OK Nova KBM Branik

Origins of volleyball in Maribor

Prior the World War II, the city of Maribor was known as the "cradle" of volleyball in Yugoslavia. Volleyball in Maribor was firstly played by the gymnasts of the sport club Sokol-matica in 1924. In 1931, Maribor hosted the first national championship, where women's senior selection of Sokol-matica won the title. In the next years, the team won several more titles, including the last pre-war championship in 1945, when both the women's and men's selections won the national title. During the 1930s, the women's volleyball selection became part of the 1. Slovenski Športni Klub Maribor (English: First Slovene Sports Club Maribor), or simply 1. SSK Maribor, which is a predecessor of the Branik Sports Association, which still operates today.

Foundation, early successes and decline

After the World War II in 1945, 1. SSK Maribor and Sokol-matica merged into a new sports organization, named Fizkulturno društvo Maribor or simply FD Maribor. The organization was renamed to Fizkulturno društvo Polet on 27 September 1946. In the same year, the women's volleyball selection of the club was formed. In 1945, the inaugural edition of the Yugoslav Volleyball Championship was held. At the championship, only the national teams of Yugoslav republics participated. Slovenian team, formed mostly of Maribor-based players, won the title in women's edition. The first proper championship with clubs was held the following season in 1946, when Polet won their first Yugoslav national title. In 1947 and 1948, Polet finished as the runners-up, behind another Slovenian team Enotnost Ljubljana. The team was renamed to Branik in 1952, when the sports organization SŠD Polet and the association football team NK Branik Maribor merged into the Mariborsko športno društvo Branik (English: Maribor's sports association Branik), or simply MŠD Branik. The literal translation of the Slovene word Branik is a Bastion in English. In 1953, the team, which was a mixture of youth and experienced players, won their second national title, finishing above ŽOK Partizan. In the next two years, Branik finished in the second place, before it was relegated from the first division in 1959.

After unabling to get promoted back to the top division for several years, the women's volleyball selection of MŠD Branik ceased to operate in 1968. After two years of inactivity, the volleyball selection was reformed, and was composed mostly of youth players. During the era, another Maribor-based women's volleyball team, ŽŠD Maribor, competed in the Yugoslav volleyball system, but had no major success, playing in the top national division for only one season before being relegated.

National champions of Yugoslavia

In 1976, SR Slovenia adopted the sport resolution, known as the "Portoroški sklepi" (English: Portorož Conclusions), after which the sports associations in the country were reorganized. As the result, MŠD Branik and ŽŠD Maribor merged into one team, named Odbojkarski klub Branik (English: Volleyball Club Branik). The reorganization of the club marked the new era of the club; firstly, the club was promoted to the second-highest division in Yugoslavia, where the club finished in the second place in the 1977–78 season. After again finishing as the runners-up the following season, Branik finally managed to finish in first place in the 1979–80 season. In the promotion play-offs, the team defeated Gradačac and earned a promotion to the Yugoslav top division.

In 1982, the team was renamed to Paloma Branik due to sponsorship agreement with the local tissue paper company Paloma from Sladki Vrh. In the 1984–85 season, Branik managed to win the Yugoslav national title for the third time in their history, first since 1953. The decisive match was played against Partizan in the newly built Tabor Hall, in front of 4,000 spectators, where Branik won 3–0. In the following season, Paloma Branik defended the title and won their fourth and final Yugoslav national title before the breakup of the country. Between 1983 and 1991, Paloma Branik reached the final of the Yugoslav Cup eight times, but lost on all eight occasions. During the 1980s, the team started competing in the international competitions; their biggest achievement was reaching the second round of the European Cup Winners' Cup in the 1987–88 season, where they were eliminated by the Soviet side WVC CSKA Moscow.

Slovenian League (1991 to present)

In 1991, Slovenia gained independence from SFR Yugoslavia. In 1992, Paloma Branik became the first champions of the newly established Slovenian Volleyball League. In the same season, the team also won the inaugural Slovenian Volleyball Cup. As the national champions, the team qualified for the 1992–93 CEV Women's Champions League, where the team was eliminated in the first round by the Hungarian team Tungsram SC. In the 1996–97 and 1999–2000 seasons, the team reached the main phase of the competition, but failed to obtain a single win, finishing in the last place in their group on both occasions with seven defeats out of seven games.

In the 2000–01 season, Branik reached the semi-finals of the Women's CEV Cup, the second highest official competition for women's volleyball clubs of Europe. In the final four tournament, held in Vienna, the team was eliminated by the home side SVS Post Schwechat with the score of 3–1. The team later lost against Dynamo Odessa from Ukraine in a third place playoff, finishing the competition in fourth place.

In the first decade after the Slovenian independence, Branik was the most successful team in the country, winning eight out of eleven championships between 1992 and 2002. However, after 2002, the team declined and did not win the title for the next seven years.

In 2010, Branik won the regional Middle European League for the first time. The team have won another three regional titles in 2012, 2013, and 2015, becoming the most successful team in the history of the competition with four titles.

Name changes

Club names through history:

Arena

The team play their home matches at the 2,100 capacity Ljudski vrt Sports Hall in Maribor. In the past, they played their games at the Tabor Hall.

Domestic

Regional

2016−17 Team

Source: CEV profile