American football team gains popularity in Serbia

01/09/2010

Serbia and the city of Kragujevac recognise a team's successes in a newly popular sport.

By Milena Petrovic for Southeast European Times in Kragujevac -- 01/09/10

A Wild Boar player shows his moves in Kragujevac. [Milena Petrovic/SETimes]

American football is slowly taking hold in Serbia and the new European Federation of American Football (EFAF) ranking proves it.

EFAF included for the first time a Serbian team on its list of Europe's Top 20 teams, the Kragujevac Wild Boars.

American football growth in Serbia is inextricably linked to this team. In March 2003, the Wild Boars played the first ever American football match against the Belgrade Wolves, establishing an arch rivalry between them.

By year's end, the Wild Boars participated in the initial assembly of the Serbian American Football Federation and in 2004 won Serbia's first national championship.

Since then, the Wild Boars have won five out of seven national championships.

Club Secretary Vladimir Gajic told SETimes that the team wasn't built to win a trophy or two, nor was it created for someone's personal gain.

"Thanks to the true love for this sport and the unity we nurture among players and management, the club will remain a last bastion of sportsmanship and purity in sports," Gajic said.

The Boars nurture the development of players from an early age, helping 7 and 8-year olds learn to play flag football. The junior team is the pool from which the first team is formed; ten 2009 juniors played in the first team this year.

Leading the charge for the first team is Aleksandar "Alf" Ristic. To him, the team spirit of American football requires each player to constantly improve physical and mental performance.

"We are all aware of this [principle] and that is why we are the best," he said. In the 2009 season, Ristic gained over 1,000 yards in 11 games.

One of the three Americans on the team, quarterback Manny Diaz, told SETimes that Ristic deserves the lion's share of the credit for winning this year's trophy. "Alf is the man who keeps all the players together. He is the heart and soul of the team, a true sportsman," Diaz said.

Management seems certain they will maintain the club's success. "There is no room for staying in one place; any stagnation means regression," President Nemanja Calija told SETimes.

Calija concedes, however, that the Boars face diverse challenges. "We need to provide a permanent playing field since we still don't have a home ground, even after winning five national championships."

The club wants additional US players and attempt to win the EFAF cup. The Wild Boars' home city of Kragujevac -- 120km south of Belgrade -- has supported the team from the very beginning.

As interest grows and turnout surpasses 2,000 spectators per game, Kragujevac Mayor Veroljub Stevanovic has vowed to continue supporting the club financially and logistically, and to build two new stadiums.

His assistant in charge of sports, Jovan Pavlovic Bojadzic, told SETimes they "recognised the club's good work and the possibilities for our [city's] self-promotion through their excellent performances".

Kragujevac was selected to host the qualifying tournament on August 22nd and 23rd for the European Junior Championship in Spain next year.

Serbia's team beat Great Britain 13-12 and The Netherlands 28-15, and will advance to the next round to play in the key qualifying game to be held in Paris.