July 7 – The Croatian government has donated land worth €4.2 million to the Croatian Football Association (HNS) to build a national team training centre.
The Deputy Prime Minister of Croatia and the Minister of Spatial Planning, Construction and State Property Branko Bačić and the President of the Croatian Football Association Marijan Kustić signed the Land Donation Agreement between the Government and the HNS in the city of Velika Gorica. Along with the Prime Minister, the ceremony was attended by the Minister of Tourism and Sports Nikolina Brnjac and the Minister of Regional Development and EU Funds Šime Erlić, as well Croatian men’s coach Zlatko Dalić.
HNS submitted the request for the land in order to build four football fields, a multifunctional sports hall with catering facilities for accommodation and food for athletes and other users of the centre. The conditions of the land donation include that the facility has to be up and running within five years.
NHS president Kustić said: “A football camp has been an aspiration and longing for us in the Croatian Football Association for 20 years, and now we are finally starting construction. I said that I don’t want to lay any foundation stones, we want to go step by step, and today a big step forward was made. I thank the Prime Minister, Andrej Plenković, for recognizing the readiness to build a football camp and thus the importance of the Croatian national team and our clubs. Croatian football definitely deserves it.
“Thanks also to the mayor of Velika Gorica, Krešimir Ačkar, and the city council, who were concrete and efficient in getting us to sign this historic contract. In the last few years, we have built about thirty fields with artificial grass, and this Government has enabled even more investments in infrastructure and sports in general. In any case, the camp will be a good legacy after this generation, I am sure that we will continue to make the Croatian people happy. In addition to the A national team, all representative age groups will train in the camp, in men’s and women’s competition, and part of the federation will also move there. Let’s build a camp, let’s go to an even better sports future. I hope that we will have even better sports results and that we will look forward to them together.”
Andrej Plenković, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia added: “The Government of the Republic of Croatia donated this land, worth 4.2 million euros, and what makes me particularly happy is the whole concept of a new approach to the construction of sports infrastructure, the kind that Croatian football deserves. Croatian national teams of all ages will train and prepare there but the camp will also be for other sports and athletes, with investment in the renovation of football infrastructure, starting with the stadium in Maksimir and the renovation of Poljud in Split.”
Contact the writer of this story, Aleksander Krassimirov, at moc.l1748164205labto1748164205ofdlr1748164205owedi1748164205sni@o1748164205fni1748164205