Dravograd is going through tough times, but the future looks brighter: Former representative Nejc Pečnik has become the new club president

Published on 25. July 2024 25. July 2024

Photo: Vid Ponikvar / Sportida

Once upon a time, Dravograd even had a top-flight team. Today, the reality is much harsher. Not long ago, the situation looked very bleak. The prospects after relegation from 3. SNL were not the best. However, the future is now somewhat brighter. Nejc Pečnik, a former representative of Slovenia, who played in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, has rolled up his sleeves. The footballer, who previously earned his living in England and was a Serbian champion with Crvena Zvezda, has taken over the reins of the club – he is the new president of Dravograd.

“After some time, when I continued playing at an amateur level for NK Dravograd and helped with various tasks, I decided before this year’s summer holidays that it was enough and that it was the right time to dedicate my free time to my family, daughters, friends, and also to myself. After careful consideration, support, and calls from numerous sports supporters, parents, … I decided that we cannot let this gem of Dravograd, once a sports giant, fade away quietly and unnoticed as it seemed a few weeks ago. I simply do not want to allow that many young Koroška football talents do not have at least similar opportunities as I and many other athletes who have represented our region and our country at various sports venues.” explained 38-year-old Nejc Pečnik, who continued to play football in Dravograd even at the end of his career.

Nejc Pečnik: “I call on everyone”

The 32-time Slovenian representative added in a lengthy post on the club’s Facebook profile: “In recent weeks, I have had numerous conversations with football friends, some entrepreneurs, the local community, and the mayor, and received many assurances of support. Because of all this, I have decided to move forward, and I will offer my time, my football contacts, and myself entirely for the position of club president at the upcoming assembly. I have gathered a few close collaborators who we will later expand, and we will present this entire team at the upcoming club assembly and offer you people who are not afraid to tackle tough challenges but want to start working immediately. We aim to work in a connecting manner and promote the idea of quality collaboration among all Koroška football centers. I dream of a once great and strong Koroška football school that can become a reality in a community of 70,000 stubborn, hardworking, and honest people. But we will start modestly, at the foundations, with our football school, our parents, and our children. We want to bring the club’s foundations closer to the parents, so it is right that you also get closer to the club. I call on all who want to help in any way to contact us, join the assembly, and with a positive mindset, shift the story into a new era.”

Nejc Pečnik concluded his introductory speech in his new role with emotional words: “When my father brought me to my first training session in 1991, I never dreamed of everything that happened later. Sport is the best thing that can happen to children, regardless of the level at which they play or engage with it. I was all over the world. For additional qualifications, I scored a goal against big football Russia, and with the national team, I was in Africa. We simply have to make this possible for new generations of Koroška boys.”