Last weekend the sports center Phoenix hosted the best teams in the national finals Mini Maxi league for a generation born in 2018. This tournament represents one of the most important events in grassroots football in Serbia, providing an opportunity for the youngest footballers to test their strength at the national level in a fair and sporting atmosphere.
Red Star's path to the championship title
Team Red Stars confirmed their dominant form throughout the competition. Under the guidance of coach Dragan Eganović, the red-and-whites finished the group stage with a perfect record, scoring a large number of goals with a solid defense. They defeated the teams Kristal from Vršac (9:2), Kalimero (6:3), Radnički from Valjevo (4:0), and SU Tim from Subotica (6:0).
In the elimination phase, Zvezda continued in the same rhythm, defeating Bistrica from Novi Sad in the quarterfinals (2:0), while in the final they were better than the GDM Novi Sad team with a score of 4:0. With this triumph, the 2018 generation of the Belgrade club officially became the national champion.
Success and fighting spirit of Radnički Valjevo
The performance, in particular, attracted attention Radnički Valjevo, who finished the tournament in a strong fourth place. The team from Valjevo showed great fighting spirit, defeating teams from Lazarevac, Subotica, Vršac, and Pančevo in the preliminary rounds. Although they were stopped in the semifinals by the eventual champions, coach Tajdić's boys gave their maximum in the third-place match against the team from Niš. The game ended in a draw after regular time, and after penalty kicks, sports luck was on the side of the Niš team, thus Radnički took fourth place in the overall standings.
Presence of NFS talents: Vuk Simić
Among this year's finalists was Vuk Simic, a young footballer whose athletic development is being monitored through Next Football Stars (NFS) platform. His participation in the tournament in Phoenix was an opportunity to gain insight into his current level of play compared to his peers from all over the country. Vuk, like the rest of his team, showed discipline and a sporting approach, which is the main goal of participating in tournaments of this type. The presence of players from the NFS platform at such competitions serves primarily to objectively monitor their progress in real competitive conditions.
Click here and view the profile of the talented Vuk Simić
The importance of the Mini Maxi League for the development of grassroots football
The national championship, organized by the Mini Maxi League, has once again shown that focusing on proper motor skill development and team spirit is crucial at this age. While results are important for motivation, they take a backseat to the experience boys gain playing against different football schools. SC Feniks provided adequate playing conditions, and the large number of goals scored and quality plays guarantee that the 2018 generation has a bright future.
