Believe it or not, but Croatia has an actual AFL national team!
In fact, just last week, the Croatian national AFL men’s and women’s teams both returned from the 2025 Euro Cup, which was this year staged in the Netherlands.
Unfortunately, the Croatian Knights (men’s team) and the Croatian Queens (women’s team) didn’t manage to get far in the annual modified rules AFL tournament, which was held in the Dutch capital of Amsterdam.
Fight, unity and incredible atmosphere
“The Knights finished 7th, while our Queens placed 8th,” the Croatian Australian Football Federation (SANH) stated in an official press release.
“The results might not be what we came for, but the fight, unity and incredible atmosphere, on and off the field, showed just how much Croatia is growing in this sport,” continued the statement.
On a positive note, Croatian AFL footballers Anđela Deak and Josip Habljak were both rewarded for their efforts by being named in the respective female and male all-star ‘Team of the Tournament’ 9-a-side squads.
“Thank you to everyone who cheered, played, supported, and gave it their all. Now it’s time for a well-earned summer break,” concluded the statement by the SANH.
AFL ‘footy’ has existed in Croatia in some form since the turn of the century, after it was first introduced to Croatia by Kolja Koračak, a Croat from Zagreb who fell in love with the Australian indigenous code after first watching it on cable television while living and studying in the United States.
The Croatian Australian Football League (HLAN) has been staged since 2007, when the pioneering Zagreb Hawks played against the Kaptol Saints.
The Saints later split into two clubs, Agram Power and the Velika Gorica Bombers to eventually create a fully fledged Croatian league.
The SANH, meanwhile, was officially established on January 4, 2013, as a publicly registered association in Zagreb.
The Federation was first founded with the aim of organising and promoting Australian football in the Republic of Croatia.
Five AFL clubs in Croatia
There are currently five active clubs competing under the SANH banner in Croatia – three male clubs (Zagreb Cvjetno Dockers, Sesvete Double Blues and Zagreb Hawks) and two female clubs (Sesvete Redlegs and Zagreb Panthers).
These clubs collectively participate in both national competitions Croatian AFL League (HLAN) and the Croatian Cup, as well as in regional tournaments such as the Central European Australian Football League (CEAFL).
For more information about the Croatian AFL movement, visit their website at: www.sanh.hr
