 | Lyngså BK | Rødovre HK | GOG |
| 1988–1989 | FIF | AIA-Tranbjerg | GOG |
| 1989–1990 | GOG | FIF | Lyngså BK |
| 1990–1991 | GOG | Viborg HK | FIF |
| 1991–1992 | GOG | Viborg HK | FIF |
| 1992–1993 | GOG | Viborg HK | FIF |
| 1993–1994 | Viborg HK | GOG | Ikast FS |
| 1994–1995 | Viborg HK | GOG | Ikast FS |
| 1995–1996 | Viborg HK | GOG | Ikast FS |
| 1996–1997 | Viborg HK | Frederikshavn fI | GOG |
| 1997–1998 | Ikast FS | Viborg HK | FIF |
| 1998–1999 | Viborg HK | Ikast FS | Frederikshavn fI |
| 1999–2000 | Viborg HK | FIF | Ikast-Bording EH |
| 2000–2001 | Viborg HK | GOG | Ikast-Bording EH |
| 2001–2002 | Viborg HK | Ikast-Bording EH | Randers HK |
| 2002–2003 | Slagelse FH | Ikast-Bording EH | GOG |
| 2003–2004 | Viborg HK | Slagelse FH | Ikast-Bording EH |
| 2004–2005 | Slagelse DT | Aalborg DH | Viborg HK |
| 2005–2006 | Viborg HK | Slagelse DT | Aalborg DH |
| 2006–2007 | Slagelse DT | Viborg HK | Aalborg DH |
| 2007–2008 | Viborg HK | Ikast-Bording EH | FCK Håndbold |
| 2008–2009 | Viborg HK | Aalborg DH | FCK Håndbold |
| 2009–2010 | Viborg HK | Randers HK | KIF Vejen |
| 2010–2011 | FC Midtjylland Håndbold | Randers HK | Viborg HK |
| 2011–2012 | Randers HK | Viborg HK | FC Midtjylland Håndbold |
| 2012-2013 | FC Midtjylland Håndbold | Team Tvis Holstebro | Viborg HK |
| 2013-2014 | Viborg HK | FC Midtjylland Håndbold | Randers HK |
| 2014–2015 | FC Midtjylland Håndbold | Team Esbjerg | Team Tvis Holstebro |
| 2015–2016 | Team Esbjerg | FC Midtjylland Håndbold | Team Tvis Holstebro |
| 2016–2017 | Nykøbing Falster Håndboldklub | København Håndbold | FC Midtjylland Håndbold |
| 2017–2018 | København Håndbold | Odense Håndbold | Viborg HK |
| 2018–2019 | Team Esbjerg | Herning-Ikast Håndbold | Odense Håndbold |
| 2019–2020 | Team Esbjerg | Odense Håndbold | Viborg HK |
Medal table
After 45 seasons, the all-time medal table for the women's championship is as follows:[1]
| Team | Gold | Silver | Bronze | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Viborg HK | 14 | 6 | 4 | ||||
| FIF København | 12 | 8 | 6 | ||||
| HG København | 5 | 4 | 1 | ||||
| Herning-Ikast Håndbold | 4 | 6 | 7 | ||||
| GOG | 4 | 4 | 5 | ||||
| Slagelse DT | 3 | 2 | 0 | ||||
| Helsingør IF | 2 | 2 | 1 | ||||
| Team Esbjerg | 2 | 1 | 0 | ||||
| IF AIA-Tranbjerg | 1 | 4 | 1 | ||||
| Randers HK | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||||
| Rødovre HK | 1 | 2 | 1 | ||||
| Svendborg HK | 1 | 1 | 3 | ||||
| IF Stjernen | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Lyngså BK | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| København Håndbold | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Nykøbing Falster Håndboldklub | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Aalborg DH | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||||
| Glostrup IC | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||||
| Team Tvis Holstebro | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||||
| IK Skovbakken | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||||
| Frederikshavn f.I. | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Odense Håndbold | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Funder GF | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Holstebro KFUM | 0 | 1 | 0 | K.I. København | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| FCK Håndbold | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||||
| Hørsholm-Usserød IK | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||
| Næstved IF | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||
| Greve IF | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||
| NNfH Lemvig | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||
| KIF Vejen | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Top scorers
The following list shows the top scorers from recent seasons:[2]
- 2000/01: Mette Vestergaard, FIF (133)
- 2001/02: Camilla Andersen, Slagelse FH (181)
- 2002/03: Camilla Andersen, Slagelse FH (215)
- 2003/04: Bojana Petrović, Slagelse FH (175)
- 2004/05: Bojana Popović, Slagelse FH (174)
- 2005/06: Tanja Milanović, Ikast-Bording EH (172)
- 2006/07: Mette Sjøberg, FCK Håndbold (167)
- 2007/08: Nadine Krause, FCK Håndbold (153)
- 2008/09: Grit Jurack, Viborg HK (125)
- 2011/12: Mette Gravholt, Team Tvis Holstebro (141)
- 2012/13: Estavana Polman, SønderjyskE Damer (138)
- 2013/14: Estavana Polman, Team Esbjerg (152)
- 2014/15: Jette Hansen, Silkeborg-Voel KFUM (157)
- 2015/16: Nathalie Hagman, Team Tvis Holstebro (191)
- 2016/17: Trine Troelsen, Silkeborg-Voel KFUM (199)
- 2017/18: Ida Bjørndalen Karlsson, Team Esbjerg (168)
- 2018/19: Laura Damgaard Lund, EH Aalborg (158)
Statistics
EHF coefficients
The following data indicates Danish coefficient rankings between European handball leagues.
EHF League Ranking for 2019/20 season:[3]
|
|
Broadcasting rights
In European competitions
| Champions League | EHF Cup | Challenge Cup | Cup Winners' Cup | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | winning year(s) | RU | SF | C | winning year(s) | RU | SF | C | winning year(s) | RU | SF | C | winning year(s) | RU | SF | |||||
| Viborg HK | 3 | 2006, 2009, 2010 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1994, 1999, 2004 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2014 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| Slagelse FH | 3 | 2004, 2005, 2007 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2003 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| HG København | 1 | 1965 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||
| FC Midtjylland (Ikast) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2002, 2011 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1998 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2004, 2015 | 0 | 1 | |||||
| Team Tvis Holstebro | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2013, 2015 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2016 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| Randers HK | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2010 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||
| FC København | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2009 | 0 | 1 | |||||||
| Frederiksberg IF | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||
| Helsingør IF | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| KIF Vejen | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||||||
| Aalborg DH | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| Team Esbjerg | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| GK Svendborg | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||
| AIA-Tranbjerg | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||
| Rødovre HK | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||
| Kolding IF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||
| TOTAL | 7 title | 5 | 6 | 9 title | 3 | 4 | 1 title | 2 | 1 | 5 title | 2 | 7 | ||||||||
See also
References
- "Medaljefordeling gennem tiden (Damer)" (in Danish). Danish Handball Federation. Retrieved 2010-08-16.
- "Topscorere siden 1965 - Damer" (in Danish). Danish Handball Federation. 9 July 2008. Archived from the original on February 19, 2009. Retrieved 15 March 2009.
- "2019/20 season ranking" (PDF). European Handball Federation. Retrieved 24 May 2019.