SuperFanúšik: When a passion for sports turns into a lifestyle

Today we introduce another of our partners – the sports travel agency SuperFanúšik. We talk with the owner of the SuperFanúšik travel agency, who is also a TJ Družstevník Petržalka player – Dušan Macák.

Editors: First of all, we’d like to know how the idea of starting a travel agency focused on sports trips came about.

Dušan Macák: “Well, first and foremost I’m a sports fan body and soul, and practically all it took was one visit to the 80,000-seat San Siro and it was clear what I wanted to do. Then came a trip to Boston and New York, where I covered 90 km on foot in a week, and I told myself I wanted to give this to everyone. A lot of people dream of one day experiencing the atmosphere of their favorite team’s game – whether in the Premier League, the NHL or at F1 – but they’re afraid to go on their own. And that’s how, in 2015, CK SuperFanúšik was born, a travel agency that combines a passion for sports, travel and above all emotions that you just don’t come by that easily in Slovakia.”

Editors: We know that as a travel agency you work with fans of various sports, but how do you see hockey in particular and the community of amateur players?

Dušan Macák: “For me, and I dare say for most of my teammates too, hockey is a matter of the heart. It’s a sport that brings people together, and that’s exactly what we try to do as well – bring people together through experiences. Amateur hockey players have incredible enthusiasm, often the same as the pros. That’s why I’m happy we can support your league and donate prizes for the best teams and players – as a thank-you for their energy and love of the sport. And maybe, thanks to these prizes, even open the gates of the biggest arenas for them. After all, it’s one thing to watch the NHL on TV and another to watch it right in Madison Square Garden in the heart of New York.”

Editors: Can you reveal what prizes the players can expect?

Dušan Macák: “We want the prizes to be not just ‘material’ ones but above all experiences, because that’s the point of our business – giving people experiences. Besides NHL jerseys, players will get discounts or vouchers for sports trips from us – for example, to NHL games, of which we organize several a year, so everyone is sure to find one they like. Maybe someone from your league will be standing right below the stands where his favorite team’s deciding goal goes in.”

Editors: Why do you think every sports fan should treat themselves to a trip like this at least once in a lifetime?

Dušan Macák: “Well, this is the kind of thing that’s hard to describe. When you’re standing in Montreal, for example, with thousands of other fans, you hear your club’s anthem and feel that energy – that’s the moment you literally start shaking, and that feeling stays in your heart forever. It can’t be put into words, and the ones who express it best are the clients who go to the NHL with us regularly, because that feeling is something you want to keep experiencing. Our goal is for every fan to be able to say: ‘I was there.’”

Editors: What are your trips actually about? What do fans get to experience on them?

Dušan Macák: “The game itself is just the peak of the whole experience. I say everywhere that we don’t sell trips, we sell experiences, because on our trips people get into the atmosphere of the city and experience the local culture, sights, pubs, stadiums and fan rituals. They see things an ordinary tourist often wouldn’t even discover. In Montreal, for example, we go to the Canadiens fan bar and up Mont Royal hill with its view of the whole city; in New York we’ll take you to a secret Prohibition-era bar, or onto an aircraft carrier and into a submarine; in Boston we walk through Harvard; and in San Francisco, for instance, we offer a boat cruise to Alcatraz. And Vegas, well, I probably don’t even need to mention that. That’s exactly why clients often come back to us saying it wasn’t just a trip but the experience of a lifetime, one they won’t forget. Last year, for example, we capped off a trip with a wedding in Vegas.”

Editors: To wrap up, what message would you send to the players and fans of our league?

Dušan Macák: “Not to forget that even though hockey is about emotions, we’re still one big hockey family, and it’s RAHL that lets us live out these ‘professional’ feelings. And whatever happens during a game, sometimes precisely under the pressure of emotions, after the game we always shake hands and forget about the odd scrape or two. And whether you play in RAHL or any other league, or cheer in the stands abroad – the main thing is that you’re part of the sports family. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for everyone this season, and I’m glad that together we’ll bring players and fans something extra.”

🏒 CK SuperFanúšik – trips to soccer, hockey, F1 and other sporting events.
🌍 More at www.superfanusik.sk