Robert Sappé

Coach

Biography

Water polo is my life. What better way to start the story of my life than with that statement. I played water polo professionally for 16 years, first in ex-Yugoslavia, then Croatia and finally in Austria where my ambitions towards coaching grew stronger even though I started coaching younger generations back in 1987. To further sharpen my coaching skills and the general sports theory, all technical and tactical aspects concerning sports, I decided to enroll in the Kinesiology program at the University of Zagreb where I completed my Bachelor’s degree. As the head of one of the most triumphant water polo clubs in the world Mladost youth program, I continued the club’s long-term athletic development philosophy with the focus on academics. Individual strength and talent in team performance are very important but success of such a club is evaluated by way more than that. The role models it gave and their effect on the local and global community go way beyond sports.

Water polo just like everything else you do should be fun, first of all, and then, and only then, can you dream of something big no matter what it is. My professional focus remained coaching from day one. Dedication to and involvement in the sport lead to the coach of the Croatian Youth Olympic Team after the U17 Croatian National Team Assistant Coach position. Every new challenge is like God’s gift and yet another step to the unknown so I passionately grasp it with both my arms and live for the moment like it is the first or the last. There is still way more ahead of us and would love to be able to transfer some of my knowledge and experience to you guys in Cronique water polo camps and who knows where we meet again