Osijek II will play home matches in Gradski Vrt from now on.
The 2nd HNL begins this weekend and Osijek II has their debut. Dino Skender’s handpicked players will play in Sibenik on Saturday evening, while playing at home against Sesvete a week later. That particular match will be played in Gradski Vrt, as will other cup matches. Olimpija’s stadium, in which Osijek II used to play, doesn’t meet the requirements for this level of competitive play.
The Criteria Must Be Met
The criteria for the dressing rooms, official rooms, spectator seats, VIP and press rooms as well as the covered areas for spectators must be met in order for the 2nd League matches to be played at a particular stadium. Additionally, the championship matches must be played on fields that meet the regulations of the Tournament Rules, which is important when vetting stadiums and fields for eligibility. The minimum size of the playing field is 100x64 meters. The home team is obliged to secure a separated area on the tribunes for the guest fans and is to appoint a special box office for that sector of the stadium in case there is a surplus of guest spectators.
Rule for Players up to 21 Years of Age
For the 2nd team of a professional club competing in the 2nd HNL (which is the case for Osijek, Dinamo and Hajduk), a maximum number of 5 players may play that were older than 21 years on the 1st of July, 2018. The teams are obliged to start the match with at least 3 players up to 21 years old. During the first half, these players may only be substituted by players that are also up to 21 years old. If there are at least 3 players up to 21 years old left after a substitution, they may be substituted by older individuals during the first 45 minutes. Osijek II, Dinamo II and Hajduk II may each have up to 5 foreign players at the same time, respectively (Doesn’t apply to dual citizens where one of the nationalities is Croatian or an EU-State citizenship).
