The Belgrade`s Vukovi are one of the better teams in the region at the moment. Beside ending the previous two seasons it the top two places of Serbia`s competitions, before finishing the first part of the SELAF season in first place, they are also considered to be one of the better organized teams. A lot of credit goes to Goran Nišavić, the Vukovi`s president and a member of SELAF`s Governing Body.
Are You satisfied with the Vukovi`s season so far?
I`m pretty satisfied, we`ve had only one loss in Kragujevac, in a great game which we could`ve won. There`s still a lot of things to improve, on the players side and organizational side as well. We`ll use this break to work with new players considering we`ve organized a training camp, while the second part of the season will be used for and increased marketing campaign to attract more people to come and watch the games, because it`s our desire to play in front of a full stadium. I`ll point out that SELAF has had better attendance on average than other sports beside the fact that we had played while the World Cup was also being played.
And how satisfied are You with the season in general?
SELAF has shown it has great potential and that the future of this sport is in regional connecting and creating an interesting league, for future sponsors and spectators as well. We, of course, had problems which we solved along the way, but the teams and the people in SELAF have invested enormous energy and work, so without them all this wouldn`t be possible. I am sure we are beginning to create history, not only in this region, but in Europe also.
What are Your expectations for the second part of the season when it comes to Vukovi?
I expect us to play in the finals, considering we only need one win in the next three games in case there aren`t any surprises, but we won`t relax and we`ll try to win all three games, so that it doesn`t happen we`re dependent on others. Nobody`s favored in the finals of course, but I think we can win SELAF this year.
How much do You already think about the next year?
When SELAF was formed, back then we started thinking of the long term concept of SELAF, and also how SELAF should look in the immediate future. SELAF will gradually progress and in the following years I expect SELAF to be that what pushes and motivates teams from the region to get better organizationally and financially so they could become a part of the league. There are many teams in the region now, and even outside of our region which have contacted us and which would like to play with us in the near future. However, what proved to be important in order to play in an international league is that you need to have enough players, as well as financial resources to cover your expenses. We`ll wait until the season`s over and then see what we have done so far, what should be improved, and then decide on how the league will look like next year.
Do SELAF teams have intentions to join European competitions?
Of course, and that is the primary goal of all teams in SELAF, to play as soon as possible in EFAF-Cup and Eurobowl competition, because that is the highest point when it comes to European level, so our goal is to have some of our teams participating in European competitions. I think we have enormous potential here, first and foremost in players` potential, so I wouldn`t be surprised that in 5-10 years on of our teams lifts the trophy. Maybe even Vukovi, why not.
Has there already been any contact regarding this?
We are members of EFAF so the doors for participation are open for SELAF and SAFS (Serbian American Football Federation) as well. There`s a greater problem in the matters of finances, because you need to cover the expenses of playing, and you can end up playing with a team from another part of Europe, and also in order to be competitive you need to have a few American players (import players) that most of the successful European teams have on their roster.
When do You expect this to happen?
I expect that we could play in the next year or two, like I said it all depends on the financial situation of all teams. I think it would be ideal for our teams to start in EFAF-Cup which is a lower level competition than Eurobowl, where they could get the experience they need to challenge the European top.