Andreas Palicka at Kolstad IL: I believe in this project
One of the best goalies in handball world, Andreas Palicka has signed contract with Norwegian powerhouse Kolstad IL. The 38-years old Swedish goalkeeper is moving from PSG Handball to Trondheim in summer 2025 with signed two years deal.
– The fact that it was a sporting project that I believe in was of course crucial. Kolstad showed quite early on that they were interested in getting me, that they had a good plan to get me – and my family – to Trondheim. Family is very important; we have lived abroad for many years now, and that the family situation was important to us, Kolstad understood that very early on. The club was therefore able to present a plan to us that we felt was very motivating and interesting. So Kolstad was very capable there.
– I have actually described myself and what type of goalkeeper I am through what I have achieved as an international goalkeeper for 20 years. I play a lot with emotion and put a lot of energy into my handball. I humorously say that my handball is 30 percent handball goalkeeper and 70 percent emotion. Of course, that is not an entirely correct picture, but there is a lot in it, says Andreas and adds:
-I also set high standards for my teammates, for a professional attitude. And, I can say that I am a winner. I am the goalkeeper I am and the person I am with the qualities I have. The most important thing for success in handball is the person behind the player.
– I think it is a privilege to be allowed to continue as a professional athlete when you are 40 years old, which I will be when my contract with Kolstad expires. Now, after the Olympics and until the end of November (in PSG), things have gone incredibly well for me. To be a good handball goalkeeper requires a lot of experience. You can play a few years “extra” and still maintain a very high level. I have told myself that the day I can’t contribute on the field with who I am, I will quit – but I haven’t had that feeling this season. I still feel an incredibly strong motivation to play handball. And so we landed this agreement with Kolstad, which feels very, very good for the whole family.
Andreas Palicka has certainly been a role model for many goalkeepers. But has he himself had any goalkeepers to look up to?
– I have had two very big “companions” to my career; Mats Olsson and Thomas Svensson, ever since I was little. Also, an old great Serbian goalkeeper, Dejan Peric, has been important to me and my career. The three have been with me since my youth. I have also had the honor of working with Thomas and Mats in the national team.
Back to Kolstad and the pending two-year contract (2025 to 2027). The number 12 shirt has been Andreas’s in many previous clubs. It is vacant in Kolstad; that’s not such a bad thing…
– I haven’t talked to Jostein about that yet, but, yes, it is my wish to continue my career in Kolstad with jersey 12. It is the jersey number I feel most confident in and which I have had throughout my career after moving abroad. It feels like my “home jersey” and which I would like to have in Kolstad as well.
General Manager Jostein Sivertsen confirms that jersey number 12 will have “Palicka” on the back next season.
