American Football Gains Ground in Serbia
“This was the first time we worked with professional American football coaches. Now we see that our playing has been at the amateur level. We used to design our trainings based on data from the Internet and watching games on television. I'm sure what we have learned during these weeks will be seen in our play in the future,” says Vladimir Lazic, a member of Kragujevac's American Football team the Wild Boars.
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| Serbian football clubs are playing safer with equipment provided by US coaches |
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| A player with the Wild Boars, Serbia’s American football team based in Kragujevac |
Through the USAID-funded Community Revitalization through Democratic Action (CRDA) program, Larry Kentera and Eugene Felker, couches from the United States, spent three weeks in Serbia as volunteers.
Prior to arrival to Serbia, knowing that Serbian clubs did not have the necessary equipment, Kentera and Felker had gathered valuable donations in equipment from American universities. Thanks to them, Serbian football players have received helmets, cleats, jerseys, shoulder pads, pants, dummies and other equipment.
"Our games are now much safer. We used to play without shoulder pads, without helmets. Injuries were pretty frequent. We were most frightened of head injuries. Many used tell us to give it up, because American football is an aggressive game. But our desire for success and promotion of this sport was stronger than all fears," emphasizes Lazic.
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