We are delighted to present Sport Business Chain’s first volunteer, Goran Kragulj. A hardcore basketball fan and ex-player, a sport business passionate, an eager to help fellow, always hungry for networking and meeting like-minded people. At a stage where SBC was only starting to take shape, we received an encouraging ‘Love this project – How can I help’ message that left us taken aback. This was exactly the reason behind organising this conference, to create such networking opportunities, find ways of collaboration, and ultimately bring together those enthusiasts interested in sport at all its levels.
Ten Facts about Sport Business Chain’s first volunteer, Goran Kragulj
1-2-1 with Goran
Can you briefly introduce yourself?
- Hello, my name is Goran Kragulj. I come from Zagreb, Croatia. At the moment I live in Bucharest. What to say, I have played basketball for 20 years, starting in KK Cibona and finishing my career at KK Šanac Karlovac. Also, I have represented the University of Zagreb on National and European championships, winning many medals through my career. Besides, I have volunteered at the Croatian Football Federation, and have contributed to the organisation of 3×3 basketball tournaments.
How would you describe your role as a volunteer at SBC?
- At SBC I will be a Business Development volunteer. I will try to do my best within two areas that I like the most; first is college sports and second is career after sports. I will be developing the whole concept, what will be the main points of discussion, what speakers are going to attend and many more duties.
Beyond being a volunteer, what else do you do?
- Beyond this I work in Michelin for the Croatian market. This is the main reason why I came to Bucharest. Of course, playing basketball when I have time, and everything else that young people do 🙂
What is your main expectation from: a) volunteering at SBC b) the SBC conference?
- My main expectation from this whole process is to improve myself as a businessman. Also I would like to gain experience, connect with people from the sport industry, talk to them and learn from them, whilst also helping those young people who want to get involved in this business sector.
What is one sport experience that you have been part of and you will always remember – either as a player or a fan?
- I will always remember 2014, when I was captain of the University of Zagreb team in the National Championship. There had been three consecutive years without us winning a gold medal; that year, though, also the last college year for many of our players, we have won it. I will always remember it because of the great chemistry that we had on and off the court. Great basketball players and most important, great people!
Can you name one similarity and one difference between Croatia and Romania in terms of the sport culture?
- I don’t think there is a big difference regarding the sport culture between the two countries.
What is your favourite sportsman / sportswoman?
- I don’t know why but honestly I have never had a favourite sportsman, a real idol. When I was a kid I just liked to watch Michael Jordan, Dražen Petrović. As I grew older, my focus shifted to Euroleague basketball, which I still like to watch today, seeing such a great passion and dedication from both players and fans.
What is one sport leader you admire and why?
- That is a great question. I really admire Željko Obradović, basketball coach of Fenerbache. His leadership skills, knowledge of the game, the way he talks to his players, dedication to his job, the fact that he wants for every single player to improve, both personally and professionally. Sometimes he looks like a crazy person but he only wants the best for his team.
Can you name one sport club / team / organization from Eastern Europe that you think does a great job: at social media, engaging fans and generating effective sponsorship deals?
- Uh, that’s a difficult one. I think basketball club KK Crvena Zvezda from Serbia, in the last few years, have been doing a great job regarding social media and fan engagement. Also, due to their success achieved in Euroleague, they have secured a lucrative sponsorship deal with the Idea retailer. All their hard work has paid off when they were awarded to host Euroleague 2018 Final Four in Belgrade.
If you were to build your own business, what would it be?
- I don’t know if this qualifies as a business but I would love to build a basketball academy for talented kids, put them on the right track, regarding school and basketball, to prepare them for basketball, as well as the transition from sport to subsequent careers.
What’s the one app you open most frequently on your phone?
- Apart from Facebook, 🙂 I use LinkedIn a lot, just to read interesting articles about sport and business.
