THW Kiel start their preparation

Another rain shower goes down in Schleswig-Holstein, as Marcus Ahlm wanders over the course of the golf club in Hohwacht.

Nostalgia doesn’t hold the captain of THW Kiel but he knows that it is his last participation in the traditional golf tournament at the start of the pre-season.

The Swede starts his tenth and final season at the THW Kiel before he returns to Sweden.

He has spent the last few weeks in his homeland and has put some distance between his family and the Handball circus. "Our neighbours there were not talking about handball," Marcus Ahlm smiles.

"We talked about other things, like how to cut a hedge," commented Ahlm.

However, Ahlm did not take his eye off next season and expressed his goals for next season: "You can’t wish to win titles, they must be earned” he says and adds: "I just want to win every game."

While Marcus Ahlm enjoys the golf tournament along with Filip Jicha, Dominik Klein and other members of the THW, Alfred Gislason stayed in Kiel.

The coach is thinking about the special preparation that awaits his team.

Due to the Olympic Games, Gislason will start the first practice sessions with only seven professionals.

The rest of the team will join them in the middle of August.

Players will have to be patient with newcomers

Among the missing players are three of the four newcomers: Serb Marko Vujin (Veszprém), Icelander Gudjon Valur Sigurdsson and the Dane Rene Toft Hansen (both Copenhagen).

Only pivot Patrick Wiencek (Gummersbach) will complete the total preparation period in the club colours.

"For these players it will not be easy to integrate into our system," warns Marcus Ahlm and adds that the team will have to be patient with the newcomers.

Dominik Klein commented on the importance of the upcoming Super Globe: "Super Globe" that will be played at the end of August in Qatar. "Qatar is great for our team and it creates good coherence in the squad," said the left-winger.

Nevertheless, THW Kiel will play only a small number of test games.

Instead of playing many matches, the practice sessions and training camps in Poland (4 - 12 of August) will be more intense."