As the World Indoor Lacrosse Championship 2015 moves even closer, we ask each nation exactly how they Grow The Game on home soil. These interviews reveal how each of the WILC nations work to not only grow the strengths of their national team, but how they are working to grow lacrosse throughout their country.
It’s we take look at the growth of Serbia lacrosse. We figured coach Brian Gorodetsky was just the man to shares his experiences with growing the game in Serbia and what can happen to help the sport expand!
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LAS: How would you describe the lacrosse scene and the growth of the game in your country?
Gorodetsky: Grass roots, entry-level. Lacrosse in Serbia is mainly played by enthusiasts wanting to experience a contact sport for the first time, which are more or less uncommon in Serbia.
The game has grown a lot over the past 5 years. With the development of a league, more people are becoming interested in playing lacrosse in Serbia and visiting the country for international competitions.
We have a very successful international tournament, known as the Zombie Cup, that hosted a total of 10 teams from various countries in Europe, including Russia. We’re trying to work together with hockey clubs for off-ice development, but it’s a slow process since many sports are trained exclusively all-year round in Serbia.
What are some steps that those of us outside of your country can take to better understand its culture?
The first step to understanding Serbian culture is to shift your core values so that they become family centered. Most Serbians value spending time with family and friends over getting ahead in the rat race.
They love to celebrate and share food and drink at local taverns and Serbian food goes down easy because it usually resembles the most amazing Philly cheese steak you have ever eaten.
Foreigners love the night life of Serbia with floating restaurants and clubs lining the Danube river banks.
So, the best way to understand the culture is to live it by visiting us some time.
What steps are being taken to grow the game locally in your country?
We have recently registered an official Serbian Lacrosse Federation in an attempt to gain government support. We also started youth programs at private international schools and local schools in Belgrade that will play a non-contact version of lacrosse.
We also took the time to develop a regional lacrosse league to grow interest and awareness. Right now we are in the process of training qualified coaches and referees to raise the quality and professionalism of the game.
On top of everything, we increased media exposure due to participation in WILC 2015.
What are some of the long-term goals for future growth in Serbia?
[mks_separator style=”solid” height=”2″]Learn more about Serbia by checking out all of the other great LaxAllStars.com content from the Balkans!
- WILC 2015 Nation Preview: Serbia
- Serbia Reaches Final Roster for WILC 2015
- Serbian Lacrosse Ready To Make a Showing at WILC 2015
If your interested in growing the game in Serbia, visit the Serbian Lacrosse Federation website for more information.
