The Pioneering Period of Football in Novo Mesto following the Establishment of Elan Sports Club in 1922
Aleš Gabrič, 2025
Organized football in Novo Mesto began with the establishment of Elan Sports Club in 1922. Alongside football, the association developed a variety of sports, such as athletics, tennis, swimming, Czech handball, and so on. Before it could hold their first official football match, the club needed to create conditions necessary for the operations of the football section, purchase sports gear, and adapt the stadium at Loka to host football matches. Football was most popular among highschoolers and students. In the first years, they mostly played friendly matches with clubs from Ljubljana, and between the end of the 1920s and mid-1930s, they competed in the second division of the Ljubljana Sub-Association League. As the costs became increasingly burdensome, the team decided to leave the competition system. Elan Sports Club also organized sports days to popularize sporting activities in the city, and in the Sokol cultural centre hosted cultural and entertainment events that enriched the city’s social life.
