Radnički

Rugby league football club Radnicki began its fist activities in December 1953, although it was only officially founded a few months later under the auspices of the sporting society of the same name. The key figures in the founding of the club were the pupils of Belgrade's Nikola Tesla high school. A large group of pupils from this school had watched the promotional match between two French selections in September 1953 at the YNA (Yugoslav National Army) stadium. After this match, impressed by what they had seen, they decided to form their own club. With the support of school principal Miodrag Pantić and school staff, including teacher Mića Veselinović, pedagogue Ivan Kušmir and PE teacher Dušan, they contacted the Radnicki sporting society and very quickly established cooperation with the soccer club, which had its own stadium on Dorcol, near the school's dormitory. Cooperation with the sporting society proved excellent and its newest member was provided with a backup field for practice and a main pitch for matches on a Saturday, a storage facility for keeping the equipment, a cobbler for fixing their boots and, after only a month, they also received access to a dressing room.

Rugby league club Radnicki played its first unofficial match in Socialist Yugoslavia, in the town of Pancevo, on 15 April 1954. The opposing team was the Academic Sports Club (ASC) from Pancevo. Radnicki proved victorious (35-15), under the control of referee M. Živadinović.

The club had the honour of playing the first official match in Socialist Yugoslavia, taking on RLFC Partizan in the town of Paracin on 25 april 1954. Partizan won 21-11. A second game between the two clubs was played five days later, on 1 may 1954, at the YNA stadium in Belgrade. Partizan again proved the better team, winning a tight battle 16-14.

in 1957 Radnicki qualified for the first Championship of Yugoslavia after beating the team Our Wings (Naša Krila). Unfortunately, the club finished the finals tournament in last, 4th, place, behind Unity (Jedinstvo) from Pancevo, Zagreb's Youth (Mladost) and cross-city rivals Partizan. In spite of the great reputation earned by Radnicki, this was the club's only participation in the Championship of Yugoslavia.

The club was struck by a major crisis at the end of the 1950s. Besides the club being financially powerless, along with the entire sporting society, the main problem was the loss of its field due to the construction of a housing project in that area. With the other Belgrade rugby clubs also playing on the same pitch, they also fell into a difficult situation, with all of them suddenly becoming "homeless".

Thanks to the then president of the Rugby League Association of Yugoslavia, Života Ranković, who was also the director of YRS (Yugoslav River Shipping), Radnicki changed its name to YRS for the 1959/60 season, before becoming the Shipper (Brodarac) in 1963. It was under this name that the club enjoyed its greatest achievements.

In 1963 Rugby League Football was banned in the then Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, under pressure from the government, and a decision was taken whereby all clubs had to convert to the rival code of the sport (rugby union / rugby XV).

*written by Dragan Pavlović - translated by Slobodan Manak – edited by Mark R. Pullen

RUGBY LEAGUE FOOTBAL CLUB RADNICKI – RE-ESTABLISHED IN 2011

Rugby league football club Radnicki was re-established in December 2011. The existing documentation of RLFC Morava were taken, as that defunct club wasn't operating during the previous two years. At the initiative of Slobodan Manak, and with great assistance from the Serbian Rugby League Federation, primarily Jovan Vujošević (secretary general of the Rugby League Federation of Serbia) and Radoslav Novaković (president of the Rugby League Federation of Belgrade), the revitalisation of RLFC Radnicki began.

Slobodan Manak was appointed head of the new/old club, with the help of Dušan Virc and Vojislav Keranović.

Initially the club started developing its youth team and achieved good results after just the first couple of months of intensive work. The first match of the reformed club was played by the junior team against their namesake from Novi Pazova (14 April 2012).

The good work of those involved with RLFC Radnicki was recognized by the people from RLFC Red Star, who put forward an offer for cooperation with the Radnicki club and in May 2012 the two clubs signed a partnership agreement. In this way RLFC Radnicki gained more stability and also succeeded in forming a senior team, while Red Star gained a real Rugby League Academy.

Radnicki's juniors participated in the Championship of Belgrade in Rugby League 9's and the "Leskovac 2012" Touch Rugby tournament.

The first senior match after the re-establishing of the club was played in Zemun, at the city stadium of FC Zemun, against RLFC Zmaj (Dragon) from Zemun. Radnicki proved victorious, running out 36-20 winners in this friendly encounter.

Nevertheless, in session 2013 RLFC Radnicki participated in competitive games. They began playing in the Grade II Championship of Serbia (group North), competing against RLFC Stari Grad (Old Town) from Belgrade and Beli Zecevi (White Rabbits) from Banja Luka. After home and away ties against these two clubs, they will face the group South clubs: Gepardi (Cheetahs) from Leskovac, Tzar Lazar (Emperor Lazar) from Krusevac and Vranje's Soko (Falcon) in the 2013 playoffs.
RLFC Radnicki will also compete for the first time since its re-establishment in the 2013 Cup of Serbia.

SEASON 2013.

In season 2013. RLFC Radnicki competed in 2 separate competitions.

Championship of Serbia in Rugby League division II - Group North (RLFC Radnicki BG, RLFC White Rabbits BL, RLFC Old Town)

RLFC Radnicki ended regular part of season on the second place, after that RLFC Radnicki played in semi-finals of playoffs where it beaten RLFC Falcon from Vranje and reached Grand Final in which it lost against RLFC White Rabbits.

In the Cup of Serbia, RLFC Radnicki lost in the 1/8 finals against RLFC Red Star.

SEASON 2014.

In the season 2014. RLFC Radnicki is going probably to compete again in the Championship of Serbia - Division II, but in the Group Center or Group North.

Potentional members of Group Center: RLFC Old Town, RLFC New Belgrade, RLFC Dragons Vozdovac, RLFC Partizan, RLFC Radnicki BG.
Potentional members of Group North: RLFC Radnicki NP, RLFC Podbara NS, RLFC Duke PA, RLFC Dragon Zemun, RLFC Radnicki BG.

RLFC Radnicki ended the season on the 3rd place in group North (Radnicki NP, Dragon, Radnicki BG, Duke PA).

SEASON 2015.

In the season 2015. RLFC Radnicki is going to participate in the Championship of Serbia in Rugby 9, which is going to be held during the summer time of 2015.

Radnicki ended season on 6th place in qualifiers tournament of Championship of Serbia in Rugby 9.

SEASON 2016.

RLFC Radnicki competed in Cup of Serbia but ended season in 1 round of the Cup by loosing against Dragon from Zemun.

SEASON 2017.

RLFC Radnicki Belgrade is going to restructure by moving to New Belgrade and making changes in the Board. It is suppose to compete in II division of Serbian Championship in Rugby league.