Slaven Zlatar has been honoured with the EuroHockey Diploma of Merit having been one of the driving forces in Croatia.
In over 50 years in hockey, he has been an international, player, umpire and coach, a key member of EuroHockey Development and Competitions committees for many years and the chief organiser of many Croatian-hosted events, culminating in the 2025 Indoor World Cup in Poreč this year.
Hailing Zlatar, EuroHockey President Marcos Hofmann said: “Slaven is a massive advocate and support of emerging and developing nations. He has even written position papers and sent them to our offices to challenge us to increase the amount of teams.
“He is a massive supporter of the need of a coaching system development; always very environmentally conscious; and he almost single-handedly delivered a fantastic Indoor World Cup competition.”
His life in hockey began aged 8 with HAHK Mladost in Zagreb, rising to be a member of the Yugoslav national team and, later, the Croatian international side.
He first started coaching at the age of 21, coaching the club’s junior teams. After his playing career, he became the coach of his club’s first men’s team who won numerous national championship and cup titles both outdoors and indoor.
The progression saw him then serve as coach of the Croatian men’s national teams, as well as the Under-18 and Under-21 selections for both men and women.
In parallel with playing hockey, Zlatar was also an international referee, earning an international badge for both indoors and outdoors.
From 2000 to 2008, he worked as a professional secretary for the Zagreb Hockey Union and the Croatian Hockey Federation. Since 2008, he has been the sole professional staff member with the Croatian Hockey Federation, currently holding the position of Director General.
He has been a member of the EuroHockey Development Committee for years and is currently a member of the Competitions Committee Outdoor.
Memorably, he was the prime organiser for many tournaments in Croatia – one of Europe’s most active hosts on the club and international front. This culminated in this year’s Indoor World Cup which was held in Poreč, a landmark occasion for hockey in the country.
