Last season’s Esiliiga bronze medalists Tartu JK Welco have employed their first ever sporting director in Mihkel Rääk (24).
Rääk has worked as a scout for the last three years and has gained international experience. “I started my career in Lithuania, with Kauno Zalgiris. After that, I moved to Finland, where I graduated from sports management subject and worked at HJK, while studying, in the final year I was the head scout at the club.” Rääk introduced himself on Welco’s social media channels.
Welco’s CEO Edgar Leht explained, how they met: “I met Mihkel for the first time a few months ago and actually before we had the plan to start employing a sporting director at all. His energy, skills gathered from working as a scout and footballing knowledge, as well as personal chemistry made me feel, that we can make the next step in the club’s development.”
Rääk explained his targets and working tasks as such: “I want to develop the entire sporting side at Welco and introduce innovations, so that the club can make the next step from the Esiliiga up to the Premium Liiga. I also want to bring innovative scouting programs and -systems into the club and develop a more professional atmosphere with the first team. My working tasks are bringing in new players and transferring players out, to help them develop to the next level. As sporting director, it is my duty to manage the first team staff to an extent and their emotional ties with players. I would also like to develop the staff side as much as possible – e.g. to involve sporting psychologists, to be a mentor etc. And finally I want to mention, that Welco is a club with a very strong community, and I am also ready to invest into the fans. In short, I want to deal with things, that have been left out from the sporting side, and to create the conditions to take the club to the top flight and beyond – only sky is the limit!”
Source: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1416140913849306&set=a.491770842952989
