Current season, competition or edition: 2023–24 Montenegrin First Handball League | |
 | |
| Sport | Handball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2006 |
| No. of teams | 10 |
| Country | Montenegro |
| Confederation | EHF |
| Most recent champion | Lovćen (12th title) |
| Most titles | Lovćen (12 titles) |
| International cups | EHF Cup Winners' Cup EHF Cup EHF Challenge Cup |
| Official website | http://www.rscg.me |
TheMontenegrin Men's Handball First League (Montenegrin:Crnogorska prva muška rukometna liga) is the top men'steam handball league inMontenegro. It is organized by theHandball Federation of Montenegro.
During the history, many Montenegrin clubs played in the SFR Yugoslavia / FR Yugoslavia / Serbia and Montenegro First Handball League. Among them wereRK Lovćen,RK Budućnost,RK Mornar,RK Rudar andRK Berane.
First Montenegrin team which played in Yugoslav First League is Rudar, which debuted in the top-tier on season 1964–65. More than 20 years passed until next teams from Montenegro played in the top-tier. At the end of nineties, member of First League became Lovćen, and at the beginning of nineties Budućnost and Mornar. On season 1994–95, third-placed Mornar gained participation inEHF Cities Cup 1995–96 and that was the first ever performance of some Montenegrin side in European competitions.
From season 1996–97, started the domination of Lovćen – who won two champion titles in FR Yugoslavia (1999–2000; 2000–01), with two consecutive seasons inEHF Champions League. On season 2000–01, Lovćen played in Champions League quarterfinals, againstTHW Kiel (29–24; 22–35). That was the greatest result of some Montenegrin handball team in European competitions.
During the new century, except Lovćen, in the First League of FR Yugoslavia played Rudar (at that time under the namePljevlja), Berane and Budućnost.
Below is the list of performances of Montenegrin clubs in Yugoslav Handball League with final placements on each season.
| Club | 65 | 69 | 89 | 90 | 91 | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rudar | 11 | 13 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 7 | 7 | 8 | 5 | – |
| Lovćen | – | – | 6 | 11 | 15 | – | – | – | 7 | 12 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 3 |
| Budućnost | – | – | – | – | 16 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 15 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Mornar | – | – | – | – | – | 7 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 9 | 13 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Berane | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 9 | 11 | 6 | 12 | – | 10 | 5 |
The only Montenegrin club who gained trophies in Yugoslav League was RK Lovćen. They gained two champion titles, with four finishes as a runner-up of championship.
Below is the list of Montenegrin clubs' champion titles in the First League of Yugoslavia.
| Club | Winners | Runners-up | Winning years |
|---|---|---|---|
| RK Lovćen Cetinje | 2 | 4 | 1999–00, 2000–01 |
Soon after theMontenegrin independence referendum, Handball Federation of Montenegro founded its own competitions, with the First League as a top-tier competition. During the history, RK Lovćen was most successful side and participated three times on regionalSEHA League.
In the league participate eight or ten clubs, and the season have two parts. During the first part, there are 14 or 18 legs, after which are forming two groups – TOP4 (league for the champion) and league for relegation.
First League is one of three men's handball competitions in Montenegro. Other high level competition isMontenegrin Cup.
First title holder in independent Montenegro was RK Lovćen, who won the trophy onseason 2006–07. Their biggest opponent at the time was RK Berane, who won the champions' battle during thenext season.
Next two years saw the domination of RK Budućnost from Podgorica, who won two consecutive titles. Big incidents occurred at the games during both seasons. Match RK Budućnost – RK Lovćen, which decided about national champion, played on 17 May 2009, was the most attended game in the history of Montenegrin First League (4,000 spectators). Budućnost won 28:26 (18:14) and held the first title in the club history. Match ended with incidents in Sports center 'Morača', with the clash of supporters, but the players Goran Đukanović (Budućnost) and Igor Marković (Lovćen) too. Big crowd disturbances previously happened at the game RK Berane – RK Lovćen.[1]
RK Budućnost was dissolved during the summer 2010. During theseason 2010–11, RK Brskovo (at that time under the name RK Mojkovac) gained their first-ever trophy, after title race with RK Lovćen.
From 2011 to 2015, RK Lovćen won four consecutive titles. At that time, team from Cetinje played three seasons inSEHA League, while RK Sutjeska participated once.
With poor performances of RK Lovćen and following earlier relegations of many notable teams as RK Berane or RK Sutjeska, title holder on season 2015–16 was RK Budvanska rivijera. Next season, the trophy won RK Partizan from Tivat.
New time of RK Lovćen domination started in 2017. Team from Cetinje won two consecutive trophies in seasons 2017–18 and 2018–19.
Season 2019–20 was interrupted after 12 weeks, due tocoronavirus pandemic. During the April, Montenegrin national handball federation decided to erase all the results in every single competition.[2] But, after the consultations with the First League members in May, federation changed the decision, so the table after 13 weeks became a final score of the season.[3] With that decision, RK Lovćen won the title, whileRK Komovi became a runner-up.
Since the inaugural season (2006–07), five clubs have been champion.
Since 2006, six clubs have been Montenegrin handball champion.
The most successful club isRK Lovćen Cetinje with 12 titles, whileRK Budućnost Podgorica andRK Budvanska rivijera have won 2 titles.RK Brskovo,RK Berane andRK Partizan Tivat all have a single championship title.
With 2 titles fromFR Yugoslavia Championship (2000, 2001), two times winner of the FRY Cup (2002, 2003), 12 titles in Montenegrin league and 12 wins in Montenegrin Cup,RK Lovćen is the most successful club ofMontenegro.
| Club | Titles | Runners-up | Years won |
|---|---|---|---|
| RK Lovćen Cetinje | 12 | 5 | 2007,2012,2013,2014,2015,2018,2019,2020,2021,2023,2024,2025 |
| RK Budućnost Podgorica | 2 | 1 | 2009,2010 |
| RK Budvanska rivijera | 2 | 5 | 2016,2022 |
| RK Berane | 1 | 1 | 2008 |
| RK Brskovo Mojkovac | 1 | 2 | 2011 |
| RK Partizan Tivat | 1 | 2 | 2017 |
Below is an overall list, with titles won in both leagues – Montenegrin League and FR Yugoslavia / Serbia and Montenegro Championship.
| Club | Titles | Runners-up | Years won |
|---|---|---|---|
| RK Lovćen Cetinje | 14 | 8 | 2000, 2001,2007,2012,2013,2014,2015,2018,2019,2020,2021,2023,2024,2025 |
| RK Budućnost Podgorica | 2 | 1 | 2009,2010 |
| RK Budvanska rivijera | 2 | 5 | 2016,2022 |
| RK Berane | 1 | 1 | 2008 |
| RK Brskovo Mojkovac | 1 | 2 | 2011 |
| RK Partizan Tivat | 1 | 2 | 2017 |
During the past, in Montenegrin First League participated 17 different teams. Only one club competed in the all seasons –Lovćen.
Below is the list of participants of the First League with their placements during the every single season.
| Club | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RK Berane | 2 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 7 | – | 3 | 4 | – | – | – | – | 4 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 6 |
| RK Partizan | 7 | 7 | – | – | – | – | – | 3 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 4 | 5 |
| RK Budućnost | – | 5 | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 3 | 5 | 6 | 2 |
| RK Budvanska rivijera | – | – | 5 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | – | – | 5 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
| RK Cepelin | 8 | – | – | – | – | 7 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| RK Danilovgrad | – | – | – | 8 | – | – | – | 7 | – | – | – | – | – | 8 | 8 | 12 | 12 | – | – |
| RK Ivangrad | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 6 | – | 7 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| RK Jedinstvo | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 3 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 8 | 11 | 9 | 10 |
| RK Komovi | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 7 | – | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 7 | – | – |
| RK Lovćen | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| RK Brskovo Mojkovac | 5 | 6 | 6 | – | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 5 | – | – | – | 9 | 8 | 10 | 11 |
| RK Mornar | 4 | 4 | 8 | 7 | 7 | – | 6 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| RK Mornar 7 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 8 |
| RK Rudar | 6 | – | 7 | 4 | 5 | 5 | – | – | 4 | 6 | 4 | – | – | 4 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| RK Sedmerac | – | – | – | – | – | 6 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| RK Sutjeska | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 11 | 10 | 8 | 9 |
| RK Ulcinj | – | – | – | – | – | – | 5 | 6 | 7 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| RK Zabjelo | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4 |
All-time Montenegrin First League table is a ranking of all Montenegrin handball clubs based on their performance in top tier. In this ranking 2 points are awarded for a win, 1 for a draw, and 0 for a loss. Highlighted clubs played in the First League in the2019/20 season.
| Rank | Club | Seasonsa | Games | W | D | L | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RK Lovćen | 15 | 260 | 232 | 10 | 38 | 454 |
| 2 | RK Budvanska rivijera | 11 | 208 | 107 | 15 | 86 | 208 |
| 3 | RK Brskovo Mojkovac | 11 | 194 | 83 | 14 | 95 | '180 |
| 4 | RK Partizan | 10 | 172 | 85 | 10 | 77 | 180 |
| 5 | RK Berane | 10 | 196 | 82 | 13 | 101 | 177 ' |
| 6 | RK Sutjeska | 8 | 160 | 81 | 11 | 68 | 173 |
| 7 | RK Rudar | 10 | 186 | 66 | 10 | 110 | 142 |
| 8 | RK Budućnost | 3 | 64 | 52 | 1 | 11 | 105 |
| 9 | RK Komovi | 5 | 82 | 38 | 5 | 39 | 81 |
| 10 | RK Mornar | 6 | 112 | 34 | 8 | 70 | 76 |
| 11 | RK Jedinstvo | 4 | 68 | 24 | 3 | 41 | 51 |
| 12 | RK Mornar 7 | 5 | 76 | 25 | 1 | 50 | 51 |
| 13 | RK Ulcinj | 3 | 48 | 12 | 4 | 32 | 28 |
| 14 | RK Danilovgrad | 4 | 70 | 10 | 1 | 59 | 21 |
| 15 | RK Cepelin | 2 | 34 | 5 | 2 | 27 | 12 |
| 16 | RK Ivangrad | 2 | 30 | 4 | 2 | 24 | 10 |
| 17 | RK Sedmerac | 1 | 18 | 4 | 1 | 13 | 9 |
^a Including the season 2020/21
| Season | Avg | Overall | M | H | CH | CL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–07 | 570 | 45,600 | 80 | 3,000 | Berane(1,160) | Boka(260) |
| 2007–08 | 551 | 34,700 | 63 | 2,500 | Berane(1,278) | Boka(150) |
| 2008–09 | 651 | 72,900 | 112 | 4,000 | Lovćen(875) | Budva(286) |
| 2009–10 | 560 | 44,800 | 80 | 3,000 | Budućnost(1,020) | Danilovgrad(240) |
| 2010–11 | 557 | 33,400 | 60 | 1,500 | Brskovo(1,033) | Mornar(288) |
| 2011–12 | 387 | 28,600 | 74 | 1,200 | Lovćen(690) | Sedmerac(222) |
| 2012–13 | 448 | 26,900 | 60 | 1,500 | Brskovo(778) | Berane(275) |
| 2013–14 | 402 | 20,900 | 52 | 1,000 | Lovćen(522) | Danilovgrad(188) |
| 2014–15 | 434 | 25,150 | 58 | 1,500 | Rudar(833) | RK Ulcinj(183) |
| 2015–16 | 388 | 23,300 | 60 | 1,000 | Budva(478) | Komovi(144) |
| 2016–17 | 416 | 17,450 | 42 | 1,000 | Lovćen(643) | Ivangrad(214) |
| 2017–18 | 313 | 13,750 | 44 | 1,200 | Lovćen(457) | Mornar 7(183) |
| 2018–19 | 331 | 19,850 | 60 | 1,500 | Ivangrad(575) | Partizan(167) |
| 2019–20 | 470 | 22,100 | 47 | 1,500 | Rudar(1,033) | Partizan(117) |
| 2020–21 | Without attendance due to thecoronavirus pandemic | |||||
M = Number of matches (only matches with spectators counted); H = Highest attendance on one match; CH = Club with highest average attendance; CL = Club with lowest average attendance
At the first part of competition, nine teams play a two-round robin competition. In second phase, four best-placed teams are playing six-weeks long League for champion, while all the others are participating in playout.
The following clubs compete in the First League during the 2020–21 season.
| Team | City | Arena | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berane | Berane | Gradska dvorana Berane | 2,200 |
| RK Budvanska rivijera | Budva | Mediterranean SC | 1,500 |
| Danilovgrad | Danilovgrad | City Hall | 1,000 |
| Jedinstvo | Bijelo Polje | SC Nikoljac | 3,000 |
| Komovi | Andrijevica | Gradska dvorana Berane | 2,200 |
| Lovćen | Cetinje | SRC Lovćen | 1,500 |
| Mornar 7 | Bar | Topolica | 3,000 |
| Partizan | Tivat | Župa | 1,500 |
| Rudar | Pljevlja | SC Ada | 3,000 |
Southeastern European Handball Association League, orSEHA League is founded at 2011, and Montenegrin clubs were part of it since first season. Most successful Montenegrin representative in regional league wasRK Lovćen.
Below is list of participation of Montenegrin clubs by every season of SEHA League.
| Season | Club | Pos | G | W | D | L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011–12 | RK Lovćen Cetinje | 6 | 21 | 12 | 0 | 9 |
| RK Sutjeska Nikšić | 10 | 21 | 3 | 1 | 17 | |
| 2012–13 | RK Lovćen Cetinje | 6 | 18 | 9 | 2 | 7 |
| 2013–14 | RK Lovćen Cetinje | 9 | 18 | 3 | 2 | 13 |
Montenegrin men's handball clubs are participating in theEHF competitions since the season 1995–96.
First team which ever competed at the European cups wasMornar Bar and most successful Montenegrin represent in the European competitions isLovćen Cetinje. The other Montenegrin clubs which competed at the EHF competitions areBerane,Rudar Pljevlja,Budućnost Podgorica,Sutjeska Nikšić,Brskovo andRK Budvanska rivijera.
The greatest result in the European cups made RK Lovćen during the season 2000–01. As a champion ofFR Yugoslavia, Lovćen won fifth place in theEHF Champions League.
Below is a list of Montenegrin teams which played in the European competitions.
| Club | S | G | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lovćen Cetinje | 20 | 73 | 27 | 4 | 42 | 1860:1984 | 56 |
| Berane | 4 | 16 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 459:453 | 20 |
| Budućnost Podgorica | 2 | 16 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 483:450 | 20 |
| Sutjeska Nikšić | 5 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 323:372 | 11 |
| Mornar Bar | 4 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 282:280 | 8 |
| Brskovo Mojkovac | 4 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 200:274 | 6 |
| Partizan Tivat | 3 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 187:231 | 5 |
| Rudar Pljevlja | 1 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 97:114 | 4 |
| RK Budvanska rivijera | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 135:171 | 0 |
| Jedinstvo Bijelo Polje | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 46:73 | 0 |
| 10 TEAMS | 159 | 59 | 11 | 89 | 4072:4402 | 129 |
S – seasons; G – games; W – wins; D – draws; L – losses; GD – goal difference; Pts – points (win = 2pts; draw = 1)
 Sport Leagues in Montenegro | |
|---|---|
| Football | |
| Basketball | |
| Handball | |
| Volleyball | |
| Water Polo | |
| Regional Leagues | |
| National teams | |