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Deportivo Alavés, NK Istra 1961, and LALIGA have joined forces to hold, for the second consecutive year, the 'Branko Bubić Football Days' event, keen to once again make a positive impact on youth football in Istria.

Over the course of a couple of days, the town of Bale hosted the event, which was named in honour and memory of local football legend Branko Bubić, who spent more than 50 years working for NK Istra 1961, first as a footballer and then in the sporting department.

The Mon Perin Resort-Camp in Bale hosted a press conference in which representatives of NK Istra 1961, Deportivo Alaves and LALIGA explained the project and its objectives.

Branko Devide Vincenti, president of NK Istra 1961, was keen to celebrate the event and the figure of Branko Bubić: “Here we are, for the second year in a row, in cooperation with our partners LALIGA and Deportivo Alavés. This event is bigger than football itself. The interesting sport and business-oriented talks and the tournament for children will be a good experience for all participants. This year, in the municipality of Bale, we celebrate the memory of Branko Bubić Buba, a great friend of the club and a legend of football in Istria. With this, we’re honouring Buba’s life, as he was dedicated to football and to the youth of our area.”

Representing LALIGA, Esteban Casado, the delegate for Croatia, said: “When I first joined LALIGA as a delegate for Croatia, I heard about this project and I’m very happy that we could do it for the second time. In my opinion, it is an excellent collaboration, both from a business point of view and for the children, so I am grateful to be here. We are looking forward to the next few days.”

Alberto Fernández, Communication Director of Deportivo Alavés, added: “I am delighted to be here for the second time. I came to Istria last year for the first edition of the 'Branko Bubić Football Days' and it was a great experience for us, as well as for the children and the coaches. After that first event, we already talked about the possibility of returning in the future and holding these football days year after year.”

The event was two days long, with a training session on the first day. Throughout, talks were given by different speakers. Divided into three different themes, some 15 experts gave presentations on topics such as sport, tourism, business and infrastructure.

On the second day, the second Branko Bubić memorial tournament took place, with teams from the academies of Slovenian clubs NK Domžale and FC Koper and Italian club US Triestina Calcio travelling to participate, joining sides from the Croatian academies HNK Gorica, HNK Rijeka, NK Lokomotiva, GNK Dinamo and NK Istra 1961. All of them were at U-11 level. The final was contested between HNK Gorica and GNK Dinamo, with the team from Zagreb winning 4-0. 

To close the second edition of the 'Branko Bubić Football Days', medals were presented to all participants, along with a trophy for GNK Dinamo players, by the president of NK Istra 1961, Branko Devide Vincenti. The best players also received a signed Deportivo Alavés squad shirt and a LALIGA ball, presented by NK Istra 1961 first-team players and club legend Dario Ružić. The best player award, presented by Branko Bubić’s son Ivan Bubić, went to GNK Dinamo player Vid Barberić, who will get to enjoy the experience of travelling to Vitoria-Gasteiz and training for a week at the Deportivo Alavés academy, when he’ll also attend a first-team match before the end of the season.

Therefore, for a second year in a row and thanks to the collaboration of the three institutions, the project’s objectives were successfully met, and different ideas and methodologies were shared. NK Istra 1961, Deportivo Alavés and LALIGA will continue to support this initiative in the coming seasons, with the aim of making it a regular fixture on the Croatian youth football calendar.