A TEQBALL Table for Lovćenac – A New Sports Story for All Generations

Lovćenac has received its first TEQBALL table, thanks to a donation from the TEQBALL Federation of Montenegro, made on the initiative of FORS Montenegro.

The donation is intended jointly for the “Vuk Karadžić” Primary School in Lovćenac and FK Njegoš Lovćenac, with the aim of making the table available to everyone interested – children, young people, athletes, veterans and other members of the community who would like to discover this increasingly popular sport. One of the main goals of the initiative is to encourage more children and young people to take part in sport and to provide them with another opportunity for active and meaningful use of their free time.

As the TEQBALL table is mobile, it can be used at both locations – at the school and at the FK Njegoš sports grounds – depending on activities and needs.

We would like to express our particular gratitude to the TEQBALL Federation of Montenegro and its President, Milorad Šutulović, who responded to our idea almost immediately and, without unnecessary formalities, supported the proposal to donate a TEQBALL table to Lovćenac. Very little time passed between the initial idea and the final agreement, providing a good example of how quickly things can move when there is goodwill and a genuine willingness to help.

At FORS, we would like to become much more involved in sport in the future, particularly when it comes to children and young people and the role of sport in bringing people together, encouraging social interaction and strengthening communities. So far, we have had limited opportunities to work in this area through the programmes and EU-funded projects in which we have participated, as sport has generally not been among the main areas supported by those programmes.

This is precisely why this initiative is particularly important to us. It shows that every good idea does not necessarily have to wait for a new project, call for proposals or funding opportunity. Sometimes, a good idea, a few people willing to support it and a readiness to do something useful for the community are enough. This TEQBALL table is a good example of just that.

The donation also carries a special symbolic meaning. For decades, Lovćenac has had a tradition of playing the locally popular game known as “kockice”, a form of foot tennis, and TEQBALL offers an opportunity to transfer that existing enthusiasm and sporting spirit into a new sport.

The TEQBALL promotion was organised during a veterans’ match of FK Njegoš Lovćenac, providing an excellent opportunity to present the new table to a larger number of people. Everyone present had the chance to learn about the rules, see how TEQBALL is played in practice and try the sport themselves. It was particularly interesting to see how those who have been playing the traditional Lovćenac “kockice”, or foot tennis, for many years adapted to the new game.

Both Novak Simović, Director of the “Vuk Karadžić” Primary School in Lovćenac, and Labud Spičanović, President of FK Njegoš Lovćenac, expressed their gratitude for the donation, noting that the new table will benefit both the school and the football club and create additional opportunities for sporting activities for people of different generations.

Veselin Šturanović, representing FORS Montenegro, also expressed particular satisfaction that the initiative had been successfully implemented.

Šturanović pointed out that, for him, Lovćenac and Nikšić have never been two separate stories. He spent his childhood summers in Lovćenac, his mother and grandmother lived there, and he continues to return every year. For all these reasons, he considers Lovćenac one of his own places and the people of Lovćenac his own people. This is why he is particularly pleased whenever he can contribute to something positive, useful and intended for people of all generations in Lovćenac.

The wish of everyone involved in this initiative is that the story should not end with the donation itself, but that TEQBALL should continue to develop in Lovćenac – through regular gatherings of players of different generations, greater participation of children and young people, the organisation of tournaments and, perhaps in the future, the establishment of a TEQBALL club.

We would also like this initiative to convey a broader message: communities can achieve a great deal through their own initiative, by bringing people together and by being willing to help one another.

We believe this is only the beginning of a beautiful sporting story and that there will be new opportunities in the future to meet again, spend time together and develop other good ideas – both in Lovćenac and through new forms of cooperation.

Until the next opportunity and our next joint activities – to the friends of TEQBALL in Lovćenac, in honour of sport, friendship and togetherness.