CFM graduates in Croatia

The Croatian Football Federation (HNS) has been one of two European national associations to pilot UEFA's Certificate in Football Management (CFM) education programme as a national concept, and has staged its first graduation ceremony.

The HNS joined England's Football Association (FA) as a pioneer association in the project, which is seen as bringing benefit to European football as far as sport management is concerned. UEFA's CFM programme is linked to UEFA's Knowledge & Information Sharing Scenario (KISS) and the objective is to help UEFA's member associations strengthen their knowledge and management of sports, especially football. The national edition concept is a development of the the existing UEFA CFM format.

Twenty-four students took part in the inaugural course in Croatia. They not only came from the HNS, but also from the country's regional football centres and local football associations. They were congratulated at the graduation ceremony in Zagreb by, among others, HNS president Davor Šuker and UEFA head of national association development Thierry Favre.

"I would like to thank UEFA for its trust in choosing the HNS as a partner, as well as everyone who helped lead the project," said Šuker. "I am pleased that in addition to HNS employees, members of our football family were also able to take part. The HNS and UEFA can invest in their knowledge, and we hope that this knowledge can be put to use in our football."

"Congratulations to the HNS on its great organisation," added Thierry Favre. "We have no doubt that Croatia will remain a leader in the region when it comes to football management education."

In particular, Favre thanked UEFA CFM project sponsor Ivančica Sudac, the head of the HNS international affairs and club licensing department. "President Šuker and the [HNS] leadership recognised the value of the project and the importance of the additional training of young people," said Sudac.

Topics covered included the organisation of European and world football; football associations' strategic and performance management; operational management of a football association; football event management; football marketing and sponsorship; and internal and external communications in football associations. Several participants presented reports on their work at the Zagreb graduation ceremony.

The UEFA CFM develops the theoretical and practical expertise of middle managers in the European football associations, preparing participants for future executive roles. The intake for the next such course in Croatia, which is planned to take place in 2014, is expected to include participants from neighbouring associations.

The content of the six online modules that form the course programme resembles the previous international edition of the CFM programme, but the associations organising a national edition of the UEFA CFM have the chance to involve local experts in the face-to-face seminars staged during the course. UEFA also sends experts to help, and the professors who devised the online modules continue to oversee the face-to-face seminars. The Swiss Graduate School of Public Administration (IDHEAP) at the University of Lausanne issues the Certificate in Football Management.

The successful graduates in Croatia were: Maja Bajrić, Antonija Burazer, Dejan Čakić, Vladimir Čohar, Sreten Ćuk, Igor Džanko, Danijel Durdov, Dennis Gudasic, Ivan Hrga, Andjelko Ivanjko, Vlatka Jandjel, Dino Knezović, Valentina Koprivnjak, Iva Olivari, Amra Peternel, Milan Prgomet, Alen Rivetti, Stipe Rogošić, Damir Stipković, Ivan Ščrbačić, Jerko Vidović, Zoran Vorkapić, Robert Vučemilo, Ante Vučemilović-Šimunović.