The newly opened Apfel Arena Sports and Cultural Center in Makarska spans 14,000 square meters and is the crown of investment in the local community, representing an investment worth over 100 million kuna by the company Apfel and the family of Mijo Pašalić, as stated in the announcement.
The center combines sports, cultural, health, and conference facilities, eliminating the need for residents of Makarska to travel outside the city for such services. More than 100 contractors worked on the project, and with the opening of over 30 new jobs, the first and largest center of its kind promotes the prosperity of the Makarska Riviera and enhances the economy of the entire county.
The company Apfel is engaged in distribution in hospitality and tourism and is today one of the leading business systems in Dalmatia and one of the most successful distributors in Croatia. Socially responsible business practices have been rooted in the company’s foundation since 1996 when Mijo Pašalić founded it with the aim of improving the quality of life in the area, supported by the executive director, his son Matko Pašalić, and daughter Mija Rizvan, director of hospitality equipment.
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—– I am proud that we have been together for 27 years because I know that a person cannot achieve anything alone in life. It is a great thing for a family to have a clear vision and mission in life and to succeed in achieving set business goals, and we believe we have succeeded in this to a large extent. Apfel Arena is your and our common home where everyone is welcome, and our desire, in cooperation with the city of Makarska, hoteliers, entrepreneurs, associations, and individuals, is to extend the tourist season and enrich the offer of the entire Makarska Riviera, emphasized Mijo Pašalić, owner of Apfel, at the grand opening of Apfel Arena.
Delegations from the City of Makarska, led by Mayor Zoran Paunović, and from the Split-Dalmatia County, led by Deputy Ante Šošić, as well as mayors of municipalities from the Makarska Riviera, attended the opening.
The construction of the Apfel Arena Sports and Cultural Center is the latest in a series of investments by the Pašalić family, which invested 100 million kuna in the entire project of socially responsible business during the two years of construction.
– From the very beginning, we strive for Apfel to be a strong pillar of support for the citizens of the Makarska Riviera, and this Center is proof of our commitment to building a better and more meaningful future for our children and youth, as well as the entire local population, but also proof of investment in tourism development. In Makarska, hoteliers continuously invest in the quality of their services, and the Center will excellently support this concept of strategic development with numerous facilities. Moreover, sports have always been part of our family identity, and we are happy and proud that by building the Center, we provide opportunities for new victories for numerous sports clubs from our area, as well as for schools that do not have gymnasiums and various associations engaged in commendable activities, stated Matko Pašalić, executive director of Apfel.
The grand opening was attended by a delegation from the Croatian Football Federation and the coach of the Croatian national football team Zlatko Dalić, the management of HNK Hajduk led by club president Lukša Jakobušić and board member Marinka Akrap, a delegation from the Croatian Boxing Federation led by president Bono Bošnjak, and a delegation from the Croatian Volleyball Federation led by Miro Pavlović.
Alongside them, the opening was greeted by Barbara Matić, world champion in judo, Andrej Vištica, the best Croatian and one of the best triathletes in the world, recognized Olympians – sisters Lucija and Ana Zaninović, state champion in the 1500 meters Klara Andrijašević, Dina Levačić, one of the best long-distance swimmers today who has swum almost all the most challenging world routes and channels, Toni Vujčić, world chess champion, representatives of KK Split, as well as the management and players of MNK Novo vrijeme, current champions of Croatia.
