Unbreakable team - official ending of the season

On Tuesday, June 4, we said goodbye to the players leaving PGE VIVE Kielce and thanked the entire team for the great 2018/19 season. At 5 p.m. the team took part in the Holy Mass at the church of St. Charles Borromeo on Karczówka in Kielce, and then everyone headed to the market square, where the championship celebration with fans took place.

It was a day full of emotions, thanks and goodbyes. It started with a traditional Holy Mass, which was led by Fr.  Jan Oleszko on Karczówka in Kielce. The priest warmly emphasized what a wonderful family we have built around the club and in just a few words managed to express everything that all the fans, who stayed with PGE VIVE Kielce team for yet another season, probably feel.

We would like to thank those who are leaving and say that we are proud that we could meet you on our way – said Fr.  Jan Oleszko – Thank you very much for creating history that remains in the hearts of the people of this city.

We were struggling with injuries all year round, but nobody was able to break us – said Bertus Servaas, the president of the club.

After the service, the club coach took the team to the market square, where the players were awaited by the fans. The championship celebration had three parts. The first one was dedicated to celebrating the three great successes of this season - the sixteenth Polish Championship, the sixteenth Polish Cup and the advancement to the VELUX EHF FINAL4. The second one was to say goodbye to the leaving players and the third one was to introduce the new team members who will join us this summer.

During the first part, the vice-president of Kielce, Mr. Marcin Różycki, spoke.

On my and Bogdan's behalf I would like to thank you all for the emotions that we experience thanks to you – he said – your work, the work of the coach and Bert, who has been with us for so many years and puts all his heart into this club, allowing us to rejoice just like we do at the moment. I congratulate you, thank you and wish you further successes.

The next two parts were narrated from the stage by the president Bertus Servaas, who was very emotionally saying goodbye to the leaving players of PGE VIVE.

It was a pleasure for me to watch this boy develop. Bartek wants to continue on this and be in a club where he will be able to play more and maybe he will come back to us one day – he said about PGE VIVE Kielce alumnus Bartek Bis, who is leaving for Górnik Zabrze.

Filip, you are such a funny guy, the team's clown, you have always been able to create an atmosphere in the team – he laughed when talking about Filip Ivić who will join the ranks of VfL Gummersbach – but I have to add one more thing: apart from Sławek Szmal, I have never seen a player working so hard. Thank you for everything you have given to this team.

I have never met a guy who would gain such a sympathy from people during one season – he spoke about Vladimir Cupara, the goalkeeper who will stand between the posts of Veszprém starting from this summer – It's amazing how you have won the hearts of fans, Vladimir.

Marko spent a long time deciding whether to stay or leave – revealed president Servaas – He is a very ambitious boy and ultimately decided that he wants to play more in attack. I would like to wish him all the best and thank him for everything he has given on the court.

He is a player to whom I have enormous respect for everything he has done for Polish handball, not only here, but for many, many years. He had a lot of bad luck, but fortunately everything ended well and at the end of the season we saw the real Mariusz Jurkiewicz He is also a very humble guy and one of the most intelligent people I have met in this club – said president Servaas about Mariusz Jurkiewicz.

President Bertus Servaas also said a few words about those who were not present, Michał Jurecki and Luka Cindrić. The captain of PGE VIVE underwent a hand surgery in Germany on Wednesday morning, so he could not be in Kielce on Tuesday evening.

It's much easier for me when Michał is not here – said president Servaas – It's very difficult to say goodbye to such a player. He gave all his heart to this club.  I hope he will come back to us again, but now we wish him good luck in Flensburg. Of course, in all matches except those against us!

But the hardest thing was to talk about Luka. The Croatian playmaker, who signed a three-year contract with our team, after just a few months in Kielce decided that he wanted to go to Barcelona. The Catalan club tried to get him for a long time, until finally president Servaas agreed to sell the player so that he could fulfill his dreams in the team he always wanted to join. He had a mixed season, interrupted by injuries, and in the Final4 in Cologne he was merely a shadow of the player that we know.

One week before the final tournament of the Champions League, Luka received tragic news. His mother was fighting for her life in a critical condition. Luka immediately flew to Zagreb and joined the team already in Cologne. Coach Talant Dujshebaev gave him a clear message - he is free to fly home to his family any time. But Luka decided to stay with the team, fighting with all his strength against the rivals for the trophy, as well as with himself. On Monday he flew from Cologne straight to Zagreb.

Luka did something amazing for the team. Of course he has been doing it for the whole year, but first and foremost, not many people would stay with the team in such a situation. I would like to thank him for this with all my heart. It showed what kind of a person he is, what kind of a team and family we are – said Bertus Servaas.

On Monday his mother lost the battle for her life. President Servaas asked the fans gathered in the market square for a minute of silence.

Let's think for a moment about Luka's mother and Luka himself, to give him strength in these difficult moments – said president Servaas.

In the last part of the meeting, the president introduced two new players who appeared in the market square, Mateusz Kornecki and Doruk Pehlivan, who will join the team in August to start preparations for the 2019/20 season. He also mentioned about the meeting with Andreas Wolff in Cologne and the telephone conversation with Igor Karacić, who won this year's Final4 with Vardar.

Igor told me that it was his second day celebrating and he wouldn't even be able to come to Kielce – laughed president Servaas – and I talked to Andreas in Cologne. I told him that I was the most disliked person in Płock and he assured me that he would do his best to be the most disliked person there in the next season!

The new players present at the celebration received club jerseys and greeted the fans.

I'm honored to be part of this beautiful family – said Doruk Pehlivan.

I am very happy to be able to play in a club like Kielce, I can't wait for the new season, I would like to invite you all to the matches – added Mateusz Kornecki.

At the end, the players went into the crowd of fans giving autographs, posing for photos, and above all talking and saying goodbye to the fans who have become their second family. All over the place you could hear "thank you" in any possible form, as well as wishes for success and luck in new places. President Servaas ended the celebration with words addressed to all attendees:

Thank you all very much and remember that I really love you.