It is the ultimate a coach can achieve," says Robert Hedin, coach of Melsungen MT about his new and additional task. The 42-year-old Swede is now coach of German first division team MT Melsungen as well as the new men`s national team coach of Norway. This confirms the release by handball-world.com from September 12, which had already reported that the Norwegian association would decide between Hedin and former THW Kiel coach Serdarusic.
Hedin will succeed Norway`s national coach Gunnar Pettersen who had declared his resignation in this summer after he had not succeeded to qualify Norway for the Olympics. Norwegian officials took their time to find a new coach. As Norwegian media sources as well as handball-world.com reported one month ago, the search became a duel between Hedin and Serdarusic, but it was left open if Serdarusic was interested in the job at all. Hedin has signed a two year contract with the Norwegian Handball Association.
Both Robert Hedin and the management of MT Melsungen, a first league club located in Hessen in the center of Germany, announced that the existing contract with Melsungen will be still in existence until 06/30/2010. In doing so both sides agreed to analyze the development up to the end of the running season in order to decide whether Hedin can shoulder the twho jobs.
"To Rastislav Trtik (Robert Hedin’s predecessor at Melsungen), we had recommended to quit the coach office at the Czech Republic and to concentrate on Melsungen. But this is something you can not over-simplify but must decide in respect to the acting persons and the identified constellations. We believe that Robert Hedin can fulfil both offices," says MT Board Chairman Barbara Braun Lüdicke. With Ola Lindgren, who also runs a double office as Swedish national team coach together with his task at HSG Nordhorn, there is also an example showing that a double caoching task can work out.
Robert Hedin himself assess the situation as non-problematic: "There are only a few periods throughout the year when I will be with the Norwegian national team. These are fixed times in the international calendar and are declared as a course or tournament dates. Then half of my players in Melsungen are together with their national teams, too."
While Hedin is collecting points with MT in order to climb the first division’s table, he has now the additional task to get Norway ready for the Euro 2010 qualification. First test will be the game against Estonia on 29 October. Norway has already qualified for the World Championships 2009 under Hedin`s predecessor Gunnar Pettersen.
One of the most frequently mentioned candidates for the office as Norwegian national coach was the former coach of THW Kiel, Zvonimir "Noka" Serdarusic. But according to Norwegian media, Serdarusic never said "Yes", possibly also because of offers from the Bundesliga. Norway`s Association did not want to wait any longer and took its decision in favor of Hedin.
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