Croatian Football Federation talent camps held in Canada and US

by croatiaweek
July 18, 2022
in Sport

(Photo credit: Croatia Cleveland Juniors Soccer Club)

Since 2020, when the Croatian Football Federation (HNS) created the role of instructor for the diaspora, HNS has stepped up its efforts in scouting, following and communicating with talented young Croatian players who live abroad.

Over the last two years, HNS has managed to secure the services of a number of diaspora players who were, and in some cases had already at youth level, eligible to represent the country of their birth.

HNS announced that it will hold football camps in Australia, North and South America and Europe, but those plans were hampered due the pandemic.

The camps have now started and after HNS, with Joe Šimunić, were in Australia earlier this year, they have also held talent identification camps in Canada and the United States.

Croatia Norval (Canada) and Croatia Cleveland (USA) worked together with HNS to put together two 4-day camps for 12-15 year-olds in Norval, Ontario and Cleveland, Ohio with official HNS trainers and coaches coming from Croatia.

(Photo credit: Croatia Cleveland Juniors Soccer Club)

The goal, apart from growing the game and creating opportunities for players to play abroad, was to provide Croatian players throughout Canada and the United States the opportunity for their talents to be showcased.

(Photo credit: Croatia Cleveland Juniors Soccer Club)

Croatia Norval camp

Led by member of the Executive Board and President of the Diaspora Commission Anto Kulušić, chief instructor of HNS Petr Krpan and technical director of the A and U-21 national team Stip Pletikosa, taking part in the camp were Božidar Miletić (coordinator for women’s football), Marin Smoje (instructor of NS Osijek), Mladen Ivančić (instructor of NS Rijeka), Ivan Krakan (Instructor for fitness preparation) and Darko Staneković (goalkeeper coach).

(Photo credit: Croatia Cleveland Juniors Soccer Club)

86 players took part in the camp in Norval, Ontario.

(Photo credit: Croatia Cleveland Juniors Soccer Club)

“The most important thing is that these boys and girls develop a love for football, but first and foremost, an attachment to their homeland and playing for the Croatian national team. We have always drawn players from the diaspora for selections under the auspices of the Croatian Football Federation, and we want to maintain that trend in the future as well,” Stipe Pletikosa told HNS.

(Photo credit: Croatia Cleveland Juniors Soccer Club)

Croatia Cleveland

55 kids between 12-15 years of age took part in the camp in Cleveland, Ohio.

(Photo credit: Croatia Cleveland Juniors Soccer Club)

“The brilliantly organized camps in Norval and Cleveland are confirmation that in this part of the world there is a great interest of our emigrants in activities under the auspices of the Croatian Football Federation, which makes us happy. We are aware that there is great potential in the diaspora, I am glad that many of our young players, with their decisions to play for Croatia, have confirmed how strong the attachment to the Croatian national team is in our families abroad. In this context, with such camps we want to further strengthen this segment of activity because we are a small country and we have to successfully find every talent, be it in Croatia or abroad,” said HNS president Marijan Kustić.