Name: Rugby Olimpija
City: Ljubljana
Nation: Slovenia
Founded: 2005
Website: rugby-olimpija.si/
Rugby Olimpija
интервью на русском
Two slovenian players of two generations told us about their rugby club Olimpija in «We are rugby» project.
About the player
Your name, age and nationality?
Aljaž Ostrež (A.O.): Aljaž Ostrež, 17, Slovenian
Alexander Jug (A.J.): Aleksander Jug, 39, Slovenian
Your profession?
A.O.: I don’t have a job yet, I am visiting gymnasium
A.J.: SYS Admin
Your club?
A.O.: RAK Olimpija
A.J.: Rugby Atletski Klub Olimpija (RAK Olimpija). Founded in 2005
When did you start to play rugby?
A.O.: Last year in February
A.J.: Started at age 8.
What is the highest level you’ve been played?
A.O.: Olimpija is my first club so that is my highest level
A.J.: International level.
What is your position?
A.O.: Second row or number 8
A.J.: Center — 12, 13. Can play from 6-15 though
How did you get into current club?
A.O.: I had played football before rugby for 10 years. I always played hard and when i decided to find another sport I thought that rugby is perfect sport for me (and it actually is)
A.J.: Started playing for RFC Golovec which later shut down and a new club was formed in it’s place — RFC Emoona (formed 1996). Later two clubs merged into what is now Olimpija (RFC Bežigrad and RFC Emoona). We then separated again. RFC Bežigrad went it’s own way. Some players from RFC Bežigrad stayed and we chose to keep the name Olimpija.
Why do you play rugby?
A.O.: Because rugby is my passion and my teammates are my family. Beside that, you need to play hard and I am good with my 110 k
About the club
How many members do you have in your club?
A.O.: We have around 30 players under 16 and around 25 senior players
A.J.: On paper we have around 170 people. Active and inactive. Active I would say around 60-80 people.
Who is the usual member of your club?
A.O.: Average age is 30 years. The professions of my teammates are very difference.
A.J.: We currently have 4 squads. U14, U16, Seniors and Women 7’s team
How often do you have training sessions in the club?
A.O.: Only twice a week (I go to the fitness 3 times a week to)
A.J.: U14 and U16 train on Mon., Wed. and Fri. Seniors and women train on Tue. and Thu.
What kind of facilities do you use for training session?
A.O.: Our local stadium.
A.J.: We have a pitch which is owned by our city. We mostly train outside. In winter some do some crossfit at indor gyms. I do powerlifting type workouts at my local gym. Conditioning and strength is left to each individual.
What tournaments do your club participate in?
A.O.: 1. Austrian league, 1. Slovenian league and occasionally tournaments (beach and 7s tournaments)
A.J.: Some 7’s and beach rugby.
How do you promote your club
A.O.: We put posters on buildings and make rugby tryouts
A.J.: Facebook. Visiting schools and making presentations (similar to Get into rugby), posters
What do you use to keep in touch with other players?
A.O.: Facebook, e-mail
A.J.: Facebook mostly.
What are your club’s financial sources?
A.O.: Membership fees, money from Slovenian rugby union
A.J.: We rent out our club bar so most of the finances come from there. Sponsors are very hard to get so they represent a very small part of our finances. We do have membership fees.
What transport do you use to reach the place of the matches?
A.O.: Mostly we hire a bus or we go with cars
A.J.: Busses, vans or cars.
Do you have a coach?
A.O.: He has no qualification, but he had played rugby for 20 years. He is Slovenian. Our assistant coach played rugby in New Zealand and is also Slovenian
A.J.: Our former player. Level 1 coaching certificate. Slovenian.
How far is your nearest opponent?
A.O.: In the same city (Ljubljana)
A.J.: Across the city. ~25km via city ring or ~12km through the city.