Following its successful premiere, “Euer Topspiel” is entering the next round: Together with THW Kiel, ORLEN Deutschland will once again give an adult amateur team an exceptional professional experience next year: an official league match in the Merkur Ostseehalle, the legendary home venue of the “Zebras”, taking place on 20 February 2027 ahead of the Kiel professionals’ Bundesliga home match. Amateur clubs can apply for “Euer Topspiel” from 2 October to 8 November 2026.
The premiere already demonstrated what a unique experience “Euer Topspiel” is for amateur teams: The winning team gets to feel like the professionals. They arrive in THW Kiel’s official team bus, use the Zebras’ dressing room in the Merkur Ostseehalle and give pre-match interviews. The team then enters the main arena, plays its regular league match there and enjoys the unique atmosphere of the handball temple on the Baltic Sea together with its own fans. With “Euer Topspiel”, ORLEN Deutschland and THW Kiel are once again creating an extraordinary experience that connects professional and amateur handball in a special way.
For all fans who cannot attend in person, “Euer Topspiel” will be broadcast live on the digital sports platform SPORTEUROPE.TV. A comprehensive live production will showcase the top match digitally as well, allowing handball fans beyond the arena to share in the experience. The match will also be covered by well-known handball content creator Jari Brüggmann.
“The premiere of ‘Euer Topspiel’ was a great success for everyone involved and impressively demonstrated the impact such an experience can have on amateur teams. For many years, we have been committed to both professional and amateur handball. With ‘Euer Topspiel, we connect elite and grassroots sport in a unique way and once again create an unforgettable experience for the winning club and its opponent. We are delighted to continue this special project together with our long-standing partner THW Kiel,” says Dennis Kulbach, Chief Operating Officer of ORLEN Deutschland GmbH.
Viktor Szilagyi, Managing Director of THW Kiel, emphasises: “This campaign with our main sponsor ORLEN Deutschland is unique in German handball. The enthusiasm with which the participating clubs rallied support for their teams during the application phase last year was infectious. Then seeing how much everyone involved enjoyed the Merkur Ostseehalle experience was a celebration. We look forward to watching two amateur clubs compete for points in our home arena again in February, and we are already very excited to receive the applications!”
The road to the Merkur Ostseehalle: Three phases to Euer Topspiel
In the first phase (2 October to 8 November 2026), teams that regularly play in the adult Oberliga or a lower division register via the campaign website at www.star.de/topspiel. During the subsequent casting phase, ORLEN Deutschland and THW Kiel review all submissions and select six clubs. This is followed by the voting phase (7 to 20 December 2026), during which the selected teams must collect as many votes as possible. Creativity is key, as the clubs are encouraged to come up with something special to win the support of their fans. The club with the most votes wins the match. The winner is scheduled to be announced on 21 December 2026.
Images: Players from last year’s winning club in THW Kiel’s dressing room and an in-game scene.
About ORLEN Deutschland GmbHORLEN Deutschland GmbH was founded in March 2003. It is a 100 per cent subsidiary of the Polish multi-energy group ORLEN S.A. and part of the international ORLEN Group. The company currently operates over 600 ORLEN and star filling stations on the German market. ORLEN Deutschland GmbH, based in Elmshorn, is one of the ten largest filling station operators in Germany and is involved in a wide range of sports and cultural sponsorship activities (e.g. handball, winter sports, music festivals).
In keeping with the claim “Moving forward together”, ORLEN and star filling stations offer high-quality fuels as well as their own shop products at an attractive price-performance ratio. ORLEN Deutschland is increasingly focussing on the expansion of electromobility offerings, alternative, sustainable fuels and the environmentally friendly use of resources. Customers receive additional services such as car washing, ATM and package services at many stations. Filling stations with 'star café' and 'stop.café’ invite customers to take a break in a feel-good atmosphere and offer coffee specialties throughout the day, a wide selection of food, as well as hot and cold snacks.
ORLEN S.A. further expanded its market position in the DACH region at the beginning of 2024 with the acquisition of Turmöl fuel stations. With over 260 stations, ORLEN has a market share of around 10% in Austria, making it one of the three largest owners of fuel station networks in the country.
Media Contact:
ORLEN Deutschland GmbH
Cynthia Graffitti
Media spokes person
Tel.: +491705000343
cynthia.graffitti@orlen-deutschland.de
Klaus-Peter Dittrich
Corporate Communications Manager
Phone: +49412147501768
klaus-peter.dittrich@orlen-deutschland.de