CEV President attends opening of new headquarters of Croatian Federation
News
FIVB President Dr Ary S. Graça F° and CEV President Aleksandar Boričić attended on Tuesday a special ceremony held for the opening of the new headquarters of the Croatian Volleyball Federation (HOS) at Dražen Petrović Square 1, Zagreb. A devastating earthquake last spring damaged the previous HOS seat and the organisation had to continue their operations from temporary offices since March 2020.
“If you have a nice office, you feel pride. If you feel pride, you work and build a strong national team. This is what I said to Croatia’s Prime Minister yesterday; you must have good national teams because your people are very tall. FIVB is here to give support and I believe you will have a team on the podium in four years,” said the FIVB President.
Aleksandar Boričić“The office looks amazing and these are great working conditions, now you need results on the court as well. I expect the Croatian women’s national team to reach the knockout phase of EuroVolley and I am sure they will achieve a good result there!”
CEV President
The new HOS headquarters cover an area of some 350 sq. m. Croatia’s State Secretary for Sport Tomislav Družak, the Director of the Sports Division at the Ministry of Tourism and Sport Krešimir Šamija, as well as the President of the Croatian Olympic Committee Zlatko Mateša were among the first people to pay a visit to the new offices. They did so together with scientist Dragan Primorac, the captain of the Croatian women’s national team Samanta Fabris and FIVB and CEV Board member Zdeslav Barač.
“I love this new office, it is functional and rational. This is for sure a great foundation for the development of Volleyball in Croatia!” said Družak. The President of the Croatian Olympic Committee Zlatko Mateša added, “The arrival of key people from European and world Volleyball is an indicator of how important this event is. This is a demonstration of respect for Volleyball, and of desire for our Volleyball community to achieve better results!’”
The President of the Croatian Volleyball Federation Ante Baković, alongside Vice-President Petar Sprčić, Secretary General Valentina Bifflin and HOS board member Vlado Bagarić hosted the guests and dignitaries.
“Our old office was completely destroyed in the earthquake and since that day we have been looking for ideal headquarters. Four months ago, we started refurbishing this office - which is today a beautiful home. This is a pre-condition to working better and I believe our players will soon make us very happy!” said Mr Baković.
Samanta Fabris“I am happy to be here, this is a lovely home for all of us players. The only missing thing is a new trophy! The women’s team is getting together after more than a year, and we are happy to see each other again, but also to play the European Golden League and the EuroVolley later this year.”
Captain of the Croatian women's national team
The new HOS office was furnished with the financial help of CEV, with the support of the Croatian Ministry of Tourism and Sport, the Croatian Olympic Committee and City of Zagreb.
