Vice-president of the team from Novi Sad is Zorica Simić, one of few women in American football in this region. Dukes are one of the most pleasant surprises this year, with a realistic chance of playing in the final, something not many believed before the season started.
How long are You with the Novi Sad Dukes?
I`m with Dukes since May 2005, when I was elected vice-president of the club. At the same time Miloš Gagić was elected president, in other words we joined the club at the same time.
I became a part of Dukes on Gagić`s invitation; he came when he was invited by several players, since they needed someone for that position. We knew each other from before, when we worked together, he knew I was a sports fan and that I`m good for this type of job.
When I first became involved, I was one of fre women in American football in Serbia, but there are more now, in other teams as well as in the Referee`s Association.
What kind of jobs do You do?
I`m involved with organizing everything inside the club. Gagić takes care of finances, and I take care of club organization, organization of matches etc. I also maintain contacts with other teams and media.
How much did You know about football?
Not a lot, but of course I follow it now. Besides, I`m really crazy about sports sort of speak, but from the time I`ve become involved in American football, I stopped taking interest in other sports. I still follow, but not as much as I used too. I think mostly because of lack of time.
What`s changed in the last year?
I think the sport as a whole progressed a lot in a short period of time, and Dukes with it. We`re on a much higher level then before, speaking in terms of organization as well as the play on the field. I think we`re a team that has progressed more than any other in Serbia. Before the season started, few knew about any of our players, and now they`re among the better in the league.
What still needs to improve?
Media coverage. The clubs themselves are doing good at it, but the League needs to improve in that regard. Also, new players were coming because they became interested from watching football on TV, now with uncertainty with NFL broadcasts this year, we need to find a way to attract new people to the club.
Has the season been successful for Novi Sad or no?
If we win our last two matches, unrelated of it being enough for playing in the final or not, I think we achieved an excellent result. Of course everybody wants us to reach the final, but regardless of that, realistically we have had a good year. Not only in terms of wins, we had excellent attendance, the crowds were outstanding, and we have our own fans already.
Regarding the team, it`s important that they`re disciplined, that they stick together and that the overall atmosphere around the team is very positive.