NK Istra 1961 Tryouts & Club Guide: History, Stadium, Players, and More!
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Nogometni klub Istra 1961 commonly referred to as NK Istra 1961, or simply Istra 1961 or Istra, is a Croatian professional football club from Pula, currently playing in the Croatian First League.
Istra 1961 Youth Development System
What is the Football Beginner of NK Istra 1961?
• It is a sports-entertainment-pedagogical program
• It is a place of adopting healthy life habits for a child; our coaches act as educators
• It is a program through which we intend to provide comprehensive training to the child through football, and the basic pillars are: Entertainment, Learning, Training
• It is an environment of zero tolerance for discrimination based on gender, ethnicity, physical ability, etc.
• Accordingly, our philosophy will not be focused on the technical and tactical elements of football, but on the overall psycho-physical development of the child
• Avoidance of harmful phenomena such as competition, bad behavior, discrimination, swearing…
On Thursday, September 2, the trainings of the Football Beginner of Istria 1961 will begin, as part of which girls and boys of preschool age, born in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016, will be able to experience their beginnings in football. Trainings will be held twice a week (Mondays and Thursdays from 17:00 to 17:45 and from 17:45 to 18:30) in two groups (younger and older), led by coach Milovan Lazendic. The monthly membership fee is HRK 250.00, and the football school lasts for 9 months. The price of the membership fee also includes sportswear (jersey, shorts, socks, tracksuit set).
Work program:
· Development of strength, flexibility, speed and endurance
· Development of basic psychomotor skills: laterality, coordination, balance…
· Prevention of injuries through balanced and adapted training
· Getting to know your body and abilities
· Warm-up and stretching habits
· Getting to know a healthy lifestyle
· Rational use of technology
· Promoting team spirit
· Respect for human rights
· Gradual development of basic intellectual skills (attention, expression, perception, memory…)
· Football beginner is an ideal complement to school and family education
Istra 1961 Recruitment Trials
At the time of this writing, there is no official publishing’s on Istra 1961 trials. Please come back at a later date while we monitor this club or click here to visit their official news section.
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Istra 1961 History
The original iteration of NK Istra was known as NK Uljanik and it was established in 1948 by the Pula shipyard that bore the same name. The first achievement for the club came in the 1959–1960 season, when they were promoted to the Yugoslav Second League. In 1961, NK Uljanik and NK Pula combined to become what would later be known as NK Istra 1961.
Shortly after that, the club ceased operations, but in 1964, while Silvan Farangua and Ivan ehi were competing in the Pula county league, they resurrected it and brought it back into operation. In the years following the establishment of an independent Croatia, the club competed in the Druga HNL from 1993 until 1998, at which point they were relegated to the Trea HNL. In 2001, they won the championship for Trea HNL, which allowed them to advance to Druga HNL.
Istra made it all the way to the championship game of the Croatian Cup two years later, during the 2002–03 season, under the direction of manager Elvis Scoria. However, they were defeated by Hajduk Split. It was the first and only time in the whole history of Croatian football that a club from the Druga HNL level participated in the cup final. Igor Pami served as the club’s manager for the 2003–2004 campaign.
He was successful in capturing the Druga HNL South title and went on to win the play-off match against Memurje with a penalty shootout victory. During the 2004–2005 season, the club participated in first league football for the first time in their existence. During the fourth gameweek of that season, they achieved their first victory in the Prva HNL by defeating Osijek. The club suffered just one defeat at home, but they were winless in all of their games played away from home. They ended up in tenth place and went on to win the play-offs to keep their spot in the first league. Orsat Zovko took over as president of the club after Gianni Rossando in the 2005–2006 season.
Milivoj Braun took over as manager of the team after the previous one, Pami, got off to a rough start to the season. The new manager was responsible for a string of successful outcomes. During the second half of the season, Braun decided to step down from his post as manager, and Krunoslav Juri took over in his place.
The club ended the year in seventh position overall in the standings. Stjepan Deveri took over as manager after Juri’s position was eliminated over the summer months. Before the start of the season, Deveri departed the club because he was dissatisfied with the board. Branko Tucak was promoted to the position of manager. Krunoslav Juri was brought in to take his place as a result of a spate of poor results as well as conflicts with the players.
The club was in danger of closing because of their terrible performance on the field as well as their precarious financial status. The club was ultimately saved thanks to the efforts of the Istria governor and the entrance of new sponsors, and Darko Jergovi was elected as the club’s new president. The 2006–2007 season concluded with Pula finishing in eleventh place, and the team’s playoff match against Zadar was a defeat (3–0, 2–3). After that, they would make their way back to the Druga HNL.
The first manager, Valdi Umberac, was selected for the position. During this period, Istra was taken in by Demoni, who went on to become the first group of ultras affiliated with the club. Elvis Scoria was named the club’s new manager at the tail end of August 2007, and umbrerac continued in his role as an assistant manager.
Istra came in third place overall at the end of the season. On the other hand, the club won the title of champions of the Druga HNL at the end of the 2008–09 season and advanced to the Prva HNL as a result. NK Istra had their most success on home soil during the 2013–14 season, when they advanced to the semifinals of the Croatian Cup.
This was their highest success at home. The Baskonia-Alaves Group completed the purchase of the majority stake in NK Istra and 85 percent of the club’s total shares in June 2018, resulting in the club’s sale to the Baskonia-Alaves Group. Istra 1961 was able to replicate its success from the 2013–14 season and advance to the championship game of the Croatian Cup by virtue of a 3–2 victory at home in the semifinal match against Rijeka on 14 April 2021. In the championship game, they were defeated by Dinamo Zagreb 6-3.
Istra 1961 Stadium
Stadion Aldo Drosina is a multi-use stadium in Pula, Croatia. It is the primary venue for football matches at the moment and serves as the home turf for NK Istra 1961, which was formerly known simply as NK Istra. The stadium can accommodate up to 9,800 people at once.
The stadium went through a significant renovation beginning in March 2009 and continuing into January 2011. The west stand was completely reconstructed when it was demolished and rebuilt, and a roof was installed to cover the west stand. Around the entire stadium, the bench seating was removed and replaced with new seats, and the three existing stands were cleaned up. On February 9, 2011, Croatia played host to an international football friendly against the Czech Republic. The event served as the inaugural contest to officially open the stadium. Croatia were victorious from the encounter with a 4–2 score.
