Martin Kafka (born 25 July 1978 in

Říčany Říčany (; german: Ritschan) is a town in Prague-East District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 16,000 inhabitants. It is located 20 km south of the centre of Prague, and it takes about half an hour to ge ...

) is a former Czech

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

player and the current coach of the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

. His great-uncle was the famous writer

Franz Kafka Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a German-speaking Bohemian novelist and short-story writer, widely regarded as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of realism and the fantastic. It ...

and his grandfather was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

international footballer.

Early years

Kafka started playing rugby at the age of seven at his hometown club. In 1997 he went to study at the Faculty of Physical Education and Sport at the

Charles University in Prague ) , image_name = Carolinum_Logo.svg , image_size = 200px , established = , type = Public, Ancient , budget = 8.9 billion CZK , rector = Milena Králíčková , faculty = 4,057 , administrative_staff = 4,026 , students = 51,438 , undergr ...

, with the intention of becoming a Physical Education teacher.

Rugby career

He went to Spain in 1999, playing for

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...

, who were then in the Spanish Second Division ( División de Honor B). In 2001 he joined La Moraleja Alcobendas, which boasted international players such as the Souto brothers, Carlos and Sergio. His two seasons at the club was a particularly successful part of his career, with him leading the club to victory against Overmach Parma in the

European Challenge Cup The EPCR Challenge Cup is an annual rugby union competition organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the second-tier competition for clubs based in European leagues behind the European Rugby Champions Cup. From its inception i ...

in 2002 and finishing up as top scorer in the Spanish First Division ( División de Honor) in both 2002 and 2003. In 2003 he played for

Castres Castres (; ''Castras'' in the Languedocian dialect of Occitan) is the sole subprefecture of the Tarn department in the Occitanie region in Southern France. It lies in the former province of Languedoc, although not in the former region of Lan ...

in France, and Racing Métro the following year before rounding out his playing career at Japanese

Top League Japan Rugby League One (formerly the Top League) is a rugby union competition in Japan. It is the highest level of professional rugby competition in the country. The Japan Rugby Football Union created the competition in 2003, by absorbing the ...

side Sanix.

International

He won at least 37 capsČeský národní tým
Accounts of some Czech Republic and Czechoslovakia matches. According to these statistics, he had already played at least 12 internationals before his given debut, with his first match being given as against Poland in 2000. for the Czech Republic from 2000 to 2006, scoring at least 136 points in the process before assuming the coach's mantle in 2007.

Honours

Czech Rugby Player of the Year The Czech Rugby Player of the Year (Ragbista roku) is awarded to the player voted the best in the Czech Republic. The awards have grown since 2001. They are presented at an evening ceremony. * 2001: Coach of the Year and U20 Talent of the Year * 20 ...

: **2002

References

External links

Martin Kafka
profile at scrum.com
Martin Kafka
at ercrugby.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Kafka, Martin 1978 births Living people Czech rugby union players Czech rugby union coaches Rugby union fly-halves Rugby union centres Expatriate rugby union players in Spain Expatriate rugby union players in France Czech expatriate rugby union players Czech expatriate sportspeople in Spain Czech expatriate sportspeople in France Expatriate rugby union players in Japan Czech expatriate sportspeople in Japan Alcobendas rugby players RC Valencia players RC Říčany players People from Říčany Sportspeople from the Central Bohemian Region