The start of the new season is fast approaching. The Jacob Cement Cup traditionally offers an exciting preview of the regular season games and will serve as something of a dress rehearsal for SG Flensburg-Handewitt. The game against Lugi Lund tips off on Friday at 7 p.m. at the GGW Arena. An autograph session will take place as early as 4:30 p.m.
The Jacob Cement Cup has been held since 2002. Due to a hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic, this will be the SG’s 24th season opener, not the 25th. So far, the SG has won 20 times; once the Ziegelstein Cup went to Skjern; and twice the event turned into a farewell ceremony—in honor of Tobias Karlsson, Lasse Svan, and Holger Glandorf. After the Jacob Cement Cup was moved to Lübeck and Sønderborg for the past two years due to renovations in the arena, it is now returning to “Hölle Nord.” For Emil Bergholt, it will be a first. So far, he has only sat in the stands as a spectator at two SG home games, but he has never played at the GGW Arena. “I’m incredibly excited to now experience this atmosphere on the court,” says the SG captain.
A Debut for the New Signings
Emil Bergholt will wear number 14. The crowd can also look forward to three more new faces who will take the court for the first time in “Hell of the North” with their new jersey numbers. Simon Möller wears number 30, Arnar Freyr Arnarsson wears number 41, and Aymeric Minne wears number 44. SG coach Aleš Pajović will use the game to further prepare his players for the approaching start of the season. The offense has already shown itself to be in good form, and the defense has made progress. Upcoming opponent Lugi Lund is a partner club of the SG and is one of the traditional clubs in Swedish handball. After being relegated in 2024, the club is now back in the top division. Its best-known players are two former Bundesliga players: right wing Hampus Olsson comes from HC Erlangen, and backcourt player Adam Lönn from SC DHfK Leipzig.