Undoubtedly, the vastly experienced goalkeeper and especially the captain Stoilov are going to be sorely missed on the court. The 36-year-old is the heart and soul of the club and he retires as one of, if not the biggest, legends in the rich history of Vardar. If Stole's playing career has taught us anything, it is the fact that whenever he is close to the court, those around him never lack energy, passion or the winning edge.
But the newly appointed executive director Ristovski adds that the new strategy is going to freshen up the ageing squad by injecting much-needed talent; eight new players confirm the statement and desire for silverware. The average age of the newcomers is close to 23, a stark contrast to average of the seven players who left the Skopje-based club over the summer, 32.
One of the new reinforcements is the talented 22-year-old Serbian left-back Stefan Petrić who arrived in Skopje from RK Partizan. Interestingly, his father Vladimir Petrić spent four years at Vardar and retired in the red and black shirt back in 2015. Stefan's father also represented the club in European competitions and played in the EHF Cup as well as the EHF Champions League.
“My earliest handball memories are connected to HC Vardar 1961 because of my father's playing career in Skopje, but I can't say that was crucial in my decision to join the club, although it probably affected me subconsciously to naturally follow my father's footsteps. As a kid, I imagined myself playing in the red and black shirt at the EHF Final 4 as I closely followed the club. When I received HC Vardar 1961's offer, I immediately knew that was it and didn't think twice about it,” says Petrić.
Other new signings include Damjan Stojkovski, Victor Alonso García (Pallamano Romagna), Nilton Melo (Sporting CP), Marko Srdanović (RK Metaloplastika Elixir Šabac), Hanser Rodríguez (Sporting CP), Matija Nikolić (RD Urbanscape Loka) and Kosuke Yasuhira (Orlen Wisla Plock).
