"We have 600 boys and girls who train football in our club. They start training when they are seven and compete when they are eight years old. They train four to seven times per week, depending on their age," Ivanko explained. Football is not an expensive sport in Croatia.

The monthly training fee for one child, in most Croatian clubs, is around 200 kuna (30 U.S. dollars). In Dinamo Zagreb, Ivanko said, children don't have to pay the fee; the club provides equipment and pays for travel costs and accommodations to tournaments.

"The HNS system has been improved in the last ten years and development of young players has become a prime goal in their activities. Since the economic situation in Croatian football is not great, clubs were forced to focus on the players from their own football schools. More and more young players have a chance to play in the first or the second division and through that earn a much-needed experience of playing senior football," Ivanko explained.

While Dinamo Zagreb is turning a profit from the talent pool around Croatia, smaller clubs struggle to keep their young players. The most talented players leave their clubs when they are 15 or 16. "I don't think it is good for Croatian football. The football federation should create a system in which local children will stay in local clubs as long as possible with equal conditions. This would be good not only for smaller clubs but ultimately for the national team too," Custic told Xinhua. Without a system, Croatian football will rely only on the player's talent and enthusiasm of individual coaches.

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