Difficult question of costs

European Cup dream a financial nail-biter

Fivers team wing Jakob Nigg will once again be able to show his skills on the European stage.

(Bild: Toni Nigg)

Others like champions Linz and Hard don't care - but West Vienna and the Fivers are going for it in the European Handball Cup. For the time being, the costs for the duels have to be borne by the teams themselves; only from the round of 16 onwards will there be subsidies from the European association. Sponsors make the adventures possible.

Soccer and handball are two different worlds - even in the European Cup: while Rapid, for example, received 3.17 million euros from UEFA at the start of the Conference League, West Wien and the Fivers in the European Cup, also a third-tier competition, will receive nothing from the EHF for the time being...

West Vienna's coach Roland Marouschek and his boy group are visiting the Faroe Islands.

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

On the contrary: it costs a lot of money! Champions Linz and Hard withdrew their international nominations. West Wien traveled to the Faroe Islands via Copenhagen on Thursday. "A great adventure. This giant normally costs almost 30,000 euros, a tenth of our season budget," says coach Roland Marouschek. "There's nothing from the European Association." Instead, sponsors rewarded the green boy group for their Cup triumph - the second round clash against Vestmanna IF will take place on Friday (19) and Saturday (18, CET) as an away double on the island (Stadthalle B would also have been full). "Both clubs share the costs, otherwise it would hardly be financially feasible. For us, it's already a disadvantage in sporting terms without a home game."

West Vienna's Meleschnig is playing in the European Cup for the first time.

(Bild: a.c.schiffleitner)

The Fivers also know travel costs too well. The almost 20,000 euros for the clash against last year's Greek competition finalists Olympiakos Piraeus - Saturday (17) away, next Saturday at home - are "normal". In 2020/21, it was a completely different story in the second-tier European League. "Since we surprisingly made it into the group stage back then, we had to raise 100,000 euros in a short space of time. We only managed that through a kind of crowdfunding and 18 sponsors," said boss Tom Menzl, celebrating Hutecek, Wagner and co. "In the end, this European Cup season cost us 170,000 euros. The EHF gave us around 50,000." This time, the first three rounds (they eliminated Amber from Lithuania at the start) are secured thanks to sponsors.

The Fivers want to cheer again, they have already beaten Amber from Lithuania.

(Bild: Toni Nigg)

And what does the European Association think? The "Krone" found out that the European Cup offers a €6,000 subsidy from the round of 16 onwards, with all marketing and ticket rights being held by the clubs. This allows them to make money themselves, but - of course - not to get rich. There is a reason why the two Viennese clubs, like Krems against Volendam (Hol), are competing internationally. "We want to give our boys the chance to gain experience on this stage," say Marouschek and Menzl. And: "We won't say that we don't want to win because it's too expensive for us. But it is a challenge financially."