SC Magdeburg – more than a club

In the 1980s, the handball players of SC Magdeburg experienced an era of unsurpassed dominance in national and international handball. Under the leadership of coaching legend Klaus Miesner, the club shaped an unprecedented success story. In this decade, the team won six consecutive GDR championships from 1980 to 1985 and thus set a new standard in German handball.

The outstanding national successes also included winning the GDR Cup and the European Cup against Slovan Ljubljana in 1981. In Klaus Miesner’s 21-year tenure, the Magdeburgers won a total of nine championship titles and remained unbeaten in 107 consecutive home games (104 wins and 3 draws) in the Hermann-Gieseler-Halle between November 1974 and May 1986.

In the years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the club established itself in the Handball Bundesliga and quickly showed its ambitions at national and international level. Already in the premiere season after reunification, SC Magdeburg was able to achieve a respectable third place and continuously assert itself in the middle of the table in the following years. Under the leadership of coach Lothar Doering, they even managed to win the DHB Cup in 1996. In the final, SC Magdeburg prevailed against TUSEM Essen and thus secured the first national title since the reunification of Germany. This victory marked a historic moment for the club and spurred ambitions for further success.

Another milestone followed in 1999, when SCM won the EHF Cup and thus also shone on the international stage. This success underlined the quality and competitiveness of the team.

Over the years, the GETEC Arena has consolidated its role as the center of Magdeburg sports and developed into one of the most modern multifunctional arenas in Germany. In addition to the SCM home games, it has also been the venue for the German Open in table tennis, the 2007 Men’s Handball World Championship and the 2017 Women’s Handball Championship.

For SC Magdeburg, the Bördelandhalle quickly became its new home and a place of numerous historic triumphs. The hall offers a first-class backdrop that is second to none for SCM’s home games and has been the scene of many memorable moments in the club’s history.

SC Magdeburg’s junior handball department has a long and impressive history of talent development. Over the years, it has produced numerous talented players who have been successful both nationally and internationally. Names such as Bennet Wiegert, Yves Grafenhorst, Christoph Theuerkauf, Matthias Musche, Philipp Weber, Steffen Stiebler, Tim Zechel and Gunar Schimrock are examples of the quality and potential that thrives in this youth department.

In the years from 2001 to 2006, the handball players of SC Magdeburg experienced an extremely successful phase, marked by national and international triumphs under the leadership of the renowned coach Alfred Gislason. In 2001, the team managed to win the German championship, consolidating the club’s dominant position in German handball. A year later, in 2002, SC Magdeburg reached the pinnacle of European handball under Gislason’s leadership by winning the Champions League. This historic victory crowned the outstanding performance of the team and made SC Magdeburg one of the most successful clubs at international level.

After the departure of Alfred Gislason, the years of upheaval followed at SCM – in the squad and in the club. In the Bundesliga, Magdeburg lost touch with the top group. There was also a lack of consistency on the coaching bench during this phase, because in the years after Gislason, eight different coaches followed the Icelander. Nevertheless, SC Magdeburg celebrated a tremendous international success in 2007. In the EHF Cup, the team under Polish coach Bogdan Wenta achieved a coup when they defeated the Spanish team of CAI BM Aragón 30-30 and 31-28.

Since taking office in November 2015, coach Bennet Wiegert has shaped SC Magdeburg with his unconventional style of play, which is based on small and agile players. Under his leadership, the club has developed into a dominant force in German and international handball.

Wiegert’s vision, which is based on fast transition play and a strong defense, has taken SC Magdeburg to new heights. This successful era began with winning the DHB Cup in 2016, when SCM secured its first important title under Wiegert’s leadership. This triumph marked the beginning of a series of successes that made the club one of the most successful teams in European handball.

In 2021, SC Magdeburg reached a new peak of success under Wiegert’s direction by winning the EHF European League. Then followed the hat-trick in the IHF Super Globe in 2021, 2022 and 2023. These titles underline the strength and consistency of the team under Wiegert’s leadership and cemented his reputation as one of the outstanding coaches in handball.

New peaks were reached by winning the German championship in 2022 and the EHF Champions League in 2023.