Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović officially opened the MEETING G2.5 Conference - Let's Build Business Bridges today. 

The fifth edition of the conference aimed at creating business connections between the homeland and Croatians living abroad started today in Forum Zagreb Conference Centre, and it brought together over 200 businesspeople with Croatian heritage from 18 countries. In her address to the participants of the conference, the Croatian President said that there's an entire population of Croatia living abroad today, so it's essential to listen to what the immigrants are telling and suggesting to us. Although we were able to take some steps forward in our economy, there's a long road ahead of us. If we want to develop faster, we need to make room for the entrepreneurs to do what they know best. She told the audience that their experience and knowledge are the wind in the back for so many, especially for young people, which allows them to play a vital role in our future. She invited everyone to keep working together for a better tomorrow, as we build the new Croatia. 

The conference started yesterday with a pitch session - the competition between the six Croatian start-ups which presented their innovative projects in 10 minutes to the jury. The jury comprised of entrepreneurs from Croatia and abroad, and they found the start-up Miret to be the best. They want to produce the most ecological sneakers in the world, and their award is to participate at no charge in a workshop held by the PWC consultancy company, as well as to have a promotional video produced by the magazine "Poduzetnik." Clover, MeshPoint, STEM, Worcon, and Venatus Jones also participated in the session. 

The presentation of the five successful Croatian franchises was held at the conference, all of whom are members of the Association of Franchises with the Croatian Chamber of Commerce. Those were Body Creator (a program for weight loss and body sculpting, which has been around for 18 years), Business Cafe (a concept for business networking, being held in 7 countries), Direct Booker (an agency for private accommodation booking with 21 offices in 7 countries), Place2go (a specialized magazine distributed and sold in 15 countries) and Surf'n'fries (selling fries in carefully designed packaging in over 60 stores in 20 countries on four continents). Around 200 franchise systems are operating in Croatia, with roughly 17000 employees in about 1000 locations. There is room for improvement, as currently, only 12% of those franchises have Croatian origins.

Each participant at the Meeting G2.5 conference got the opportunity to present their business and highlight who (s)he wants to connect to during the Who is Who in G2 program. That way, numerous successful projects were presented at the same time, including projects from the construction, metallurgy, IT, HR services, consulting, and communication management. Five-panel discussions are also on the schedule, with over 30 participants, well-known Croatian entrepreneurs from Croatia and abroad, as well as the representatives of the national and regional administration. Fashion, novelties in the IT sector in Croatia, remarkable Croatian exporters, strong business bonds between Croatia and Canada as well as the experiences of working in Austria as an entrepreneur will be discussed. Between the panels, several inspirational business stories were told by Marko Buzolic from Plava Laguna, Vlado Lendvaj from the Croatian IT Association, and Tomislav Anadolac and Hrvoje Bušić - the creator of the world's best gin. 

The program of the Meeting G2.5 was completed by brief lectures held by professor Božo Skoko, who talked about the development of the identity and branding of Croatia, the lobbyist Natko Vlahović on the importance of the upcoming Croatian presidency of the European Union, and the esteemed designer Boris Ljubičić on the importance of the design and the creation of the Croatian visual identity. 

Learn more about G2.5 on the official website.

ZAGREB, November 4, 2019 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandić said on Monday they were pleased with a meeting at which they had talked about the capital's zoning plan, but did not say if city councillors from Plenković's HDZ party would back the plan and MPs from Bandić's party the state budget.

"We agreed the process of adopting the zoning plan for the City of Zagreb. The mayor's associates briefed us on the procedure. It's an expert topic and they are considering every aspect of its compliance with the law and the plan in the Construction and Physical Planning Ministry," said Plenković.

Asked if the HDZ city councillors would back the plan if it was greenlit by the ministry, he said a decision would be adopted after an expert analysis was made.

He said the meeting discussed a score of projects important for the development of Zagreb, from those being implemented, worth more than 1.3 billion kuna, to future ones such as connecting the city and its airport, the Gredelj project, a children's hospital, the Institute of Immunology, and the Zagreb on the Sava River project.

Plenković said they also talked about the financing of the capital in the long term, calling the meeting useful and constructive.

Mayor Bandić said the government and the city were partners. "Responsibility and partnership are and will remain the cornerstone of our future work."

Asked by the press if there was a connection between the votes on Zagreb's zoning plan and the state budget, the mayor said: "Responsibility and partnership."

City Council president Drago Prgomet said big projects in Zagreb could not succeed if the government and the city were not partners.

More Zagreb news can be found in the Lifestyle section.

November 4, 2019 - The 14th round of the Croatian First League was held on November 2 and 3, 2019. This round saw a last-minute comeback for Osijek against Rijeka, while Hajduk lost to Gorica for the second time in one week. 

Dinamo v. Inter Zapresic (1:0)

Dinamo and Inter opened the 14th round on Saturday, November 2, 2019, at Maksimir stadium in front of 2,404 spectators. 

The first half was uneventful and went without goals, though it was Gvardiol to score at the start of the second half to make it 1:0 for Dinamo in the 48th minute. Inter was unable to equalize. 

Dinamo is currently in 1st place with 31 points, while Inter is in 7th with 11. 

Gorica v. Hajduk (2:1)

Gorica and Hajduk met for the second time last week on Saturday, November 2, 2019, in Velika Gorica in front of 3,753 fans. 

Gorica was quick to take the lead with a goal by Lovric in the 11th minute, though Hajduk’s Jairo equalized before the half for 1:1 in the 28th minute. 

Gorica retook the lead in the 86th minute for 2:1 with a goal by Suk, which was the final score of the game. 

Gorica is currently in 5th place with 21 points, while Hajduk remains in 2nd with 27. 

Slaven Belupo v. Istra (0:0)

Belupo and Istria met on Sunday, November 3, 2019, in Koprivnica in front of 3,134 spectators. 

Neither team was able to score, and the game featured four yellow cards for Belupo and three for Istra. 

Belupo is currently in 9th place with 11 points, while Istra is in 8th with 11. 

Osijek v. Rijeka (3:2)

Osijek and Rijeka met on Sunday, November 4, 2019, at City Garden Stadium. 

Colak and Zuparic put Rijeka up 0:2 at the half, which seemed as if it would depict the outcome of the game. However, Maric scored for Osijek in the 65th minute for 1:2, and two more late-game goals by Lyopa and Zaper (79’, 88’) gave Osijek an incredible turnaround and victory in the end. 

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Osijek is currently in 3rd place with 23 points, while Rijeka is in 4th with 22. 

Lokomotiva v. Varazdin

Lokomotiv and Varazdin closed out the 14th round on Monday, November 4, 2019. 

Lokomotiva took the lead thanks to a Tolic penalty in the 18th minute for 1:0, though Varazdin’s Glavina equalized just before halftime for 1:1. 

Tuci’s goal put Lokomotiva back in the lead for 2:1, which was the final score of the game. 

Lokomotiva is currently in 5th place with 22 points, while Varazdin is in the last with 10.

You can see the full HNL table here.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page. 

November 2, 2019 - One hundred films, 12 programs, 11 days, 8 Zagreb venues and 20 cities all over Croatia, is this year’s Zagreb Film Festival in numbers. 

T.portal writes that the 17th edition of the Zagreb Film Festival opens on November 7 at Lauba and will last until November 17 at various locations across the capital, including the Tuskanac Cinema, KIC Hall, Museum of Contemporary Art, Dubrava National University, Travno Cultural Center, Croatian Music Institute, F22 - New Academic Stage and HUB385.

Zagreb Film Festival Director Boris T. Matic opened the press conference at the Croatian Music Institute and announced that the visual identity of this year’s festival is dedicated to the Europa Cinema and its distinctive colorful neon lights., which closed to the public just a few months ago.

"We are only seventeen years old, feeling younger and younger, our colleagues from other places have received us, and we are extremely fortunate that our sponsors, regardless of the whole situation, firmly believed in us and stayed with us," Matic said at the press conference.

This year’s festival will last a record eleven days in order to screen the hundred films and honor contracts with sponsors and patrons. 'We are a bit displaced and we were on our knees, but with our heads up and our hearts full, we are moving on. We hope the audience will be happy,” Matic said, referring to the painful closing of the Europa Cinema. 

This year’s Golden Pram program will showcase 11 feature films, 10 international and 10 Croatian short films from the Checkers program. The competition brings as many as four Oscar nominees - Russian, Belgian, Colombian and Danish, the winner of the Sundance Audience Award, the Best Debut of Cannes Criticism Week, the winner of the Sarajevo Film Festival and others. 

The program also gives insight into the five most important European cinematographies – France, Italy, Germany, United Kingdom and Spain, boasts a children’s program, 'My First Film', which presents debut works by great directors who have passed away in the last two years, 'LUX Film Days', 'Fragments from the Exile', 'Two Berlins' and 'Festivals from the Spotlight'. You can explore the Zagreb Film Festival program in its entirety here.

Richard Breskovic, director of the Marketing Division at Hrvatski Telekom, said they were proud to be a part of the festival, which is of great importance for Croatian cinema and Croatian culture. "We are not someone who gives up and is afraid, the festival has good content and that is why we continue to support it," he said. Hrvatski Telekom is the general sponsor of the festival and, traditionally, delivers exclusive film content through the MAXtv platform with films from ZFF, and through the MAXtv To Go service.

As part of the Zagreb Film Festival program travels in November, part of the program will be shown in 20 Croatian cities, including Bjelovar, Dubrovnik, Ivanec, Koprivnica, Prelog, Rijeka, Rovinj, Samobor, Slatina, Split, Šibenik, Varaždin, Velika Gorica, Zadar , Sv. Ivan Zelini, Hvar, Omiš, Bol, Podgora and Imotski.

To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

ZAGREB, November 1, 2019 - The second edition of the Festival of Polish Films in Croatia, which takes place under the name "Visla (Vistula)" is set for 5-9 November in Zagreb's Kaptol Boutique Cinema.

The programme includes ten films, and the event will be ushered in by the screening of "The Messenger" by filmmaker Wladyslaw Pasikowski.

Also a few thrillers are offered to the audience, including "Werewolf" by Adrian Panek about eight children liberated from a Nazi concentration camp who have to overcome hunger, thirst and vicious dogs in an abandoned mansion surrounded by the forest, and the film titled "Tower. A Bright Day" by Jagoda Szelc.

"A Coach's Daughter" by Lukasz Grzegorzek is also in the programme.

The film titled " The Butler (Kamerdyner)" by Filip Bajon is the last one in this programme which is organised under the auspices of the Polish Embassy in Croatia.

More film news can be found in the Lifestyle section.

November 1, 2019 - Established in 1901, the Boston Red Sox are one of America's most recognizable sports teams. Today, you can find a part of them in Zagreb. Meet the Zagreb Red Sox, the only Boston-affiliated baseball club outside the US.

“We were connected through the US Embassy and were joined by the third-oldest military organization in the world… so they called us from Boston and sent us everything... it’s a crazy story!”

Izvor Ocvirek (37), president of the Zagreb Red Sox baseball club, begins with enthusiasm in an interview for 24 Sata. 

But let’s backtrack a minute. 

Namely, one of the largest and most famous baseball clubs in the world, the Boston Red Sox, adopted one of the three baseball clubs in Zagreb. 

“It’s like if Barcelona took a branch of Stupnik.  And we are the only baseball club outside the US that is a Boston affiliate,” said Ocvirek proudly.

The American sports giant, whose value, according to Forbes, is $3.2 billion, also brings in annual revenue of $516 million and spends $247 million on player salaries. That said, it wasn’t all that surprising that they immediately sent equipment to Zagreb and dressed the players from head to toe.

"Each kid carries $200 - $250 worth of equipment," the president added.

But the story doesn't stop there.

“They offered to fund our infrastructure improvements, and even build a baseball stadium! But the problem is that we don't have the terrain, at all,” said Vice President and head coach Ozren Zec (37).

Since there are no more playgrounds in Središće, Zagreb’s three baseball clubs (Zagreb, Medvednica and ex. Novi Zagreb, now Zagreb Red Sox) are left with just one place to play, on Jarun. The Zagreb Red Sox train in a meadow, without a parcel of land suitable for the Americans to build in reach.

“We are the best dressed in our league, and we practice in a meadow. We can’t even train with the right ball, to ensure we don’t damage a car or window, but practice with hollow balls that are lightweight, and only play with the real ball during games,” said Zec. Ocvirek added:

“And the Americans, distinguished guests from the Embassy, visited us in our meadow. And they enjoyed it. Because they felt our love and sincerity.”

Boston also connected them with the Little League, an organization that runs young baseball competitions around the world.

“This is a competition we started in 2016, and it is played in parallel to the Croatian Championship, for ages up to 12 years. There are between five and seven clubs with us, and millions of players around the world, even parts of Africa, India, Pakistan... It's the most massive competition in the world. The Little League is well known in America and has powerful marketing,” Zec explains, and continues:

“We got into this story by chance, when Robert Mathers, an American Embassy employee, came to us at one game and asked if his son could come to practice baseball. He hooked us up with Ambassador Robert Kohorst, who is a big Little League fan. And after his term in office, he wants to volunteer in the organization to follow his grandson.”

The second pillar between the Embassy and the Boston Red Sox was the AHAC (Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts), the third-oldest military organization in the world, founded in 1638. Its representatives, along with a group of Boston businesspeople, visited Zagreb and liked the idea of adopting a small club from Zagreb. That company is affiliated with the Red Sox owner, who also enthusiastically embraced the idea. Thus, the Zagreb Red Sox were born. 

“Their eyes narrowed when I told them the legend that after one victory, Napoleon asked who was in his unit, and they replied that it was mostly Croats, so he said 'Give me 100,000 Croats and I will conquer the world!’” Ocvirek revealed.

There are no Croats in the Boston Red Sox, or the MLB, but that could change.

“We have just under 50 boys, and now we are enrolling in new ages 8-15. We cooperate with the Embassy as well as the American School in Zagreb. More than ten boys attending the American school play with us, but only one of them has played baseball in the US before. We convincingly won the Little League this year. Other clubs were known to have the best kids, and I believe they won't anymore,” Zec added.

The Boston Red Sox even invited the Zagreb club to watch their games, train, and learn something new. 

“We have entered their development program, where there is also education for coaches and players, or maybe their coaches will come here to teach us. They are aware of the popularity of baseball in Croatia, but the MLB is working intensively to increase its popularity in the rest of the world. That's why some MLB games were played in Europe this year,” Ocvirek says.

Thus, this small baseball club won the hearts of Americans and became a link between Boston and Zagreb; and a gathering place for the American community in Zagreb.

Translated from 24 Sata

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

October 31, 2019 - Dinamo and Rijeka routinely advanced to the quarterfinal of the Croatian Football Cup, while Gorica eliminated Hajduk in the most interesting match of the round of 16. 

Gorica and Hajduk met in the biggest game of the round of 16 on Wednesday in Velika Gorica, which saw the home team top Hajduk 2:1 to reach the Cup quarterfinal for the first time in their history, while Hajduk has been eliminated from the round of 16 for the third time.

However, the last time Hajduk fell in the round of 16 was as the title defenders nine years ago to Istra, led by Zoran Vulic. They were also eliminated in the round of 16 in 1995 when they were shocked by Marsonia.

Gorica took the lead in the 64th minute from a 25-meter free-kick by Kristijan Lovric, and came one step closer to the victory in the 85th minute when Joey Suk scored from the counter to make it 2:1. A glimmer of hope for Hajduk was brought by Stanko Juric in the 88th minute for 2:1, though Hajduk was unable to score again. 

There were no surprises in the match between Dinamo and Opatija, so much so that Dinamo secured the victory in the first half when all three goals of the match were scored. 

The Croatian champion led with a goal by Damian Kadzior in the eighth minute. Mario Gavranovic's penalty in the 29th minute increased Dinamo’s lead to 2:0, while another goal by Gavranovic the 36th minute made it 3:0. 

In the final round of 16 match, the title defenders Rijeka defeated Varazdin 2:1

Rijeka led 2:0 with goals from Petar Mamic in the 47th minute and Alexander Gorgon in the 54th minute, while Leonard Vuk scored in the 83rd minute to make it 2:1. 

Lokomotiva had no problem against the third-seeded Vinogradar and won 3:0 for a spot in the quarters.

Slaven Belupo topped BSK Bijelo Brdo 2:0 to secure their spot in the next round, and Sibenik beat Belisce 2:1.

Osijek already advanced to the quarter last week after celebrating against Zadar 3:0. 

Round of 16 results on Wednesday, October 30

Opatija - Dinamo 0:3

Gorica - Hajduk 2:1

BSK Bijelo Brdo - Slaven Belupo 0:2

Sibenik - Belisce 2:1

Vinogradar - Lokomotiva 0:3

Istra 1961 - Inter Zapresic 1:2

Varaždin - Rijeka 2:1

On Wednesday, October 23

Zadar - Osijek 0:3

Source: HRT

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

October 31, 2019 - Jadran Split, Jug Dubrovnik, and Mladost Zagreb all appeared in the third round of the LEN Champions League this week. 

Jadran Split suffered their second defeat in the Champions League on Tuesday. In the third round of Group A, Jadran lost in Kazan to Sintez 16:11 (4:3, 4:4, 5:2, 3:2).

The Russian side scored two goals in the first two minutes to lead 2:0. Jadran quickly responded, and Rino Buric scored twice to equalize 2:2. Jadran’s first and only lead of the match came in the 11th minute when Zovic scored for 6:5.

Sintez answered with three consecutive goals, but before the end of the second quarter, Delic reduced their lead to 8:7. The third quarter was crucial, in which Sintez scored five goals for 13:9. The game ended 16:11. 

Jug AO played right after Jadran on Tuesday and defeated German club Spandau 04 12:7 (2:4, 2:2, 3:0, 5:1) in the third round of Champions League, thus topping Group A.

Jug did not enter the game well, with Spandau 04 leading 4:2 after the first quarter - and they even maintained their two-goal lead after halftime (6:4). Jug, however, showed their worth in the second half. 

The third quarter saw a turnaround, and with goals by Loren Fatovic, Luka Lozina, and Filip Krzic, the Dubrovnik side reached their first lead of the game (7:6). After three and a half minutes in the last quarter, they increased their lead to 10:6, and their victory was all but confirmed. Jug went on to win 12:7.

Loren Fatovic was great for Jug with six goals, while Lozina and Alexandros Papanastasiou added two. 

In the fourth round on November 8, Jadran and Jug will meet in Split. 

In the 3rd round of Group B on Wednesday, Mladost played 11:11 against the mighty Pro Recco, led by former Croatia national team coach Ratko Rudic, and managed the draw in the last second of the match.

Mladen deservedly scored a point against the most expensive team in the world to record 24 wins in their last 24 Champions League games.

Mladost led 2:1 after the first quarter, at halftime, they were up 6:5, and in the middle of the third quarter, they were up by two (7:5). However, Pro Recco led 8:7 by the end of the third quarter, then 10:9 and 11:10 in the last leg. The Italian side scored for 11:10 with three seconds to go, and it seemed that would be the end. However, Mladost managed to equalize in the time remaining, and the hero of the match became Cosmin Radu, who scored for 11:11. 

The best player for Mladost was Luka Bukic, who scored three goals and Milos Cuk, who scored two goals, while Ivan Marcelic had eight saves. For Pro Recco, Filip Filipovic, Francesco di Fulvio, Dusan Mandic were the most efficient with two goals. 

It was a collision of the teams that together have the most European Championship titles - Pro Recco 8, Mladost 7. Pro Recco, however, has been waiting for the European title since 2015, while Mladost hasn’t been the best in Europe since 1996.

Mladost currently sits in 4th place of Group B and will visit the Spanish team Terrassa on November 9. 

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.

October 28, 2019 - The 13th round of the Croatian First League was held from October 25 to 27, 2019. This round featured the derby between Dinamo and Osijek and another Rijeka loss to Gorica. However, perhaps most exciting was watching Hajduk score a bizarre goal against Slaven Belupo, which even caught the attention of international media. 

Varazdin v. Inter Zapresic (0:1)

Varazdin and Inter opened the 13th round on Friday, October 25, 2019, at NK Varteks Stadium in front of 1,473 fans. 

A penalty awarded to Inter in the 31st minute, which decided the fate of the game after Serderov scored for 0:1. A double yellow for Varazdin’s Lisakovich in the 46th minute didn’t help the home team’s chances of equalizing, and the game ended 0:1. 

Varazdin is currently in 9th place with 10 points, while Inter is in 7th with 11. 

Hajduk v. Slaven Belupo (2:0)

Hajduk and Belupo met at Poljud on Saturday, October 26, 2019, in front of 9,045 spectators. 

Hajduk’s first goal came in the 14th minute thanks to Jairo for 1:0 at the half. However, the second goal royally embarrassed Belupo. After Belupo celebrated a goal that never was (because the ball hit the post), Hajduk capitalized on the counter-attack, and Juranovic found himself one-on-one with an empty net… because the Belupo keeper was still on the sideline celebrating. You can watch the fiasco in the video below. 

Hajduk is currently in 2nd place with 27 points, while Belupo is in the last with 10. 

Rijeka v. Gorica (1:2)

Rijeka and Gorica met at Rujevica Stadium on Saturday, October 26, 2019, in front of 4,117 spectators. 

While the first half went without goals, it was Gorica’s Zwolinski to score for 0:1, though Tomecak equalized for 1:1 in the 82nd minute. Gorica took advantage of a Rijeka red card in the 90th minute, and Dvornekovic increased Gorica’s lead to 1:2, which was the final score of the game. 

Rijeka is currently in 3rd place with 22 points, while Gorica is in 6th with 18. 

Istra 1961 v. Lokomotiva (0:2)

Istra and Lokomotiva met in Pula on Sunday, October 27, 2019. 

While the first half went without goals, Tolic scored for the Lokomotiva lead in the 85th minute, and Tuci increased their lead in the second minute of injury time for 0:2. 

Istra is currently in 8th place with 10 points, while Lokomotiva is in 5th place with 19.

Dinamo v. Osijek (1:0)

Dinamo and Osijek closed out the 13th round on Sunday, October 28, 2019, at Maksimir stadium in Zagreb. 

The only goal of the game came in the 42nd minute when Kadzior scored for 1:0. 

Dinamo is currently in 1st place with 28 points, while Osijek is in 4th with 20. 

You can see the HNL table here. 

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

October 26, 2019 - A new sporting direction for Zagreb, as Gaelic football comes to town. Why not give Ireland's most popular sport a try?

Ah, Gaelic football. The mere mention of the sport takes me back many years to Croke Park in Dublin during my early childhood. And now Gaelic football has arrived in Zagreb and you have the chance to come and learn how to play this fun sport, so beloved in Ireland. 

I hand you over to Seamus Hempenstall:

Living in Croatia, it's easy to tell that Croatians love their sport. It's also fairly clear that football is the Number One sport here as well.Living in Croatia, it's easy to tell that Croatians love their sport. It's also fairly clear that football is the Number One sport here as well.
Irish people love their sport as well. But what you might not know is that the Number One sport in Ireland isn't football. It's not rugby either. It's a sport you've probably never heard of. It's Gaelic Football.

Gaelic Football is one of a small number of truly unique Gaelic (or Irish) sports. Some others are hurling and camogie as well as our own version of handball. Gaelic Football is the Number One though.

Gaelic football is played on a massive pitch - as big as two soccer pitches beside each other - by teams of fifteen players with rugby style goalposts (the bar is lower and the posts are a bit wider). We use a ball that is like a soccer ball, but smaller and heavier. You can use your hands to catch the ball and fend off other players. You can kick the ball to your teammates off the ground or from your hands. You can't throw the ball, you must fist-pass it, using the heel of your hand to hit to your teammates. You can run no more than four steps with the ball in your hand before you must either bounce it like a basketball (but not twice in a row) or kick it to yourself. You can score one point by kicking the ball over the bar and between the posts or score a soccer-style goal in the net, which is worth three points.

I know. It sounds crazy, right? But to write about it doesn't really do it justice. With the magic of the Internet, you can see Gaelic football (and all of our national sports) in all their glory (see links at the end of the article). Even better, for the first time in Zagreb, you can come play our sport! Just find us on Facebook at GAAinZagreb or drop us an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more. Don't worry that you have never played, we love showing off the skills and doing the drills that'll have you up and running and scoring points like nobody's business in no time.

When you come along, you'll see that our sport has elements of many other sports: some of the scoring and defensive tactics echo the screen or posting up in Basketball; catching the ball high over your head while airborne looks like Aussie Rules; and some of the physicality looks a bit similar to rugby. However, we don't look to highlight hard contact. In Gaelic, you can tackle someone shoulder to shoulder and you can try to bat the ball from their grip, but you can't pull, drag or wrestle your opponent.

In our sports, men and women can train and even play together but we operate separate competitions too so that the physical differences are equalised and everyone is playing on the same pitch at around the same level.

Some might wonder why on earth would we play Gaelic football in Zagreb? Well, another thing that you mightn't know is that there are almost 100 Gaelic sports clubs in Europe alone. And there are hundreds more all over the world. Wherever we Irish emigrated to, we brought our sports with us, and we bring people together through our unique sporting traditions. Only last week, in a European Gaelic football competition of over 50 teams, men and women, graded on skills and experience, a Croatian girl captained a team from Galicia to glory in Vienna! And none of her teammates were Irish!

Which brings us to one of the most important and almost sacred traditions in our Gaelic sports - that it is amateur. None of our players, not even the top players who might play for one of Ireland's 32 counties, are paid. Sure, some of their expenses for training, like gear and nutrition, might be covered, but after they play a game on Sunday, they go back to work or college on the Monday. They train at least three times a week as well as having work and other life commitments. Many of them also give back to their communities through charitable work. Because as Tamara Mulaosmanovic, the winning Galicia captain said, "We don’t win any money but this (medal) is worth more than anything".

Our Gaelic football start-up has really literally just started. Our Irish community is small in number but big on pride and passion for our sport. We had a really fun family fun day last year as well as hosting (and beating!) the Slovak Shamrocks. We want to share it with anyone and everyone and create a fully fledged Gaelic football team in Croatia, one that can travel with pride to European competitions, and host visitors from all over the world. 

No one achieves anything on their own and we are no different. We get support from so many people in Zagreb. From Zagreb Rugby Club in Rudes where we train on a weekly basis to our friends in Aussie Rules Croatia who have turned up for us and played our games. From companies and friends who helped us arrange our family day and matches and sponsored us like Atlantic Grupa to the local and international community in Zagreb who participate in our training sessions. Crucially, we have had the unstinting support of the Embassy of Ireland in Zagreb and the Ambassador, Olive Hempenstall.

As we are fond of saying in Ireland, at the end of the day, sport is a brilliant way to make lasting friendships and creating communities. In Ireland, small towns (big towns too!) and villages and parishes identify with their Gaelic sports club. Mums and Dads play and their sons and daughters too. They raise money to keep the club going and keep the club growing. They celebrate their successes and those among them who graduate to the county team are granted legendary status. In Zagreb we want to start our own legends and traditions as well. So get in touch and turn up to training. We promise you: once you get the O'Neill's ball in your hand, you'll never want to let it go!

You can follow the Zagreb Gaelic football story on Facebook.