Croatia: Increased investment in football infrastructure
Tuesday, February 8, 2022
Article summary
The Croatian Football Federation (HNS) has an important achievement to be proud of when looking back on 2021 – its investments into improving the state of football infrastructure in Croatia.
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In the second half of 2021, the HNS completed the construction of four full-size artificial pitches in Krapina, Zagreb (Ravnice), Dugopolje and Rab, as well as a mini-pitch in Pakrac.
All the pitches were funded through the UEFA HatTrick programme and will serve to promote football development and participation in local communities.
UEFA HatTrick funding
The HNS also invested UEFA HatTrick funding into football infrastructure for professional clubs, with state-of-the-art hybrid pitches being installed at the stadiums of NK Šibenik, NK Varaždin and HNK Hajduk.
This second series of hybrid pitch construction is a continuation of the HNS’s 2018 hybrid pitch project – thanks to these two series of pitch construction, Croatian top-division matches are now all played on modern hybrid pitches, which have contributed greatly to reduced injury rates and the increased quality of Croatian football, especially under winter conditions.
With football infrastructure being a key strategic pillar for the HNS, the federation plans to continue its investments in 2022.
This edited article originally appeared in UEFA Direct 196