Vive Kielce
KS PGE Vive Kielce is a Polish handball team based in Kielce founded in 1965, playing in the Superliga and competes in the EHF Champions League.
Titles
Domestic
- Superliga:
- * 1st: 1993, 1994, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
- * 2nd: 1995, 2004, 2011
- * 3rd: 1980, 1997, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2008
- Cup of Poland:
- * 1st: 1985, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
- * 2nd: 1995, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2007, 2008
International
- EHF Champions League
- * 1st: 2016
- * 3rd: 2013, 2015
- IHF Super Globe
- * 3rd: 2016
- Limburgse Handbal Dagen
- * 1st: 2005
History
In December 1965 many-section Sports Club „Iskra” took over the players from the team TKKF, active at the Metal Works KZWM SHL and established the handball team. After 5 years of competition "the seven" of Iskra was promoted to III Central League, and a year later to II League. At the end of first season in II League Iskra came third. In the season 1972/73 it came fifth. In spring 1973 the two Kielce sports clubs: "SHL" and "Iskra" declared ready to join in order to establish one powerful sports club. On 10 July 1973 they united. The new club was named Korona Kielce and was registered as Kielce Sports Association „Korona”. The mother works of two former clubs: FŁT "Iskra" and "Polmo SHL" became its patrons. The new club began its activity in four sections: football, handball, bicycle and motorcycle. The direct patron of handball section, consisting of the former players of Sports Club "Iskra" became metal factory FŁT "Iskra".
In March 1975 the handball team from Kielce, already called MKS „Korona”, was promoted for the first time to the Championship of Poland. Unfortunately making their debut they fall a class below. In 1978 the club promoted again to the highest league, and after the season it came eighth. In 1979 Korona achieved its first success. It got the bronze medal in the Championship of Poland. Afterwards the Kielce players fell down to the lower league, but in 1984 they promoted again to the group of the best teams in the country. In 1985 Korona was awarded with the Cup of Poland, which was the greatest success since the beginning of its activity. Since 1985 the club has their own sports hall for 1,600 spectators in Krakowska Street. Since the second half of 1989 the club Korona suffered serious organizational and financial problems. The subsidies from patron works FŁT "Iskra" and "Polmo - SHL" got worse each year.
In spring 1991 the persons actively engaged in handball decided to separate from Korona. On 18 April 1991, a new one-section handball club came into being. It returned to its original name: Iskra Kielce.
The Metal Works "Iskra" supported it only by sponsoring and maintaining the sports hall. In spite of difficult beginning it began the "golden era" and the series of greatest triumphs of Kielce team. In the years 1992-1999 Iskra was doubtless the best Polish team. In the years 1992-1994 "Iskierka" was twice the champion of the country and in 1995 it was the was vice-champion, fighting desperately against Petrochemia Płock. The situation was quite similar during the final of Polish Cup, when Iskra came second. This position gave the team the right to start in the Cup of Cup Winner's competition.
At this time the club achieved some successes in European cup competitions. In 1995 Kielce team lost a battle in the quarter-final of PZP. In 1997 during the Federation Cup Competition Kielce team was eliminated barely in the quarter-final. They lost two-game competition against future winner of this cup – the German THW Kiel. But the greatest success of that time was the promotion to the EHF Champions League. In 1999 Iskra as the first men'S handball team promoted to this competition of prestige, beating a champion of Sweden. In the Champions League the team obtained 6 points and came third in their group.
In 2000 the team won the Polish Cup and in 2001 the bronze medal in the Championship of Poland. The season 2001/2002 wasn't good. Iskra came barely fifth in the league. The Kielce team played in the final of the Polish Cup, after desperate fight they lost a game against KS Warszawianka.
The most important change in 2002 was taking over of the club by Bertus Servaas – businessman, the owner of Vive Textile Recycling enterprise. When he was the President of the Club it was again the champion of Poland, beating its greatest contestant – Wisła Płock. In 2006 the team could play for the first time in the new sports hall which could take 3,000 spectators. Today this many-functions facility's name is "The Hall of Legions".. Since that time all games have been played there till today. It has been established the successful team who achieves good positions in Europe.
Season by season
ImageSize = width:700 height:175
PlotArea = width:650 height:100 left:10 bottom:75
Legend = columns:1 left:15 top:25 columnwidth:500
AlignBars = early
DateFormat = yyyy
Period = from:1970 till:2019
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal
ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:5 start:1970
Colors=
id:E value:rgb legend:1st_division
id:II value:rgb legend:2nd_division
id:III value:rgb legend:3rd_division
id:M value:rgb legend:Championship_of_Poland
PlotData=
bar:Leaders width:50 mark: align:left fontsize:S shift:
from:1970 till:1971 color:III
from:1971 till:1975 color:II
from:1975 till:1976 color:E
from:1976 till:1978 color:II
from:1978 till:1983 color:E
from:1983 till:1984 color:II
from:1984 till:2012 color:E
from:1992 till:1994 color:M
from:1995 till:1996 color:M
from:1997 till:1999 color:M
from:2002 till:2003 color:M
from:2008 till:2010 color:M
from:2011 till:2019 color:M