Climbing to the top of the hill

It was the biggest handball news in Poland this summer: champion Vive Targi Kielce is planning on aiming higher in the future by improving their squad with extraordinary players.

The most successful newcomer is former World, Olympics and EHF Champions League champion, Croatian Mirza Dzomba (33), who signed a two year contract with the current Polish champion and cup winner.

"We’re very enthusiastic over being able to sign such a world class player," club President Bertus Servaas said: "He is one of my favourite players."

Dzomba had been playing in Zagreb for the last three years after finally having won his first EHF Champions League title in 2006 with Ciudad Real. Before that he was very unlucky, losing in five EHF Champions League finals with Ciudad, Veszprem and Zagreb (3).

The next international top class player is Polish international Michal Jurecki. He joins Kielce after having played for HSV Hamburg and Nettelstedt in the German Bundesliga. Primarily it was planned that Jurecki would come to Kielce in 2011, but both clubs arranged an early transfer. The back court player – part of the successful Polish national team – signed a five year contract with Targi.

And from the next season on Bogdan Wenta – working in double function as club and national team coach – will coach the current IHF World Handball Player of the year day by day, as goalkeeper Slawomir Szmal will return to his home country. He signed a four year contract, starting in 2011. "It was a decision I took together with my wife. We decided that the time has come to take more care about our family. So we’ll return home," Szmal said.

Another player who arrived in Kielce from the Bundesliga is Dutch international Mark Bult, who played for Füchse Berlin. "To go to Kielce means a great challenge for me," Bult said after signing his two years contract.

"We want to become one of Europe’s leading clubs in future. So it’s great that we had the change to go one step forward with those new players," coach Wenta said. His club also signed the Polish left wing talent Damian Kostrzewa from AZS Gdansk.

And all those experienced new players are needed to reach the international objective for the upcoming season: the round of the Last 16 of the VELUX EHF Champions League. Kielce has to play in the "hammer group" together with Kiel, Barcelona, Chambery, Celje and Rhein-Neckar Löwen.

To see what it feels like to climb the high mountains of European top handball, Kielce played test games against absolute European top class in the preparation phase – and lost those matches against Ciudad Real, THW Kiel and FC Barcelona.

„Playing with those opponents is giving us a lot of experience. You don’t have the chance to meet the best teams every day," left wing Mateusz Jachlewski said.

To build a bigger financial fundament the club founded the "Club of hundred" in order to attract new sponsors.

Key facts

Newcomers: Mirza Dzomba (from RK Zagreb), Michal Jurecki (from TuS N-Lübbecke), Mark Bult (from Füchse Berlin), Damian Kostrzewa (from AZS Gdansk), Michał Adamuszek (from MMTS Kwidzyn), Krzysztof Szczecina (BKS Stalprodukt Bochnia)

Left the club: Pawel Piwko (to Miedzią Legnica), Marek Kubiszewski (to Nielba Wągrowiec), Damian Moszczyński (to Traveland Olsztyn)

Coach: Bogdan Wenta (POL)

Club records

Eight times Polish champion (1993, 1994, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2009, and 2010), seven times Polish Cup Winner (1985, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2009, and 2010)

Find more info here.