The reigning champions of the CEFL, the Vukovi Belgrade, made their first change for the upcoming season. They have signed Kirk Mastromatteo, who will replace Sean Embree as the team’s head coach. Despite the success he has had with the team, Embree will continue his career in the US.
Mastromatteo spent the last two years coaching with the Cagliari Crusaders in Italy as an offensive coordinator. Before that he spent over a decade in the same role with two NCAA Division I-AA schools, first Bethune-Cookman and later Norfolk State University. His coaching career started in 1989 when he was a student assistant football coach at the University of Akron.
“I am excited and proud to be named as the new Head Coach of the Vukovi Beograd. I am looking forward to working with an organization with the history and reputation as the Vukovi have. I feel that with my previous coaching experience at the NCAA Division I level, as well as internationally in Italy, that I can bring new and fresh ideas, energy, and passion to the Vukovi Football Team”, says Mastromatteo.
He inherits likely the best CEFL team, that has won five championships since 2006 and that will next year, as every year, have the highest ambitions.
“A belief in scheme, organization, dedication, player development/knowledge and work-ethic has been the foundation of my coaching career. I look forward to continuing the success that has been achieved by the Vukovi and moving the team forward in the coming years to becoming an elite European football program. I am also looking for the opportunity to be able to cultivate some young talent who could earn scholarship opportunities with my associates in the NCAA Divisions.”
The team president, Goran Nišavić, welcomed the new and also thanked the old coach.
“First and foremost we want to thank coach Sean Embree on a more than successful stay in the last two years and we wish him all the best in the future. In our criteria for our new coach we had the professional experience, how much time was spent on different teams, as well as European experience. Kirk fit perfectly and he was our and we his first choice from the start, so coming to terms was easy.”