Niels Agesen refuses to relocate: Flies to work instead

When Nykøbing Falster Håndbold (NFH) takes to the court this upcoming season, head coach Niels Agesen will once again be on the sidelines.

Unlike most of his coaching colleagues, however, he won’t be arriving by car or bicycle.

Agesen lives north of Aalborg, more than 400 kilometers away, and despite his new role, he has decided not to move closer to the club.

This choice has led both him and the club to approach things differently.

Rather than spending hours on the highway, they have chosen a more unconventional solution: flying as the primary means of transport.

Agesen now commutes between Aalborg and Copenhagen by plane, and this is not the first time he has gone to great lengths to coach a team.

In the past, he drove from Holstebro to Nykøbing, but that setup quickly became too exhausting for both him and his family.

Flying as a solution

Agesen explains that the long distance initially made him question whether the arrangement was even possible.

However, according to TV2 Sport, NFH was so eager to bring him back that the club actively worked to find a practical model that would allow it.

Air travel turned out to be the solution, and it has not required any major changes or sacrifices in his daily routine.

“I live just 15 minutes from Aalborg Airport, so I can get back and forth almost any day of the week,” says Agesen, who seems content with the arrangement.

He is happy to be reunited with the club he led to the Danish Championship in 2017 and enjoys working once again with many familiar faces.

Kristina “Mulle” Kristiansen, who was also part of the team during the 2017 title win, is looking forward to playing under Agesen’s leadership once again.

“We’ve been training together for almost two weeks now, and it’s great to have him back. He hasn’t changed a bit.”

New team, same ambitions

Much has changed at NFH since last season.

Half of the squad has been replaced, and Agesen now shares coaching responsibilities with Mikkel Thomassen.

The season begins on August 30 with a difficult away match against SønderjyskE, a team that has knocked NFH out several times on their home court in Aabenraa.

NFH hopes the new coaching duo can lead the team back to the top, although the regular season includes many tough matchups.

Among them are the reigning champions from Odense and a reunion with former NFH head coach Jakob Larsen, who is now in charge of Horsens.

Whether the flight path between Aalborg and Copenhagen will also lead to success on the court remains to be seen.