After resigning from the office of President of MOK UMAG-CPM UMAGO, Edi Forza addressed all those who contributed to the development of the club, with a letter of thanks that we transmit in full:
Dear volleyball players, club members, supporters, parents, everyone,
In this way I want to remember everything we have lived together in these 10 years and at the same time thank everyone for their collaboration and help to the club and for creating a beautiful sporting story.
After 23.08.2021. I have informed all the members of the Assembly and the Board of Directors of the club of my intentions, I have resigned as president of the MOK UMAG-CPM UMAGO club, for personal reasons (mainly health).
It is time to make space for young forces, who will bring further freshness and new energy into the further development of the club, and continue to build the future of the club and volleyball and beach volleyball in this area. I am convinced that on the basis we have laid over these 10 years, the new staff will continue to grow our club with further motivation. For this we need young forces and new energies, because each change brings a different and fresh dimension to development.
Consequently and obviously my personal situation, I made this decision for the benefit of the club.
I take this opportunity to publicly thank all those with whom I have collaborated in these 10 years of work to create our club and promote volleyball and beach volleyball (especially for men) in our city.
I would like to thank the assembly members and club founders who have expressed their confidence in me all these years and have supported me in achieving all of the club’s goals. They were always there when help was needed in any way.
I would also like to thank all the members who have gone through the club or who are still members of the club. There have been arrivals and departures as in any club-sport, but the fact that the number of members of the club grows from year to year shows that we have laid good foundations and correct objectives, and that we are working above all with the younger categories. , because without them there would be no club.
A big my thanks definitely goes to the parents who have been supportive and help when we needed it, and I would like to thank them for all the help and support they have provided to the club and to me as president over these 10 years of work, and I hope that they will too continue to work with the new president.
Finally, I would like to thank the few people who have been very important in the creation of this club and for the excellent collaboration over these 10 years, which are:
Ivica Ico Radočaj, otherwise the coach of the women’s club, but who in all these 10 years and especially at the beginning of the formation of the club, and laying the foundations, has been a great support and help with his knowledge as a player and as a coach , because we had to start from scratch, and he didn’t hesitate for a moment, on the contrary, he was extremely supportive and always helped without thinking about it. He is part of our club. Ico thank you for your support and help you have given us.
Special thanks go to our first coach, Dragan Salapura, who we will always consider one of the players in the creation of our club. He came to the club in 2015 and spent 5 years in it, in which he invested himself and his knowledge of him in creating something new, in this environment, in encouraging and teaching young people the first steps towards volleyball. . We know that it is not easy to create a new club and promote a new sport (especially for men, and here it is volleyball) whose tradition in this territory (and we are talking about Istria) is minimal. With his work, knowledge and commitment, enthusiasm, especially around the gathering of young people, together with the club management, he created the foundations for the future of Umag men’s volleyball, which is a great success for all of us, and he, Dragan Salapura was part of it. That is why we will be eternally grateful to him for his work in the club and for creating the club. Thanks again Dragan.
Finally, I thank the city of Umag and its institutions who have always been ready to help, especially in organizing all the events organized by the club in all these years and I believe they will continue in the future, which have contributed to the promotion of volleyball and the club same.
All this would not have been possible without the support of our mayor, Vili Bassanese, who in 2010 had the vision and awareness that Umag was a pioneer of beach volleyball in Croatia, and insisted on building a court in Vila Rita, which has allowed the club to include beach volleyball in its program, for which Umag has long been known. It was also an incentive to create a volleyball club in indoor volleyball.
All this and all these people have allowed the club to achieve excellent, even top results in all categories in these 10 years, as follows:
– 3 times he won the 2 HOL west champion title in the 2016/17, 2017/18 and 2019/20 seasons. Although we got the right to play in the Premier League, the club has decided to stay in the 2nd league and work on expanding the base, working with young people.
– 3 times entered 1/8 of Croatian Cup among the 16 best teams in Croatia.
– The youngest cadets 2018 won as second in the region, obtaining participation in the final phase of the national championship where they were 9.
– The cadets in the 2019 on national beach volleyball championship became NATIONAL CHAMPIONS and the junior VICE CHAMPIONS OF CROATIA. It was a historic achievement for these two generations.
– in 2020 the juniors won the 3rd place and the 4th place the cadets in beach volleyball at the national championship.
– The seniors in the 2021 season obtained the 4th place in the 1. league of the Croatian Beach Volleyball Championship in its debut season, especially achieved with the young staff of our club, which is a very high level result.
– for 12 years in a row (until 2020) our club has organized one of the largest events in the former state, and it is the UMAG OPEN VOLLEYBALL FOR VETERANS AND RECREATIONAL, which was attended by 57 teams from 5 countries of the region, to the last edition of the tournament in 2020.
– During the summer, the UMAG OPEN THREE beach volleyball tournament was organized for 9 years, in which between 32 and 38 teams from 3 countries participated every year.
Unfortunately, the COVID pandemic has slowed down and currently has not allowed us to organize such events, although we hope that we will soon start organizing them again.
– more over, for 9 consecutive years the KING AND QUEENS OF STELLA MARISA tournament took place, the championship of the city of Umag of beach volleyball for clubs, where there were always between 12 and 18 teams.
– 6 years in a row, a summer camp for children was held at the end of the 6 month in beach volleyball BEACHVOLLEY CAMP UMAG ..
– In 2018 the OPEN CROATIAN BEACH VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP was organized in collaboration with the Croatian volleyball federation (HOS) and the city of Umag.
– In 2014 and 2019, the CONTINETAL CUP (qualifying for the Olympics) was held in collaboration with the federation (HOS) and the city of Umag.
– In 2011 and 2013 we were part of the organization of the junior world championships in the categories up to 19 and 21 years, together with the Croatian Volleyball Federation and the city of Umag.
– In 2019 we hosted the American universities USC and UCLA, in the 5th and 8th month, with the organization of beach volleyball tournaments, with participants from 5 countries, during their stay in Croatia.
– in 2020, the national finals of the beach volleyball YOUTH SPORTS GAMES took place, where our members played as champions of the region, and won 4th place.
– In this decade, every year with our coaches, twice in each primary school, we have organized a presentation of volleyball for the lower classes, which brought volleyball closer to the younger generations and contributed to the growth of the club from year to year .
All this is the result of proper work and commitment, correct decisions of the club management and the efforts of all people who have been involved in the work of the club, members, coaches, volunteers, supporters, parents, institutions of the city of Umag, sports community of Umag, the city of Umag with its mayor, sponsor, Croatian Volleyball Federation, Volleyball Federation of the Istrian Region, Volleyball Federation of the Primorje-Goranska Region, Association of Referees of the Istrian Region, etc. It is the result of joint work and therefore all this is a success and result of teamwork, without which there would be no results.
I hope and am convinced that the new management with the new president will continue to work on the foundations we have laid over these 10 years, so that the club continues to grow and our Umag city boys can play more volleyball and more.
Unfortunately I leave this place after 10 wonderful years, full of pleasure and emotions, for the reasons mentioned, but with confidence and hope that the future and the new president will bring new freshness and energy, and that the club will lead to a better future. I have always believed and still believe that young people are the basis of everything not only in sport but also in society, and our work with young people has shown this over all these years, so I am deeply convinced that the future president and management will know continue on this winning and unique path. .
Thanks again to everyone for your 10 years of collaboration and for your help in creating and maintaining this beautiful volleyball story. I wish the new president, club and members good luck and many success for years to come.
Your former president
Edi Forza
Umag 09 September 2021.