September 6, 2019 – The most successful water polo club in Croatia celebrates 95 years. Happy Birthday, VK Jug!
Some 95 years ago, VK Jug defeated VK Penatur in their first official match with a score of 3:0. On this occasion, a revival match was held at Porporela pier in Dubrovnik between VK Jug and VK Porporela. While Porporela won with a score of 9:8, the result was not the essence of this match, but the celebration of tradition where it all began, writes the club’s official website.
“It is a great honor for us that VK Jug responded to our invitation and that we had the opportunity to host the first team. The history of the club started under the red feral (warning light), so the logical sequence was to mark the celebration in the same place. Next year, we celebrate 70 years since Porporela first won the Divlja Liga (Wild League) back in 1950, and we want the younger generations who come to convey that spirit and bring them back to the walls, to the bench, to Porporela,” said Giorgio Knego, President of the Porporela Association.
VK Jug, the most celebrated water polo club in Croatia, boasts 64 trophies and 4 European titles – and their team makes up half of the Croatia national team!
The 95th celebration began with the release of Željan Konsuo’s book ‘Five to One Hundred’, an encyclopedia of sorts for the Dubrovnik club which has long stood as one of the symbols of the city. In the book, an entire chapter is dedicated to artists who have found inspiration for their work in water polo, which is how the idea of linking sport and art was born for the big birthday.
From the very beginning, the symbiosis of Jug and Dubrovnik was evident. Thus, the club decided to go one step further this year and collaborated with Dubrovnik artist Iris Lobaš-Kukavičić who redesigned the equipment for the new season. The new equipment in focus has Dubrovnik as the central symbol, and its graphic solutions blend in perfectly with the story of the city and water polo.
As the highlight of the whole story, Dubrovnik is soon to receive the first water polo museum, which will unite all the sports achievements of the most celebrated water polo club in Croatia, present its rich history, cups, medals, and will have a modern fan shop in which the collaboration with this Dubrovnik artist will continue.
“We are sure that this collaboration will delight all fans of the arts and sports, who, in an ‘incompatible combination’, glorify the Dubrovnik tradition, which prides itself on its long-standing water polo history. We are also proud of the first water polo museum that is under construction, because we want to bring everyone, both local guests and tourists, closer to the history of water polo in Dubrovnik and show why we are the most successful club. The club will exhibit 64 cups in the museum that it has won in its 95 years, which is something that few can boast. The club will continue to work for the benefit of the community. We will invest not only in new generations but also in projects that benefit the community as a whole, such as the museum, so that we can return the favor to our citizens for all the years they have followed and cheered us on,” said Tomislav Dumančić, President of VK Jug.
It is interesting that in addition to its visual identity, VK Jug also changes its general sponsor after 15 years, and instead of Croatia osiguranje, it is Adriatic osiguranje. The name change from VK Jug CO to VK Jug AO will be announced by the Assembly in mid-September.
The new season for Jug begins on September 21st when coach Vjekoslav Kobeščak’s side will host Budva in Gruž in the first round.
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