HC Alkaloid continues to keep up with modern sports trends both on and off the court. The club is excited to announce the opening of its very own corner at the D Sport sports store, located within the Todor Proeski Arena in Skopje!

The Hummel-branded sports equipment collection, featuring the club’s logo, includes a range of items such as jerseys, tracksuits, hoodies, sports T-shirts, and other accessories, all now available for fans to purchase!

Head over to the D Sport store or visit their online shop to grab your HC Alkaloid fan gear!

For more details, click here: https://bit.ly/alkaloid-fanshop

HC Alkaloid held its first training session of 2025, with all players and the full staff in attendance.

Many of our club members, both in terms of players and staff, were part of the Macedonian national team that competed in last month’s 29th World Championship. After a short break for the national team members, they are now back to focus on their club duties. A new addition to HC Alkaloid is central back Martin Ivanovski, who is starting his tasks under the guidance of coach Kiril Lazarov.

February will be a month full of challenges for HC Alkaloid. This weekend, the season resumes in the Macedonian Super League, with six more rounds left to play in the first phase of the championship.

After 16 rounds, HC Alkaloid is at the top of the table with a strong chance of finishing the season as champions and entering the Playoff stage with a solid advantage.

On the European front, HC Alkaloid will compete in the Round of 16 matches of the EHF European Cup this month. On February 15, they will travel to Brixen, Italy, and on February 22, they will host the return leg in Skopje’s Avtokomanda arena. HC Alkaloid has a strong chance of advancing to the quarterfinals of this prestigious European competition, potentially taking another step toward achieving the club’s greatest success in Europe.

The Macedonian senior national team delivered a strong performance at the 29th World Championship held in Croatia, Norway, and Denmark.

Our national team finished among the world’s top 16, securing 15th place, and once again captured the hearts of handball fans with their relentless fighting spirit, uncompromising mentality, improved quality of play, and a more modern approach to the game.

Macedonia notched two wins, two draws, and two losses at the World Championship. We triumphed over Guinea (29-20) and Qatar (39-34), while holding favoured Hungary (27-27) and Austria (29-29) to draws. The only matches where we failed to pick up points were a somewhat controversial defeat to the Netherlands (32-37) and a loss to the world’s Top 4 national team, France (25-32).

The Macedonian national team played consistently at a high level throughout all six matches, showing significant improvement compared to previous tournaments. This was a clear sign that this almost completely revamped and youthful squad, led by head coach Kiril Lazarov and his experienced staff, is on the rise and already achieving top results.

HC Alkaloid, as a handball project focused on giving Macedonian players the chance to progress and develop into elite athletes through high-quality training and competition, played a key role in this overall success.

HC Alkaloid’s head coach, Kiril Lazarov, along with his assistants Biljana Crvenkoska and Ninoslav Pavelikj, fitness coach Petar Basnarkov, and physiotherapist Toshe Trajkovski, were all part of the coaching staff for the Macedonian national team.

Among the 18 players who took the court in the six matches of World Championship preliminary and main rounds were HC Alkaloid athletes: Marko Kizikj, Ivan Galevski, Ivan Djonov, Marko Mitev, Igor Gjorgiev, Martin Serafimov, Martin Velkovski, Aleksandar Petkovski, Nikola Markoski, Marko Stojkovikj, and Valentin Karasmanakis. HC Alkaloid takes great pride in these 11 players, who each, in their own way, represented the Macedonian national team with unwavering dedication. Their contributions, both on and off the court, played a major role in the team’s success and in promoting Macedonia with pride on the global handball stage.

Three Macedonian national team players from HC Alkaloid and HC Multi Essence have been selected by the European Handball Federation to join the Respect Your Talent project – Class of 2024.

A total of 30 young handball players, who made a lasting impression at the M18 EHF Euro held in Montenegro this summer and were named Player of the Match, were invited to participate in the annual camp in Vienna. At the camp, they had the opportunity to learn and engage in off-the-court discussions with EHF handball ambassadors, including renowned former players Hans Lindberg (Denmark), Ljubomir Vranjes (Sweden), Vid Kavticnik (Slovenia), and Carlos Prieto (Spain).

Players Damjan Mitev, Marin Krstevski, and Gjorgji Nikolovski were the Macedonian representatives at this event.

The selected players discussed key topics with the famous ambassadors including nutrition, social media, anti-doping, dual careers, psychological exercises, and sports laws.

For each subject, the ambassadors had a dedicated expert by their side, who ensured every aspect was professionally analyzed and thoroughly explored.

“I definitely want to reach the top. I know it’s a tough task, but there’s time, and I believe we’re on the right path. The sky’s the limit, and with the advice we’ve received from the ambassadors, anything is possible. They shared their story with us, and that will be very helpful in the future,” said Marin Krstevski.

Photos: Uros Hocevar/Kolektiff

HC RADOVISH – HC ALKALOID 21-46 (9-25)

Venue: Avtokomanda in Skopje. Referees: Silvana Karbeska and Marija Ilieva. Delegate: Vladimir Sazdovski.

HC Radovish: Ristov, Kostadinovski, Petrov 2, Gjorgјiev 1, Postolov, Markovikj, Jankovski 1, Sokolov 2, Stojanoski, Gjorgjiev, Stojanov 1, Talevski 2, Trajanov 3, Onchev 3, Kostadinov 3, Atanasov 3.

Seven-meter throws: 3/5. Suspensions: 4 minutes.

HC Alkaloid: Kizikj, Trajkoski, Petrov 1, Mladenovikj 6, Serafimov 1, Karasmanakis 1, Stojkovikj 3, Gjorgjiev 3, Simonoski 3, Bingo 4, Francisco 4, Petkovski 8, Savrevski 4, Garbeski 7, Kovachevikj 1.

Seven-meter throws: 3/4. Suspensions: 8 minutes.

HC Alkaloid returned to form in the Super League and reclaimed the top spot. In Round 13, acting as potential host at the Avtokomanda arena, our team outplayed HC Radovish, securing a commanding 46-21 victory (25-9) in what was the highest-scoring match of the season across all competitions.

The match at the Avtokomanda arena was fast-paced and uninterrupted, with no suspense as HC Alkaloid led from start to finish. HC Radovish stayed competitive for only a few minutes before HC Alkaloid pulled ahead to 10-4 and continued to extend the lead consistently.

Midway through the first half, the score was 16-9, and by halftime, Alkaloid had gone on a nine-goal run to lead 25-9. The second half featured efficient play, resulting in a resounding victory. Coach Lazarov gave all players a chance to contribute, and every player scored. Among them were young talents Maksim Garbeski (7 goals) and Marko Kovachevikj (1 goal).

In the next round of the Super League, HC Alkaloid will face HC Butel Skopje.

HC Alkaloid achieved its objective and, with two victories over Austria’s West Wien, advanced to the Round of 16 in the EHF European Cup. Following the second match at the Avtokomanda arena, which ended 32-29 in favor of our team, a press conference was held featuring representatives from both clubs.

Kiril Lazarov, Head Coach of HC Alkaloid: “Our main objective was to secure a spot in the next round, and we delivered. We faced a talented and youthful Austrian team that demonstrated a modern, relentless style of play, fighting until the very last whistle. I respect their mentality — despite an 11-goal deficit from the first leg, they never backed down. Across both matches, I ensured all our players got time on the court. While I knew we had the edge in experience and overall quality, we took some calculated risks to assess our squad’s depth. That said, I’m not entirely pleased with the performance of certain players. We need to work harder, and everyone must realize that we need to break away from old habits if we’re to reach the level I envision as a coach and that we, as HC Alkaloid, aim to achieve. I am concerned because tougher matches lie ahead. As for our next round, I don’t know all the names of the potential opponents. Among those listed, the Scandinavian teams are unknown to us, and I would prefer to avoid Olympiacos, but we’ll see when the full list is available.”

Ivan Galevski, HC Alkaloid player: “This was an incredible experience for us. We faced an excellent team. Playing two matches against the same opponent within 24 hours is not easy. We came off a tough week in the domestic championship, but thanks to the staff, we were well-prepared for West Wien. We had a big task, and we’re thrilled with two wins, advancing to the next round of the EHF European Cup.”

Roland Marouschek, Head Coach of West Wien: “I would like to thank HC Alkaloid for the excellent hospitality in Skopje. We are happy to have been here; this was a great experience and memorable journey for our team. We have a young team and are heading home with a sense of satisfaction. Congratulations to our opponent, Alkaloid, who proved to be the stronger side. I wish them success in the next round. Considering the quality of the teams, we had a good second match. We are a young team; this was a lesson for us. Last year, we played in the second division and made it to Europe by winning the Austrian Cup. These matches were a valuable experience for us.”

Paul Pfeifer, West Wien player: “The coach summed it up perfectly. We made too many errors in the attack during the first match, which really hurt our chances. The opponent built a significant lead in the opening minutes, but we showed significant improvement in the second game. Our defense tightened, and we didn’t allow our opponent to score easy goals. Playing against a more experienced team was a great learning experience for us.”

The draw for the Round of 16 in the EHF European Cup is scheduled for December 3. The matches in this stage will take place in mid and late February 2025.