Sports, DHK | Had to drop a trip abroad: – Don’t want to start going on the run
THE DRAMA: Drammen Handball Club is preparing for the 2022/2023 season in the elite series for men, and the start of the series is fast approaching. Wednesday 31 August is the premiere against Fjellhammer away, but before that it is European Cup qualification against fellow elite series Kolstad away on Saturday 27 August. The return match takes place in Drammenshallen on Sunday 4 September (8pm), which will also be the first home match of the year.
As an important part of the season preparations, Drammen HK had to go on a training camp to Herning in Denmark this week, and have matches against Team Tvis Holstebro on Friday and HC Midtjylland on Saturday. But recently DHK has chosen to drop the Denmark tour for financial reasons.
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Vegard Svalebjørg, who is the incoming general manager of DHK, someone said that it is not an acute financial crisis in the club, but still took this decision in order not to take any undue chances.
– This decision was taken by the administration, after a dialogue with sports, according to the precautionary principle. We did not want to spend a lot of money on a training camp in Denmark at a time when we have not yet received the necessary sponsorship money, says Svalebjørg.
He further explains that some important sponsorship agreements for the coming season have not been signed, but that it looks promising. In 2021, DHK made a profit of DKK 324,000. The budget is around twelve million kroner.
– We don’t want to take any chances, and for my part, I won’t formally start the job until September 1. I don’t want to start walking on the nose. Call it cowardly, but I’m primarily thinking about getting money into my account and building a club, comments the incoming general manager.
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– But for the sporting aspect, it is a slight setback, unfortunately Svalebjørg continues.
Svalebjørg does not want to state the sum DHK saves by cutting out staying in Denmark, but that it is a lot of money for the club.
DHK coach Kristian Kjelling is of course aware that this is not exactly ideal sportsmanship.
– This was a trip and two matches against Danish elite league teams that we had been looking forward to, and something that we did with good experience before the pandemic. For team building in the group, it had also been important, says Kjelling, who notes that during the run-up the sporting aspect has deteriorated.
But Kjelling understands the decision.
– Yes, absolutely, reports the coach.
Now it will instead be one training match against the 1st division team Follo on Friday.
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The dock ends
Arne Dokken, who has been the general manager of Drammen Handball Club since 2016, will retire at the end of August. Vegard Svalebjørg therefore replaces Dokken. Svalebjørg has thus returned to DHK. He was both a player and sales manager in the drama club at the turn of the millennium.
– I still have a passion, or passion if you will, for handball and a heart that beats for DHK, and now I get to do something I’m really passionate about, says Svalebjørg to dhk.no.
Last season, Drammen HK took league silver and reached the semi-finals in both the NM, play-offs and European Cup.
PS! DHK played a tournament at Elverum last weekend. It had to be pressed. First 38–29 for Runar and then 31–28 for Elverum. Runar was also beaten 30–21 weeks before that, so results fluctuate in the run-up.