Without young people, there is no future, both in life and in sports. It may sound like there isn’t much philosophy, but believe me, there really is. Working with younger categories in any sport implies great organization, hard and dedicated long-term work, where you will reap the fruits in 6, 7 and sometimes more years. When we say fruits, we mean trained players who have had a few quality seasons in the youth system and are ready to take their place in senior rugby. This is exactly the main difference that makes your organization better. That’s why it was interesting for us to tell the story of the Budućnost rugby club, which invests a lot of resources and work in working with young people.
Please note that RK Budućnost has 60 active members who regularly attend training sessions. The main goal of the club is to cultivate rugby values and emphasize them in all its activities, on and off the field. Time is definitely working for Podgorica, because they have as many as four selections in the club. In addition to the youngest, there is an U18с team as well as a women’s and men’s senior team. In addition to the education of the players, a lot of attention is paid to the education of the coaching staff, where Zoran Radulović and Eduard Hardy progress from training to training. We would like to thank Mr. Ivan Stojanović for taking the time to answer our questions. We hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed doing the interview.
Rugby.rs: When was the club founded? What was the story related to the establishment?
Ivan Stojanović: The origin of the club itself was extremely specific in the realm of a fairy tale that came true. As the president and current owner of the club, I read the news in the media that rugby has arrived in Montenegro. As a former player of the Vojvodina rugby club, this information made me very happy. On the same day, I sat down and traveled by bus to Tivat, where the first established club in Montenegro, Arsenal from Tivat, and the club in the process of being founded, Krstasi from Kotor, were also located. A group of foreigners who at that moment worked in the nearby exclusive complex Porto Montenegro started the story of rugby in Montenegro. I was delighted with the atmosphere, and that’s when the idea of creating a new club was born, and I received enormous support from the players at the time, as well as from the coaches from Kučančanin, and of course from the people who brought this sport to Montenegro, we will name just a few: Beckett Tucker, Malcolm Blaksal and our lady Olivera Mišković, who worked with them and later became a player, and then the secretary of the association.
In Montenegro, the first rugby match was played only in the middle of 2011 . During 2011 In Podgorica, the informal development of rugby began through the holding of training sessions in meadows and other free places in open space. The first unofficial training took place in the park at 13. july, part of the city Stari Aaerodrom, the first players were the closest friends, brothers, godfathers and colleagues. The first two clubs that were officially formed in Montenegro are Arsenal from Tivat, Krstasi from Kotor and the third club is the rugby club Budućnost, which also met the official conditions for the formation of the first Rugby Union in Montenegro. Just like back in 2012 and even today, the Budućnost rugby club, as one of the founders, is still an important link for the development of this sport. Rugby club Budućnost, as the oldest club in Podgorica, was founded on October 21, 2012 at the founding assembly and by the competent authority of the Administration for Youth and Sports UPI number 01-153 dated December 13, 2012, године и уписан у Регистар спортских организација. and entered in the Register of Sports Organizations.
Rugby.rs: How difficult was it at the very beginning?
Ivan Stojanović: At the very beginning it was very difficult as a new sport, society had prejudices that it was too rough. The problem was also finding the stadium, the owners of the field were anxious not to destroy their surface. The first trainings were held in parks, on meadows, as well as in areas with a larger green area. With the help of the Crvena Stijena football club, rugby was played in an official stadium for the first time in Podgorica. The matches were played at the main stadium and the training sessions at the auxiliary field. The first meeting with the auxiliary field will remain in the memory of the first generation of Budućnosti players. The stadium was overgrown with vegetation and grass over one meter. The field was mowed, the fence was repaired and a large number of syringes used by drug users were removed with the solidarity of the players of that time. It has become routine to remove stones, needles and trash before starting training. As then and now, we owe a great deal of gratitude to the representatives of Crvena Stijena, whose stadium we still use today for playing matches on the site of the former auxiliary stadium, where a school was built. Even after 10 years, there is no understanding for the area for the stadium either from the representatives of the state or local self-government.
Rugby.rs: How difficult was it to explain to people what rugby is? Well, it was a new sport in Montenegro.
Ivan Stojanović: In general, the local community has the attitude and opinion that rugby is a rough sport with no rules and lots of injuries. We tried to demystify that taboo topic in the following way. The coach at the time, Miloš Kućančanin, who was responsible for the establishment and operation of the club, was of the opinion that the club must have a women’s team. It was a boom that brought a lot of both guys and girls to the club, and stereotypes and prejudices were slowly becoming less and less. Of course the ladies played a non-contact version of rugby. As a new sport played by ladies as well, the word quickly spread. There was no longer an excuse for the stronger sex when the fairer sex could dance in the spirit of Montenegrin heroism, it was not allowed to say that it should not be laughed at. The very beginning was difficult, but in Montenegro everything that is new has a strong resonance in society, and the most difficult thing is to maintain it. We had great support from the then president of the association, Becket Tucker, and the secretary, Olivera Mišković, with whom we got the first glimpses of Luštica Bay.
Rugby.rs: In the first few years of existence, what details and successes will always be written in the history of Buducnosti?
Ivan Stojanović: In history, the first match played in Podgorica will remain as the most beautiful moment. Then I got married on Saturday and played a game on Sunday. Winning the first place at the 10-a-side rugby tournament in Nikšić will also be remembered. The great thing about our club is that it had a vision of spreading rugby throughout Montenegro. With the help of Marty Lusty from Ireland, the club helped the development of rugby in Nikšić and Bar. It is also a special honor for us because our current president of the Rugby Union took her first steps in our club, as well as the fact that the first generation of Budućnosti sits in the leadership of clubs from Podgorica.
Rugby.rs: In the last few seasons, you put a lot of emphasis on working with young people. What age categories does the club have?
Ivan Stojanović: From 6 to 106, the new coach Danilo Ćeranić, also a former player of the first generation of the Buducnost rugby club, who does his work on a volunteer basis out of pure love for the club and the name Buducnost, would tell us.
Rugby.rs: Does the club enroll new young rugby players? At what age can young people start training rugby in RK Buducnost?
Ivan Stojanović: All seniors over the age of 6 are welcome in the club, of course we also have younger interested parties who we cannot refuse and the coach works with them with special attention.
Rugby.rs: What are your plans for the youth program in 2023 ? Are you planning any tours and participation in international competitions?
Ivan Stojanović: There is no shortage of plans, we are always in the mood for action in the club, but we are limited by the budget, which in the previous two years was 0 euros. We financed the entire work from personal funds. We would like to go to the Luka Marin Tournament, then to the Czech Republic, where our former player leads the training, there is also a tournament in Rome, but we will see what will come of it.
Rugby.rs: A very demanding Calendar of competitions in the senior competition awaits you. What are your ambitions?
Ivan Stojanović: I can freely say that I see a bright future for the members of the Buducnost Rugby Club. Last year, the first year in which we returned to competitions, we focused on the affirmation of the youngest players. The average age of our players on the field was 16, which is a fact that few clubs can boast of. This season, we have the same players and about 10 new ones, some of them from abroad, who picked up a rugby ball for the first time at our training sessions, and I believe that this year and the next, Buducnost will be more and more competitive because time is working for Buducnost.
Rugby.rs: Will the Championship in rugby 10 and rugby 7 be played in Montenegro? What do you expect from this season?
Ivan Stojanović: I think the answer to the previous question is adequate. In essence, consolidation of ranks, players to gain experience, but also to take over the game slowly.
Rugby.rs: How many players does the club provide for the national team of Montenegro?
Ivan Stojanović: Last year we had three national team members. This year, one lady and fourteen male rugby players received an invitation to the national team. So far, there have been no performances of the same.
Rugby.rs: Which players left the biggest mark on RK Buducnost?
Ivan Stojanović: At Buducnost Rugby Club, we are like one big family. We produced a number of players who later even played for the national team and played abroad. The policy of the club is that we are all one and one is all, and we do not think that anyone’s name should be highlighted in that way, so that we would not single anyone out.
Rugby.rs: Is there a way players from Montenegro can play abroad?
Ivan Stojanović: Of course there is. Our coach has a lot of connections abroad, even at the beginning of the season he found an engagement for one player in two foreign clubs, where he had to send his passport information in order to buy a ticket, however, due to his personal situation, he still decided to stick to his words – I will play only for Bubućnost – for which we are very proud.
Rugby.rs: Where do you train, how can people find you?
Ivan Stojanović: We train at the FK Crvene Stijene stadium in Tološi, as well as in a closed field also in Tološima. We were the first to achieve this cooperation in Podgorica a long time ago, and until we get our own field, we do not plan to change it.
Teams from England, Belgium and Ireland are visiting us this year, and we hope to repay their trust with hospitality.
Rugby.rs: This year is the Rugby World Cup, are you planning to implement any development activities during the competition?
Ivan Stojanović: Finally, this year we have rooms, more precisely a couple of them, where we can gather to watch the games, and we will definitely organize collective viewing of the World Cup games.
Rugby.rs: How much can the popularity of the World Cup affect the popularity of rugby both in Podgorica and Montenegro?
Ivan Stojanović: I hope it will help, however, none of the local TV stations broadcast the Rugby World Cup matches, which makes it difficult for us to popularize it.
