Mariusz Jurasik retires

One of the biggest names in Polish handball over the last decade, Mariusz Jurasik, has announced his retirement from playing in professional handball after Bogdan Wenta decided to cut him from the squad for upcoming season.

However, the former Polish team handball player will stay in Kielce, where he will work with youth players.

The Polish Handball Asociation announced new rules for the Polish league and cup in the coming season, which will mean Kielce will not have a problem fielding a full squad in the coming season.

In previous years Kielce had been limited in the number of foreign players they could field because of rules limiting each team to a maximum of three non-EU players. Now thanks to Croatia joining the European Union from 2013, Kiele will be able to play with all four of their Croatian players from the start of the new season.

Under these circumstances, the club announced that the contract with Jurasik would not be renewed but that club had offered him another role.

The club's Vice President, Marian Urban, commented: "Mariusz did a lot for the club on the court. He was also one of the main characters in the Bundesliga for several years. This experience will certainly be valuable in the job that awaits him. We are delighted that he accepted our offer. We believe that because of his personality and future activities more and more young people will want to play handball in the club."

“Mariusz is one of the icons of our club and it is great that he stays with us,” added Bertus Servaas, president of KS Vive Targi Kielce.

Jurasik played in Iskra Kielce from 1996 to 2001 before he moved to Wisla Plock from 2001 to 2003. The best part of his career, the Polish right wing and right back, spent with Germany's Rhein Neckar Löwen from 2003 to 2009, when he decided to return to Kielce.

He was a part of the Polish silver medal squad at the 2007 World Championship in Germany and in 2009, when Poland won the bronze medal at the World Championship in Croatia.