Dragan Đukić (handballer)

Dragan Đukić (born 9 August 1962) is a Serbian handball coach.^[1] Currently the Head Coach of MOL-Tatabánya KC, Hungary.

Dragan Đukić
Đukić during a training of Grundfos Tatabanya KC in 2021
Personal information
Born	(1962-08-09) 9 August 1962 (age 62) Aranđelovac, FPR Yugoslavia
Nationality	Serbian
Teams managed
Years	Team
1986–1993	Zupa, Serbia
1993–1994	Metaloplastika
1994–1995	Zupa, Serbia
1995–1997	Kolubara
1997–1998	Napredak, Serbia
1998–1999	Sever, Serbia
1999–2000	Crvena zvezda
2000–2000	Jordan
2000–2003	Pick Szeged
2003–2005	Vardar
2003–2004	North Macedonia
2005–2006	Madeira
2006–2008	Switzerland
2009–2012	Great Britain
2009–2010	Pick Szeged
2012–2015	Israel
2016–2017	Maccabi Tel Aviv
2017–2018	HC Odorheiu Secuiesc
2016–2018	Montenegro
2018–2019	CSM București
2019–2020	Georgia (Sport Director)
2021–2022	Tatabánya KC
2022–2023	Israel
2023-2024	AEK H.C.
2024-Current	Tatabánya KC

With the National Team of Great Britain took part at London 2012 Olympic Games and with Montenegro participated at the European Championship in Croatia 2018.

Handball academy, book and seminars

Conceptual initiator, founder, and organizer of the project: "Handball 4All" a unique program of individual handball education for young players and coaches from all over the world, running from 2011 in Serbia.

In 2020, he published a very successful handball book on the principles of defense 3:2:1, entitled 3:2:1 - Back to basics.

Held Seminars and Lectures in Serbia, Portugal, Hungary, Switzerland, Greece, Great Britain, North Macedonia, Turkey, Montenegro, Tunisia, Japan and Bulgaria, on different handball related topics. As a lecturer participated in the Master Coach courses of the Handball Federations of Poland, Croatia, Greece, Israel, Denmark, Slovakia, Russia and Italy.

From April 2022 he became an official Lecturer of the European Handball Federation (EHF Expert), and in December 2023 became the official Lecturer of the International Handball Federation - IHF CCM Lecturer.

Education

Graduated from the Faculty of Physical Education in Novi Sad (Serbia), finished a Master's study at the Faculty of Sport in Belgrade (Serbia).

He is a certified Master Coach (since 2014) of the European Handball Federation (the highest education for handball coaches).

In 2018, finished a Master's study at EHF/University Las Palmas (Spain). He was part of the 1st generation of Academic EHF Master Coaches.

Coaching career

In the period from 1987 to 2001 he was hired as a coach of various junior selections of Yugoslavia, Serbia and Montenegro and Serbia. Through his work, he played a role in the becoming of several young players everywhere he worked: Ivan Lapčević ("Zupa"), Danijel Anđelković ("Kolubara"), Nikola Eklemović and Daniel Buday (Pick Szeged), Carlos Carneiro ("Madeira SAD"), Andy Schmid (Swiss National Team) etc.

In addition, in the same period he was the coach of several clubs in Serbia:

• "Zupa" Aleksandrovac 1986-1993 and 1994/95
• RK Metaloplastika 1993/94
• RK Kolubara 1995-1997
• ZORK "Napredak" Krusevac 1997/98
• "Sever Kozateks" Subotica 1998/99
• RK Crvena zvezda 1999/00

In December 2000, he became the coach of the Hungarian club Pick Szeged, and remained there until June 2003, when he went to Macedonia and worked as a coach of "Vardar Vatrostalna" Skopje (2003-2005) and as a national coach of the Macedonian national team (2003/04). Season 2005/2006 he took over the Portuguese club Madeira SAD from Funchal.

In the period from 2006 to 2008, he was the national coach of Switzerland.

In April 2009, Đukić succeeded Carsten Albrektsen as the head coach of the national team of Great Britain with the goal of forming a team for the 2012 Olympic Handball Tournament in London. At the same time, in the 2009/10 season, he was also leading Pick Szeged simultaneously.

After the Olympic Games, Đukić left Great Britain and in September 2012 became the head coach of the Israeli national team, at the head of which he remained until August 2015.

In the 2016/17 season, he led Maccabi Tel Aviv, with which he won the national cup and placed in the group phase of the EHF Cup, being the only Israeli team that has achieved it so far.

In December 2016, he became the coach of Montenegro, at whose helm he remained until July 2018. With this selection, after successfully completing the qualifications, he participated in the European Championship in Zagreb in 2018.

From October 2018 to July 2019, he coached the women's team of CSM Bucharest, with whom he won the National cup and played in the 1/4 finals of the Champions League.

From 2019 to 2020 he held the position of sports director of all selections of the Handball Federation of Georgia.

From 2021 to 2022 he coached Grundfos Tatabanya KC, Hungary with whom he participate in European Handball League.

In 2022/23 he once again coached the Israeli National team and helped them to create a new generation of players.

In 2023/24 he coached Greek champion AEK from Athens, with whom he participated in the EHF European League.

Achievements and recognitions

• Champion and Cup Winner of North Macedonia with Vardar Vatrostalna
• Cup Winner of Israel with Maccabi Tel Aviv
• Romanian Cup Winner with CSM Bucharest
• MEHL League winner with Pick Szeged (Hungary)
• 1/2 of EHF CWC with “Vardar Vatrostalna” (North Macedonia)
• 1/4 of Ch League with CSM Bucharest (Romania)

He has been awarded different recognitions for his individual work as a coach:

• The best youth coach by the Handball federation of the Republic of Yugoslavia in 1993;
• Coach of the year in Aleksandrovac in 1993 and Lazarevac in 1995;
• Coach of the century of the municipality of Aleksandrovac in 2000;
• Coach of the year in Hungary in 2002;

With "Zupa" in the 1994/95 season, he took place in the First Federal League of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the highest level of competition, and was the champion of Serbia and Yugoslavia in the 1992/93 season with the younger selections of the same club.

Playing career

In his playing career, he played for: "Zupa" Aleksandrovac, "Student" Kragujevac and "Goč" Vrnjačka Banja, all from Serbia. Very early, in 1986, he decided to dedicate himself to a coaching career and initially led as a coach and played in the same time for "Zupa".

References

1. "2018 European Championship roster" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 January 2018. Retrieved 16 June 2018.

• Djukic appointed new coach (“Eurosport”)
• GB handball coach Dragan Djukic to leave after Olympics ("BBC sport")
• GB handball coach Djukic quits to take charge of Israel ("Inside the games")
• Maccabi Tel Aviv appoints new coach Dragan Djukic ("Handball planet")
• Đukic new coach of Montenegro (“Hballtransfers”)
• Dragan Djukic is the new head coach for CSM Bucuresti ("Timeout" magazine)
• 3:2:1-Fachbuch das ehemaligen nationaltrainers Dragan Djukic ("Handball" Switzerland)