After 22 years of division among youth handball clubs in Zielona Góra, the time has come to reunite. In the Senate Hall of the University of Zielona Góra, a cooperation agreement was signed between the Academic Sports Association (AZS UZ), local handball clubs UKS Bachus Zielona Góra and UKS Szczypiorniak Zielona Góra, and the Lubusz Handball Training Center.
The partnership aims to strengthen the development of handball in the city and the Lubusz region. It will provide school and university students with opportunities to grow their athletic talents at every stage of education. As explained by Prof. Sławomir Kłos, PhD, President of AZS UZ: “We want to promote university sports among young people. All over the world, universities strive to be associated with sports, and we want participation in academic competitions to be seen as a prestigious achievement.”
From the 2025/26 season, AZS UZ will take responsibility for training youth teams (boys and girls, junior and cadet levels – secondary schools), bringing together players from all Zielona Góra and surrounding clubs. UKS Bachus and UKS Szczypiorniak will focus on primary school athletes (grades 1–8).
As Ireneusz Łuczak, Vice President of UKS Bachus, noted: “With this agreement everything is now well structured. We share a common goal. Young athletes in Zielona Góra will know they can count on support at every stage of their development, with a clear pathway from one club level to the next.”
Marek Książkiewicz, President of UKS Szczypiorniak, added: “This cooperation will create a better development path for our players. Each club will focus on its age group, working together to achieve the best possible results.”
In addition, in the 2025/26 season AZS UZ will also compete in senior leagues, entering teams in: Men’s 1st League, Women’s 1st League, Men’s 2nd League, Men’s 3rd League.
The partnership will be officially inaugurated with the LubUZkie Cup, a nationwide handball tournament kicking off on Saturday, August 30, at 9:15 a.m. in the University of Zielona Góra Sports Hall (Prof. Szafran Street 6). The event will host 600 students from across Poland, under the honorary patronage of Prof. Wojciech Strzyżewski, Rector of the University of Zielona Góra, and Marcin Pabierowski, Mayor of Zielona Góra.
