The regional league that started in 2008 is now part of history, and a new water polo competition was officially born in Podgorica today - now only with clubs from Montenegro and Serbia.
The old league was initially "frozen" because no model or competition system was found that would satisfy all parties, Croatian, Serbian and Montenegrin, and after the proposal of the Water Polo and Swimming Federation of Montenegro to preserve the league failed, our and Serbian Federations established a new competition.
Thus, the Memorandum on the Formation of the Water Polo Regional League was signed today, thus officially marking the start of a new competition, in which eight clubs from Montenegro and Serbia will participate.
The memorandum was signed by the President of the VPSCG Nikola Milić and Viktor Jelenić, President of the Water Polo Association of Serbia, and the message from both sides is that the door for the possible return of Croatian clubs remains open.
"I'm sorry that the league did not remain in the same format, because it was probably the strongest competition in Europe. We want to send a message that the Croatian Water Polo Federation is very welcome to be part of the Water Polo Regional League again. That way we would make the league stronger and more interesting," said Milić.
Jelenić had a similar message.
"It is clear that the league cannot be the same as last season, but I hope that all the problems will be resolved and that it will be different from next season. The most important thing is to find as many sponsors and people who want to help water polo. The finances in our small sport are not large, but they can yield great results," said the president of the VPS.
Three clubs from Montenegro - Jadran m:tel, Primorac and Budućnost One, and five from Serbia - Novi Beograd, Radnički, Partizan, Šabac and Crvena zvezda - will participate in the Premier League. The league part of the season will be played, and the winner will be decided in the final four.
What is new is that the Regional League will have a prize fund for the first time, so the champion will receive 50.000 euros, the second place winner 30.000, and the third place winner 20.000 euros.
"I think this is a good indicator of the direction we should be heading. We have offered, promised and given something to the clubs, who are also exempt from fees for referees and delegates. I believe this is a big step forward, sending a clear message that we believe that things will get better in the coming period," Milić emphasized.
The first man of the Montenegrin federation looks to the future with optimism.
"I believe that this competition will be a turning point for the future of water polo in this region," Milić said clearly.
The headquarters of the Regional Water Polo League will be in Podgorica.
"The location is less important than the relationships we need to build and the path we should take, but it is still significant for us, with gratitude to our colleagues from Serbia for their trust. I think it shows the sincere friendly relationship between the two national federations," Milić concluded.
The first season of the new league starts on Friday, Primorac and Budućnost will be in the pool on Saturday when they play away against Šabac (19pm) and Radnički (20pm), while a classic between Jadran and Partizan in Herceg Novi is scheduled for Monday (19pm).
In addition to the Premier League, the First League will also be played, which will have nine clubs - Montenegro will be represented by Kataro and Budva, and Serbia by the teams Valis, Nais, Stari grad, Vukovi, Vojvodina, Zemun and Belgrade.
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