Soccer fans in Alexandria are in for a treat, as the Croatian Football Federation (HNS) has announced it will be staying in Alexandria during the FIFA World Cup this summer.
The team’s base camp will be in Alexandria, where players will stay at the AKA Hotel at 625 First Street in Old Town and train at Episcopal High School as they participate in the World Cup. Games will take place across Canada, Mexico and the United States from Jun. 11 through July 19.
Team representatives selected Alexandria after analyzing more than 60 locations and touring eight “potential camps” in the northeastern U.S. and Canada, after which Head Coach Zlatko Dalić and staff “unanimously agreed that Alexandria was the best choice,” HNS announced in a press release yesterday (Thursday).
“Alexandria offers us the best combination of an excellent training centre and a comfortable hotel, with immediate proximity to the airport and a good geographical position in relation to the cities where we will play our group-stage matches,” Technical Director Stipe Pletikosa said. “From a sporting perspective, which is always our top priority, we will have truly top-class conditions at Episcopal High School — from the pitches and fitness facilities to recovery areas — so there were very few doubts.”
In a social media video this morning, Mayor Alyia Gaskins said the city is planning a lineup of “amazing events” with the arrival of HNS. Visit Alexandria, the city’s official tourism organization, confirmed to ALXnow that it was involved in the team’s decision and will release more details at a later date.
Gaskins also celebrated, saying it was “a huge opportunity, and we’re so excited to welcome such an amazing and talented team.”
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“[It’s] an opportunity for the team and fans to get to know our city, and for us to get to know more about their Croatian culture and to celebrate and cheer them on throughout the World Cup,” Gaskins said.
In the announcement, the team noted the AKA Hotel’s positive reviews and “multiple awards for its modern design,” “excellent facilities” and close proximity to Reagan National Airport, which is a 6-minute drive away.
Nearby Episcopal High School’s training center offers a “high-end fitness facility” with a running track, cardio equipment, a gym and recovery facilities including hydrotherapy, cryotherapy, electrical stimulation and ultrasound for the team’s usage.
“Based on everything we heard and saw, Alexandria was the best option for us, and I am pleased that we managed to secure this location,” Dalić said. “There are many factors that make a good base camp and that we took into account—from the conditions at the training center, the quality of the hotel, geographic location, distance from the airport, privacy, and surroundings—and in all aspects, Alexandria offers the best combination of these factors.”
“Of course, the overall impression of a camp is ultimately shaped by results, so I hope Alexandria will remain in our memories just as fondly as ‘Forest Rhapsody’ in Russia or the Hilton in Doha,” the coach added.
Photo via Hrvatski nogometni savez /Facebook.
