13.03.2013, 04:55
A big 'thank you' to the best fans

Dozens of exciting, fascinating and simply cool stories were sent from handball enthusiasts across Europe following the EHF's "100 days, 100 words, 100 % handball" competition

A big 'thank you' to the best fans

Admittingly there was of a bit of 'prize money' at stake: Two tickets to the VELUX EHF FINAL4 in Cologne, the climax of European club handball where the four best teams will fight for the coveted VELUX EHF Champions League trophy.

Two original adidas match balls could also be won, so could another seven promotion balls. However, the EHF Media and Communications team never expected such a fantastic turnout.

Over the past two and a half weeks our fan inbox was flooded by all your cool handball stories. Many of them made us laugh, some of them made us feel more emotional and by some of them we were simply amazed because of all the little adventures and spontaneous incidents handball, this fantastic sport, has contributed to your life.

There was the story from Marco, himself a former handball player, who still vividly remembers how he played with Italian side Principe Trieste against Olympique Marseille, at that time featuring stars like Jackson Richardson, in the quarter-final of the 1994/95 season of the EHF Champions League.

And they beat the French team in the first leg 20:17. "We were all amateurs, I was a student, another one was a bus driver," Marco writes. They lost the second leg 14:19, but it did not matter. "We played with heart, bravery, passion and pride (...). We felt, and in fact, we were like heroes."

Katrin and Benny told us how they got to know each other while working as volunteers at the VELUX EHF FINAL4 last year. They worked together, they discussed the matches together - and left the event as a couple. "Without the FINAL4 I would have never got to know my girlfriend," Benny says.

A small lock, attached to the Hohenzollernbrücke crossing the Rhine, will always show their love.

And Katrin is not the only 'trophy', Benny has been taking home.

Already volunteering in 2011 he managed to swap his hoodie with left wing Cristian Ugalde for a FC Barcelona jersey, signed by the entire team.

We very much felt his teammate´s pain when Taavi told us the incredible story of when his team once had to play in an arena where a concrete post stood in the middle of the field of play.

Even though it had been cushioned with several mats, the heat of the match made players forget that it is there - we do not want to continue here, but according to Taavi no permanent damage was caused.

To be honest, we would not even believe that such a match was ever played, but Taavi attached a sketch of what the court looked like.

But on to the next story: We are sure that Rhein-Neckar Löwen and Danish national team goalkeeper, Niklas Landin, would be flattered if knew (maybe he is reading it now), that his signature he scribbled on a ticket of the EHF Champions League match, THW Kiel vs GOG Svendborg, four years ago, still holds a very special place in Corinna's heart.

And our next advice goes to István, a huge fan of László Nagy: We love it when you cheer for the best athletes in handball, but please make sure you put your phone in your pocket before jumping up and down - especially if iron tubes are just above you.

But please, do not lose your passion for handball, István! And thanks for attaching the picture of your broken phone.

A question goes to Katrin from Berlin: Which sandwich did THW Kiel's Momir Ilić order when you met him at Subway? Does he go for Chicken Teriyaki or rather prefers Italian B.M.T?

Just very brief: Sergi, we really liked your photo with FC Barcelona's Viran Morros!

Helga told us that she has been spending hours of her life practising spin shots, after she had watched István Pásztor scoring for Veszprém in the European top flight by using the same shot.

How are your spin shot skills these days, Helga?

One of our favourites was Lilly-Ann's story from Germany. Nicknamed "Roggisch" after Oliver Roggisch, her idol and Germany's inspiring national team captain, she showed her defence skills in the 2006/07 season in a junior match that was still played with mixed teams.

Tensions were running high and one of the boys had called her 'Barbie' in the first half. So for the second half she plotted a plan with one of her teammates.

When the boy in question was in attack, the two girls - "by accident" - put their arms under the boys' and started lifting him up.

"He was dangling almost one metre up in air and screamed like a girl," Lilly-Ann remembers with a huge smile on her face.

However, at last we had to decide for a winner among all the great entries we received. So here it is: The two tickets for the VELUX EHF FINAL4 go to Barbara from Hungary.

Her story happened after she and her Veszprém fan club had gone to Celje to watch the VELUX EHF Champions League Group phase match between the two teams at the start of December 2012.

Veszprém won 24:19, but Barbara had a bold thought. "Tension was running high after the game, but I called Dejan Perić (editorial note: the former Serbian international won the premier continental club competition with Celje in 2004, was the Veszprém goalkeeper between 2006 and 2011 before returning to Celje).

"He is the idol for many in Veszprém - and I invited him to our hotel. After the initial enthusiasm, we were unsure whether such a star, especially because he was injured, would come and see us in the middle of the night.

"But he came - the crutches under his arm. We were all a bit embarrassed but started talking and talking - mostly in Hungarian.

"Perić told us about his family, his most memorable matches, the love he got from the Veszprém fans. We got to know him as a humble and kind person.

"Four hours flew by almost unnoticed, and in the morning we accompanied him to his car. It was an unforgettable experience we often recall."

The EHF Media and Communications Team says a big 'thank you' to all participants. All winners will be notified individually in the coming days.

TEXT: EHF / ts