August 20, 2019 – Nada Ship Management baseball club from Split is the new champion of Croatia!
Under the chairmanship of Dr. Ratko Božić, the founder of the SSM United Group, the baseball club has been sponsored by SSM for 20 years. After the Karlovac club dominated in the league for the last two years, the Split squad has reached its tenth title. This is an excellent achievement for everyone in the club as the city of Split marks the 100th anniversary of the first baseball game on Stari Plac, reports Dalmacija Danas.
The history of baseball and Split is wonderfully interesting, and through the Nada Ship Management baseball club, the tradition continues successfully. As far back as 1918, the US Navy, which then kept the peace in Split, brought over the popular American game which was quickly popularized through town. Football clubs Hajduk and Borac even had their baseball sections!
“Baseball in Split is one of the city’s longest traditions. Although the sport began semi-officially in December 1918 when a group of US sailors from a ship in port here introduced the game to some young Croats, it wasn’t until 1972 when a pair of teachers at a local school formed the Salona Baseball Club. Salona is a town about 5 km (3 mi) from Split, the site of the capital of the Roman Empire in this part of the world more than 1,700 years ago.
The first actual game played in Split was on Sept 9, 1978, between Split (the new team moved here and was called Nada) and Jezice from Ljubljana–a 20-1 romp for the locals!
A schedule of games began in earnest and by 1980 there were regular league games. The next major milestone was in 1983 when the World Baseball Federation (IBAF) accepted Yugoslavia as an official member. A Croatian National Baseball Federation was established in 1989.
Today the Croatian national team (with 10 or more members coming from Split’s Nada team) is ranked 25th in the world, ahead of Russia and France!
Split’s team, Nada, plays its home games at Old Hajduk stadium, where the rugby club also plays. Alas, without a mound, it is not a regulation field. The team’s main rival is Karlovac and there are teams from half a dozen other cities around the country. In addition to playing other Croatian teams, inter-league games are played and the team travels to Belgrade, Budapest, Bratislava, Trnava and other cities to play,” reads the Nada Ship Management Facebook page.
The Nada Ship Management baseball club is the most celebrated team over the last 10 years in which it’s won five championships.
“We are proud to be a part of this wonderful sports story. In the sporting spirit and with full financial support, we are sailing together toward new victories because we, after all, are a maritime company, Božić said in the end.
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