Marko Stanojevic
Encyclopedia
Marko Peter Stanojevic (born 1 October 1979 in Birmingham
, England
) is an Italian
rugby union
footballer.
He plays on the wing the Italian club
Rovigo
.
Before his move to Italy, he had played four seasons with Bristol
in England.
. After playing for local club side Claverdon RFC he came to the attention of Bristol Rugby
in 1998, when he attended several training sessions after he matriculated at the University of the West of England
. Stanojevic soon began making frequent appearances in the Bristol U-21s, and signed an academy contract in 1999. After earning a degree in Information Systems at UWE, he spent the 2001-02 season at Coventry RFC, and then went to Italy for a season at Colleferro
.
Qualifying for Italy through his mother, he was named to the national sevens team
in 2002. Stanojevic returned to Bristol Rugby, this time with the senior side, in 2003, and went on to score 17 tries during a 2004-05 season which saw Bristol promoted
to the Guinness Premiership
. He continued to play for Bristol through the 2006-07 season
.
He made his first appearance for the 15-man national team in 2006 against Portugal
. He added five more appearances for the Azzurri before the 2007 Rugby World Cup
. Stanojevic scored one of two Italian tries in their blowout loss to the All Blacks
in their Rugby World Cup opener.
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
) is an Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
footballer.
He plays on the wing the Italian club
Super 10 (Italian premiership)
The withdrawal of Viadana and Benetton Treviso from the league has been compounded by club mergers. Rugby Viadana, Gran Parma and Colorno have merged to form GranDucato Rugby. Overmach Parma and Noceto have merged to form Crociati, both new clubs to be based in Parma. These changes created 2...
Rovigo
Rugby Rovigo
Rugby Rovigo Delta are an Italian rugby union club currently competing in Super 10.They are based in Rovigo in Veneto....
.
Before his move to Italy, he had played four seasons with Bristol
Bristol Rugby
Bristol Rugby is a rugby union club based in Bristol, England. The club currently plays in the RFU Championship and competes in the British and Irish Cup. They rely in large part on the many junior rugby clubs in the region, particularly those from 'the Combination'...
in England.
Playing career
Born in Birmingham to a Serbian father and Italian mother, Stanojevic played his school rugby at Warwick SchoolWarwick School
Warwick School is an independent school with boarding facilities for boys in Warwick, England, and is reputed to be the third-oldest surviving school in the country after King's School, Canterbury and St Peter's School, York; and the oldest boy's school in England...
. After playing for local club side Claverdon RFC he came to the attention of Bristol Rugby
Bristol Rugby
Bristol Rugby is a rugby union club based in Bristol, England. The club currently plays in the RFU Championship and competes in the British and Irish Cup. They rely in large part on the many junior rugby clubs in the region, particularly those from 'the Combination'...
in 1998, when he attended several training sessions after he matriculated at the University of the West of England
University of the West of England
The University of the West of England is a university based in the English city of Bristol. Its main campus is at Frenchay, about five miles north of the city centre...
. Stanojevic soon began making frequent appearances in the Bristol U-21s, and signed an academy contract in 1999. After earning a degree in Information Systems at UWE, he spent the 2001-02 season at Coventry RFC, and then went to Italy for a season at Colleferro
Colleferro
Colleferro is a small town of the province of Rome in the Lazio region of central Italy. It is a new residential zone of the metropolitan area of Rome where are located many different industries and a lot of sport structures....
.
Qualifying for Italy through his mother, he was named to the national sevens team
Italy national rugby union team (sevens)
The Italy sevens national rugby union team is Italy's national rugby union sevens team. They compete in the IRB Sevens World Series, and have done so since the series' was introduced in 1999. Although they do compete in the series, they do not participate in every leg...
in 2002. Stanojevic returned to Bristol Rugby, this time with the senior side, in 2003, and went on to score 17 tries during a 2004-05 season which saw Bristol promoted
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
to the Guinness Premiership
Guinness Premiership
The English Premiership, also currently known as the Aviva Premiership because of the league's sponsorship by Aviva, is a professional league competition for rugby union football clubs in the top division of the English rugby system. There are twelve clubs in the Premiership...
. He continued to play for Bristol through the 2006-07 season
2006-07 Guinness Premiership
The 2006–07 Guinness Premiership was the 20th season of the top flight of the English domestic rugby union competitions, played between September 2006 and May 2007. It was announced during the 2005-06 season that the 2006-07 competition would end two weeks early due to the 2007 Rugby World Cup in...
.
He made his first appearance for the 15-man national team in 2006 against Portugal
Portugal national rugby union team
The Portugal national rugby union team is a third tier rugby union side representing Portugal. They first played in 1935 and now compete in the European Nations Cup. Rugby union in Portugal is administered by the Federação Portuguesa de Rugby. Portugal qualified for their first Rugby World Cup in...
. He added five more appearances for the Azzurri before the 2007 Rugby World Cup
2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
. Stanojevic scored one of two Italian tries in their blowout loss to the All Blacks
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
in their Rugby World Cup opener.
External links
- Marko Stanojevic at the Italian Rugby Federation
- Interview at unofficial Bristol Rugby fan site