Croatian Rugby

hiberno

Hi! My name is Alan Moore and I'm working and living here in this lovely little patch of ground next to the Adriatic. I've been here for the best part of 3 years and just over a year ago decided that travelling 200km round trips for training 2-3 days a week was going to kill me. So with the help of the, then, Deputy Mayor of our town myself and some friends began to set up a Rugby Club. Mainly it was ot provide a new outlet for kids, esp., in our town of 15,000 plus, as there is precious little co-ordinated initiative.

Having zero money available wasn't a problem, I bought some footballs, dug up an old set of GAA shirts and away we went. However the local soccer club did everything in their power to knock us off track (this despite, or maybe because of, my playing for them for a couple of seasons when I arrived). So we are now without a field in our own town (we've to travel 20kms to the next available pitch) and currently doing the paperwork to get a new one.

However the future is bright and we have some great support (politically and morally) from fellow rugby clubs and now from interested parties in the town government. We will survive without the money for now, but we are desperately short of equipment.

Our seniors have no kit, at present, and when we next play, in May, will have to scrounge from our opponents (this brings back childhood memories of GAA matches and changing in old railway wagons or in ditches). From top down we have, in our possession, 8 footballs, a kicking tee, and two spare pairs of boots, and that's it.

Anything that might be lying, moulding away in the hot press or back of a car, is most welcome. Our town government cannot help us financially until we have a field of our own (laws) and this is not going to happen until next winter.

If anyone can help, they'd be feted here and welcome for a free holiday anytime!

shoutman

you could try and get in touch with www.sosirbkitaid.org.

besty

I know the English RFU did a kit donation to Romanian rugby a few years back following contact from someone like yourself. Try and get in contact with someone there.

Amazotheamazing

You should post this message on munsterfans.com and leinsterfans.com, 2 of the most active Irish rugby sites. I'm sure you'll find some response there.

hiberno

Thank you for the comments, the first two are actually accessed from the Croatian Rugby Union, but are almost solely the domain of English clubs. Now while not wishing to bite the hand that has fed clubs here, the amount of material is pretty small coming to Croatia from the soskit source. We had our first official St. Patick's Day here in Knin yestrday and we had the President of the Dalmatian Rugby Association, a rep from Nada Rugby Club of Split and the whole town council turned out and we got a real boost. During and after the do we were discussing the club and the way forward and the most common concensus was that by improving a link with Ireland we would be going down the better track. (Here the British and esp. English are seen as suspect and anti-Croatian, don't ask why!).

And for next St. Patrick's Day we've already set up the plan for here in Knin. With ourselves (as whipping boys) Split and Sinj (our neighbours 50kms away) we will play a tournament on Friday-Saturday 16-17th March 2007, and we hope to have an Irish club/team(s) visit, with the tournament wrapping up in the early afternoon on Saturday and a celebration in the town hall continuning in a local hostelry (with Irish music) afterwards. It's simple and do-able (at least right now it seems so!).

I will stick the post on the Leinster and Munster fans sites (thanks for that Amazo). And please do keep the suggestions and ideas coming!

besty

Well if you want to develop a link with Irish rugby, try and contact the IRFU directly about organising some gear/some form of event.

hiberno

That's a good call, I did have some contact with the Leinster Branch last year when I sat a coaching course. But that is something to follow up, thanks!

MG

On the topic of Croat rugby, I flicked over to Eurosport and they were showing a Croatia - Germany rugby match. Pretty poor fare but I was surprised to see the great Frano Botica playing for Croatia!

Rockee

It'd be great to see a country like Croatia get some support to get their rugby up and running! Do most European nations have a Rubgy team? I never really hear of any of the 6 nation group playing friendlies with them if so. It seems to be mainly friendlies with Tonga, Western Samoa or the U.S.A.

hiberno

Frano Botica is one of many Croatian "diaspora" who at the end of their careers came back to the landof their ancestors to play. There's quite a few others who've done the same (though none quite so outstanding). Dan Luger is here right now and has Croatian parents, they're trying to get him to unretire and play locally and for the country, and Sean Fitzpatrick is of Irish-Croatian parents, I guess it's the O'Hailpin scene for New Zealand.

We had a St. Patrick's Day do here in the town and I've posted the link below to the town site, okay, it's in Croatian, but when you know that Ragbi is Rugby spelled phonetically here, then you catch the drift.

http://www.knin.hr

The woman on one end of the flag is our Mayoress, the youngest in Europe, and has begun to come round to the idea that the game might not only be good for the kids in the town, but for boosting it's profile too!

Next March 17th we host a rugby tournament and will gladly have anyone and everyone from Ireland and all parts connected to it, to play or just to enjoy the first festival in Croatia. It should be fun!

Trotter

hiberno wrote:

The woman on one end of the flag is our Mayoress, the youngest in Europe, and has begun to come round to the idea that the game might not only be good for the kids in the town, but for boosting it's profile too!

I wish we had a mayor like that.. If she's as sport mad as she is good lookin then you wont have a problem!!

Are there any schools there that play rugby?

hiberno

Hi Trotter,

I wouldn't describe as being sports mad, she would be on committees locally for say handball or volleyball, but that's the usual patronage thing. She has pledged to back us though and I think it'll improve her profile a lot by being associated with us (well, the hopes goes anyway).

We have a former player and qualified coach working in our local high school and he is to look after that section, while another two of our guys will look after the primary schools in the town, and our neighbouring town will be catered for too. Right now the school teams would be really only beginning, but we have a plan in place to hold a regional schools competition in November this year (Split, Knin and Sinj).

If you know of any clubs (all ages and standards) who might be interested in a jaunt over, we'd be delighted to host them and organise 2-3 games for them!

Alan