Croatian middle blocker Božana Butigan is taking her career to Japan, agreeing to join Astemo Rivale Ibaraki for the 2026-27 SV.League season. The Hitachinaka club confirmed the arrival of the 25-year-old Croatia captain on its official channels, assigning her the No. 19 jersey.
Butigan, born on 19 August 2000 in Čapljina, stands 1.92m and has long been one of the most recognisable faces of Croatian volleyball. She captains her national team and has built her club career across Europe's toughest leagues, starting in Čapljina, developing at Zagreb's Mladost and then making the jump to Italian powerhouse Imoco Volley Conegliano, one of the most trophy-laden clubs in world volleyball, where she competed for Serie A1 and continental honours.
Now she heads east. Astemo Rivale Ibaraki are a Hitachi-backed side based in Hitachinaka, a city of around 155,000 people on the Pacific coast roughly 110 kilometres north-east of Tokyo. The club compete in Japan's elite women's SV.League and said they were delighted to welcome Butigan, adding that the team would keep pushing towards new goals with the Croatian anchoring the middle of the net.