Mona Obaidli: “I hope we can reach the EHF Finals again”

Obaidli, just like her sisters, started playing handball in their hometown Molde in Norway.  While Anniken joined Storhamar in 2021, Mona continued sharing the court in Molde with Sherin until this season. Together, after two years of trying, in the 2022/23 season, they finally reached the EHF European League Women group phase.

In a tough group A with eventual EHF Finals participants BV Borussia 09 Dortmund, Siófok KC and ES Besancon Feminin, Molde Elite could not get their hands on a win. However, they were giving their best and Mona was the club's top scorer netting 29 times in six matches.

“It was hard to leave. I have all my family and a lot of friends in Molde, so it was hard to leave them. I had played for Molde Elite all my life, so it was the right time to try something new,” says Mona Obaidli on whether it was a tough decision to leave a place where she spent her whole life and made her first handball steps.

Her performance caught the attention of Danish side Nykøbing, EHF Finals 2023 finalists. Nykøbing's 2022/23 performance set high goals and their results both in European competition and the domestic championship were enough for Mona to make a decision.

“I chose Nykøbing Falster because they had a really good team with good coaches. I heard a lot of good things about the supporters too. I must say I enjoy it a lot and I am so thankful to be a part of this team.”

Nykøbing have a challenging domestic league with EHF Champions League Women participants Team Esbjerg, Herning-Ikast and Odense Håndbold, among other strong clubs. Currently, they are holding fourth place, right behind the top trio, with four defeats.

However, Nykøbing are getting better with each match, as they bring a new squad together. Among the departures from the club were the 2022/23 second-best top scorer Elma Halilcevic who joined Odense together with Nikita van de Vliet; Marie-Hélène Sajka returned to France and joined Neptunes Nantes; and Respect Your Talent alumna Mia Svele reinforced Storhamar Handball.

The youngest Obaidli sister is just one of the reinforcements but her ability to play both as the centre back and left back will be of great asset to Nykøbing. As she says, the change was difficult in the beginning but things are coming into place.

“It was hard in the start but now I’m starting to feel better. We are 11 new players, so it will take some time before we play as we want.”

The draw held in Vienna placed last season’s finalists Nykøbing in group A together with Hungary’s Praktiker-Vác, Norway’s Storhamar Elite and HC Podravka Vegeta from Croatia. Interestingly enough, last season in group C they also faced Podravka and had one Norwegian and one Hungarian opponent – Sola HK and DVSC Schaeffler.

“We are a very good team, so I hope we can reach the EHF Finals again. However, it is a tough draw. We have to play at our best to progress further. What I really look forward to is the game against Storhamar and my sister,” says Obaidli about Nykøbing's chances.

The game the 26-year-old Norwegian player is looking forward to is also their first in the EHF European League Women 2023/24 season. In round 1 Anniken Obaidli and Storhamar travel to Nykøbing. It will be the first time two sisters will be on opposite sides in the European competition.

“Of course, it will be a special game, but when it starts, it will be a normal match for me. Both of us will do everything to win the game, but after it, we are sisters again,” concludes Mona Obaidli.

Photos © Nykøbing Falster Håndbold