– I want you to roar at the camera! In the basement of a hotel in the center of Trondheim, the photographer gives clear messages. At a photo session in a dark room with large spotlights, Sander Sagosen, Gøran Johannessen and Magnus Abelvik Rød can finally put on the bright red Kolstad suit. A signal that they are back in Norwegian handball – and that the domestic league may be entering a new era. Gøran Johannessen and Magnus Abelvik Rød replace Flensburg with Kolstad. Photo: Bjarte Johannesen / news Why Norway? – I want Kolstad to be the best in the world. I will do everything I can and I am absolutely sure that the other boys have the same ambitions, says Sagosen. All three of them leave the German league, the best in the world. Now they come to a league where the best achievement internationally is Opsal’s quarter-final in Europe against Gummersbach in 1971. Drammen also won the City Cup in 1996, a few levels below the Champions League. Kolstad won all three home league tournaments this season, and will now play in the Champions League. Both Johannessen and Rød admit that their teammates in Flensburg were surprised by a return to Norway. – They ask why we don’t want to play in Germany. But we are Norwegians and would prefer to play handball in Norway. When I get to do it with this project, I can’t find anywhere else I’d rather be, says Rød. Abelvik Rød is asked to roar for the photographer. Photo: Bjarte Johannesen / news – Hopefully they will open their eyes when we play in the Champions League, says Johannessen. Wants more folk festivals But Sagosen has not only come home to play the best possible handball. For him and the other Norwegian profiles, the return home is also about creating something bigger with the Norwegian league. The Norwegian handball league has never been able to gather the large masses, neither in the halls nor in front of the TV screen. Now they will play in the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history. – We want to contribute to better recruitment and that more young boys want to play handball. I want to create folk festivals in Norway. Whether we come to Bergen, Elverum or Oslo, it will be sold out. Kolstad has been clear that bringing home Sander Sagosen has been a big dream. Photo: Bjarte Johannesen / news Abelvik Rød agrees. – We want to develop Norwegian handball to become part of world handball. Will there be more profiles? Kolstad has already brought in some of Norway’s biggest profiles. In addition to the three who have now arrived, the club brought in Torbjørn Bergerud and Magnus Gullerud last year. – You have to start with the biggest Norwegian profiles to create interest, says Sagosen. Abelvik Rød says it is up to general manager Jostein Sivertsen to decide who more Kolstad will bring to the club. But he can admit that Kolstad is mentioned during national team meetings. – Kolstad is mentioned in conversations, but it is Jostein who controls who comes in. Both Johannesen and Abelvik Rød have been asked by teammates in Germany why they want to return to Norway. Photo: Bjarte Johannesen / news Excited about the project – It’s far from getting three fantastic national team players to stand in Cologne and lift the trophy. But that it is possible, absolutely. That’s what news’s handball expert Håvard Tvedten says, who follows the project in Trondheim. He warns that similar projects have been tried before without success, but still has faith in what Kolstad is doing. Especially because it is a long-term project, but he is unsure how quickly a Kolstad can become among the best. – It is a winding road to the top and they were not as superb in the Norwegian league as one thought they would be. So they have not completely convinced, although they have good results. Establishing yourself at the top of the world in handball requires both player material, organizational ability and financial muscle. Tvedten is also excited about whether Kolstad manages to create greater interest in the Norwegian league. – Everything depends on what kind of results they get, but they have managed to create a lot of local interest. news’s handball expert Håvard Tvedten is eagerly watching Kolstad. Photo: Vidar Ruud / NTB scanpix Handball adventure and family addition Now a new season and games in the master’s league await. Kolstad can help create a new interest in Norwegian handball. And for Sagosen, even more excitement awaits at home. The mobile is always close by, as he is soon to be a father. – We have had a strong desire to have children. It will be extra special to come home and have the grandparents, who can take a greater part in everyday life. We are both very family oriented, so it means a lot to us. The photo session is over. Now life in Kolstad begins. Sander Sagosen will soon become a father for the first time. Photo: Bjarte Johannesen / news
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Sander Sagosen, Gøran Johannessen and Magnus Abelvik Rød in place in Kolstad – news Trøndelag
