News
Find out what’s new at the Sports Management and Sociology Lab
Exploring Alternative Tourism: SMS Lab at the Interreg Europe Workshop
Radenko Matic participated in the Alternative Tourism: Interreg Europe Policy Learning Platform Workshop held on November 20–21, 2024, in Vittorio Veneto, Italy.
The workshop explored innovative ways to optimize social and economic benefits through alternative tourism, focusing on balanced development for host communities and promoting lesser-known destinations.
Highlights included co-creation strategies and stakeholder collaboration for advancing alternative tourism across Europe. Among the inspiring examples presented was the Tour de Fruška event, showcasing the unique intersection of sports, economy, and tourism in Vojvodina, Serbia.
For more insights, visit the Interreg Europe website.
New Invited Lecture at the 22nd International Sports Sciences Congres in Ankara
Prof Ivana Milovanovic was an invited lecturer at the 22nd International Sports Sciences Congres in Ankara (Turkie). Her lecture was “Towards Cohesive Youth Sports: Understanding Aggression, Social Exclusion, and Team Dynamics.”
The presentation addressed the field research results on the complex dynamics of youth sports, emphasizing the role of prosocial behavior and team cohesion. It sparked thoughtful discussions between conference participants and the lecturer, underscoring the importance of these topics in contemporary sports science research.
This invitation reflects our lab’s dedication to advancing understanding in this field and contributing to the global academic discourse on youth sports.
DEPART Project Team Attended Working Meeting in Finland
Radenko Matic and Ivana Milovanovic recently participated in a productive working meeting for the INTERREG project “DEPART,” held in Rovaniemi, Finland. Organized by the Lapland University of Applied Sciences, the meeting brought together project partners and stakeholders to discuss ongoing activities and future directions. During the meeting, our lab members presented the results achieved so far, highlighting opportunities for further development of sustainable sports tourism in AP Vojvodina. This meeting emphasized project members’ commitment to advancing sustainable practices and exploring new potentials in sports tourism.
New Publication on Sports Event Quality at the World Wrestling Championship
We are pleased to announce the publication of our latest article in Management & Marketing, titled “Sports Event Quality and Athlete’s Behavioural Intentions at the World Wrestling Championship.” This study examines the quality of sports events and their impact on athletes’ behavioral intentions, using the World Wrestling Championship held in Novi Sad, as a case study.
Our findings shed light on key factors that influence athletes’ experiences and future engagement, contributing valuable insights into sports event management and the enhancement of athlete satisfaction. This research reflects our lab’s commitment to advancing the field of sports management and understanding the dynamics of international sporting events.
New SMS Lab Publication: Winners or Losers? Two Academic Years in Experiences of COVID-19 Pandemic
We are pleased to announce the publication of our latest research article, “Winners or Losers? Two Academic Years in Experiences of COVID-19 Pandemic“ in Psychology in Russia. This study explores the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic over two academic years, focusing on how it has influenced students’ academic and personal experiences. Our findings provide valuable insights into the pandemic’s long – term impacts on education and psychological well-being, contributing to ongoing discussions on resilience and adaptation in challenging times. This publication reflects our lab’s dedication to supporting the academic community through qualitative research.
SMS Lab Members at the 2nd National Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Sports
Prof. Stevo Popovic and prof. Ivana Milovanovic recently participated in the 2nd National Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Sports, held from October 18th to 20th, 2024, in Beijing, China. The conference, organized by the Capital University of Physical Education and Sport, brought together experts and scholars to discuss the latest advancements and applications of artificial intelligence in the realm of sports.
Prof. Popovic delivered an engaging lecture on “Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Sports: Spotting the Future Perspectives in Montenegro”, sharing valuable insights and contributing to the discussion on how AI technologies are shaping the future of sports science and practice. In addition to his presentation, he attended a meeting for the newly established journal “Intelligent Sports and Health”, further strengthening ties within the academic community.
Meanwhile, Prof. Milovanovic had several productive meetings with professors from the Capital University, focusing on departments such as Leisure Sports, Management, and Sociology. These discussions explored potential avenues for joint research.
The conference provided an excellent platform for SMS Lab members to foster partnerships between the SMS Lab and relevant research groups, paving the way for innovative projects and shared scientific endeavors.
Prof. Milovanovic on a Working Visit to Shandong University
Prof. Ivana Milovanovic recently completed a working visit to the PR of China, where she held a lecture at Shandong University. During her visit, she introduced the innovative research and ongoing projects of the SMS Lab to students and researchers of the Faculty of Physical Education. Shandong University ranks among the top twenty institutions for physical education in China.
In addition to the lecture, Prof. Milovanović participated in constructive meetings with faculty representatives, discussing possibilities for collaborative scientific research. These conversations aimed to establish a strong partnership between the SMS Lab and researchers from relevant fields at Shandong University, setting the foundation for future joint research initiatives.
Prof. Ivana Milovanovic’s Working Visit to ZRS Koper
Prof. Ivana Milovanovic recently visited ZRS Koper (Slovenia) as part of the ongoing bilateral project between the SMS Lab and ZRS Koper. During her visit, she also attended guest lecture on knowledge transfer and collaboration with industry. The lecture featured Daniel Marshall, a tech transfer expert from the USA. The lecture and the ensuing discussion were highly constructive, focusing on three key topics:
- The innovation environment in the USA (covering the national, state, and university levels).
- Innovation funding strategies in the USA.
- Essential support activities that help researchers advance innovations to market.
Learn more about CU Boulder and ZRC Koper and their work on link.
New Publication by SMS Lab Member
We are proud to announce that our colleague Radenko Matic, has made an important contribution to the field of sports management with the publication of a chapter in the International Encyclopedia of Business Management (Elsevier Edition). This chapter delves into key aspects of sports management, offering insights into important sub-disciplines such as sales, service quality, sponsorship, communication, sports facilities and events, and finance. It provides readers with an overview of current trends and research in the field, making it an essential resource for anyone looking to gain a deeper understanding of this dynamic discipline.
We would like to acknowledge Dr. Vanessa Ratten, the Editor-in-Chief, for overseeing this important work. Congratulations to colleague Radenko on this achievement! We look forward to seeing the impact of his research on the global stage.
SMS lab welcomes a new member – Nikola Andrić
We are happy to welcome the new SMS lab member – Nikola Andric. Nikola is a PhD student at FSPE UNS, and has been working as a young researcher since 2024. His academic interests focus on the social dynamics between coaches and athletes, particularly emphasizing how communication and relationships can affect performance, motivation, and overall training outcomes. He also explores how social factors, such as poor coach-athlete relationships, can increase the risk of injury. Nikola has been the recipient of numerous scholarships, including the prestigious “Dositeja” scholarship for young talents, and he has been the author of several manuscripts in international journals. His experience includes participation in multiple national and international projects and an Erasmus exchange at the Faculty of Kinesiology in Split (Croatia).
We are looking forward to Nikola’s contributions to the research work of the SMS lab.
Productive time in the 10th International Conference on Kinesiology in Opatija
Prof. Ivana Milovanovic participated in the 10th International Conference on Kinesiology, focused on Current Trends and Innovations in Kinesiology Research, which took place from September 12th to 15th 2024, in Opatija (Croatia).
As a vice-dean of FSPE UNS and head of the SMS lab, prof. Milovanovic was engaged in several productive meetings to strengthen collaboration between related faculties and research centers across Europe and Asia. During the conference, Prof. Milovanovic presented a paper titled “Investigation of Sports Science Students’ Everyday Life during the COVID-19 Pandemic”, co-authored with Brigita
Banjac, Saša Pišot, and Patrik Drid. The presentation sparked an engaging discussion, offering new insights into how the pandemic influenced students' daily lives, particularly in terms of sleep patterns, eating habits, physical activity, and social relationships with peers.
Dr. Brigita Banjac at the 10th International Scientific Conference on Kinesiology
Dr. Brigita Banjac took part in the 10th International Conference on Kinesiology: Current Trends and Innovations in Kinesiology Research. The conference was held in Opatija, Croatia, from September 12th to 15th, 2024.
At the conference, Dr. Banjac presented her paper titled “Physical Activity Behaviors during the COVID-19 Pandemic“ Her presentation led to an engaging discussion with colleagues, bringing fresh perspectives on how the pandemic impacted student physical activity.
The conference proceedings are available at the following link. The abstract with the stated title is located on page 501.
Assoc. prof. Radenko Matic Represented the SMS lab at Paris-Saclay
In addition to his teaching duties, Dr. Matic attended the Paralympic Games, organized by the host university. This experience provided valuable insights into how elite sports can be a powerful tool for promoting inclusion and diversity in society.This visit represents another step in strengthening the academic connections between our university and international partners, while also highlighting the importance of inclusion and equality in sports on a global scale.
Radenko Matić and Ivana Milovanovic will participate in the DEPART project
Radenko Matic will take part in the implementation of the DEPART (Support the DEveloPment of a sustAinable spoRts Tourism in Europe) project.
DEPART’s focus is on the development of sustainable sports tourism that builds on the competitive advantages of the involved regions.
The project will investigate good practices in sports tourism with regards to (Knop,1987): pure sports holidays, such as skiing in the mountains, and marathons, as well as traveling to a resort, where the site has sports facilities, such as fitness equipment, and an outdoor environment, and unorganized sports activities, allowing tourists to participate freely during the tourism process, such as beach volleyball, rock climbing, river tracing, etc.
Find out about the project
Lab Members participated in the 18th FIEPS European Congress & 6th Scientific Conference – RPESH OHRID 2024
Prof. Milovanovic and Prof. Matic attended the 18th FIEPS European Congress & 6th Scientific Conference – RPESH, which took place in Ohrid (N. Macedonia), from 30th of May to 2 nd of June 2024.
They presented research written in coauthorship with colleague B. Banjac, under the title “Youth Sport Coaches and Parents’ Perception of the Existence and Forms of Peer Violence in Sport: The Serbian Case“.
Their presentation led to productive discussion among conference participants and raised new scientific, research, and pedagogical questions on this important topic.
Prof. Matic is a co-author of a scientific article published in “Sports Medicine”
Prof. Matic is a co-author of a scientific article “Return to Play and Performance After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction in Soccer Players: A Systematic Review of Recent Evidence”. The key elements of the article indicate that: 72% of soccer players return to play (RTP) after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR), while 53% RTP at the preinjury level of competition; the literature reported that mean RTP time following ACLR was approximately 264 days or 8.7 months, including all levels of play; there is quite firm scientific evidence that the performance and career length of soccer players significantly deteriorated after surgery of the anterior cruciate ligament.
Prof. Matic’s mentees are winners in Budapest
FSPE students Nikola Šarković and Dimitrije Takači achieved first place at the 24th International Student Scientific Conference in Budapest, Hungary. Their winning project focused on athletes’ attitudes towards sponsorship of commercial sports brands and brand recognition at a table tennis event. The paper was completed under the guidance of asoc. prof. Radenko Matic.
Assoc. prof. Ivana Milovanovic participated as a keynote speaker at the international scientific conference: “Exercise and Quality of Life 2024: Global Impact of Sport Science.”
The conference was held at the Faculty of Sport and Physical Education, University of Novi Sad. Prof. Milovanović presented the results of a qualitative field research titled “Beyond the ring: Understanding self-declared prohibited substance use in combat sports: A Serbian perspective.” Her lecture sparked a constructive discussion among the attending audience.
Ass. prof. Saša Pišot participated as a keynote speaker at the international scientific conference: “Exercise and Quality of Life 2024: Global Impact of Sport Science.”
The conference took place at the Faculty of Sport and Physical Education, University of Novi Sad. Prof. Pišot delivered a lecture on the topic “Understanding the Ski Easy unified teaching model tools. How and why is easy”. Her presentation stimulated a constructive discussion among the audience in attendance.
Brigita Banjac, PhD participated in the international scientific conference “Exercise and Quality of Life 2024: Global Impact of Sport Science”
The conference took place at the Faculty of Sport and Physical Education, University of Novi Sad. Colleague Banjac presented the results of two studies during the poster session of the mentioned conference. The research results were presented under the following titles: “Differences among the sports science students with low and high entrepreneurial intentions: The case study of the University of Novi Sad” and “Factors related to aggression and interpersonal violence manifestation in youth sport”.
Brigita Banjac successfully defended her doctoral dissertation
Brigita Banjac, the SMS Lab member, defended her dissertation entitled “Everyday Life of Students in Extraordinary Social Circumstances of the COVID-19 Pandemic – A Comparative Study”
The dissertation was defended at the Faculty of Sport and Physical Education (University of Novi Sad, Serbia), in front of a committee: prof. Patrik Drid (chair), prof. Radenko Matić (member), and prof. Sandra Radenović (member). The mentors for the mentioned doctoral dissertation were prof. Ivana Milovanović and ass. prof. Saša Pišot. Members of the SMS Lab wish colleague Banjac all the best in her
future scientific career.
Brigita Banjac successfully defended her doctoral dissertation SMS lab members are creating a new methodology for monitoring the physical activities/exercises and performance of e-sports players
Prof. Popovic and Prof. Matic have been granted an individual project titled “Report and Content Analysis on Physical Exercise and Performance of E-sports Players”, within the “Western Balkan Fund MOVE” grant scheme for regional projects. A new methodology for monitoring physical activities/exercises and performance of e-sports players was established, during the first project activity. The new protocol included 29 indicators, 20 describing the characteristics of the state and 9 indicators for assessing the project problem, and will serve as the cornerstone for a system for monitoring physical activities/exercises and performance of e-sports players in Western Balkan countries, as well as in other countries worldwide.
New scientific article at the SMS Lab
Prof. Milovanovic is the co-author of the scientific article “Perception and (In)Direct Experience of Sexual Harassment and Blackmail in the Academic Context: The Perspective of Female Students”. The article has been published in “Croatian Sociological Review” journal. The research results derived from the project “Safety and trust for all: perception of the problem of sexual harassment and blackmail among students and employees at the Faculty of Philosophy and the Faculty of Sports and Physical Education of the University of Novi Sad”.
New scientific article at the SMS Lab
Prof. Milovanovic is the co-author of the scientific article “The Expression of Aggressive Behavior in Serbian Secondary School Students Who Play Sports” The article has been published in journal “Facta Univeristatis: Series Physical Education and Sport.
Brigita Banjac successfully defended her doctoral dissertation SMS lab members are creating a new methodology for monitoring the physical activities/exercises and performance of e-sports players
Ivana Milovanović, Saša Pišot and Ana Penjak participated in The 1st International Scientific Conference—The Role of Sport in Social Life: Women, Sport, and Social Changes. The conference took place at the Faculty of Kinesiology in Zagreb from December 14 to 16, 2023. During the conference, over 100 researchers from various European countries presented the results of their research. The participants’ presentations were productive, and the discussions were constructive.
Ass. prof. Saša Pišot gave the lecture on qualitative research methodology
Ass. prof. Saša Pišot conducted a lecture at the Faculty of Sport and Physical Education in Novi Sad. The lecture was part of the Qualitative Research course within the doctoral academic studies. The lecture was followed by a constructive discussion between Prof. Pišot and the students.
“Sociology and Sociology of Sport” textbook, authored by Ivana Milovanovic has been published
Textbook reviewers were prof. dr Sandra S. Radenović and prof. dr Biljana Milošević Šošo. Among others, they wrote:
“It is important to point out that the manuscript was written methodologically accurately and precisely, citing all relevant sources. The author brought sociology and the sociology of sport closer to the student population of the Faculty of Sport and Physical Education of the University of Novi Sad in the best possible way and made it an extremely interesting and attractive discipline by citing numerous examples of the multidimensional relationship between sport and society.”
Prof. dr Biljana Milošević Šošo: “The complex relationship between sports and economy, politics, culture, media, the phenomenon of violence in sports is explained, with a detailed description of fan violence present in many societies in the modern world. Based on all that has been said, this textbook deserves to be presented to the public, and especially to the student population, because it offers very concrete answers to numerous social issues, with special reference to sport as an important element of the modern age.”
Lab members are co-authors of the scientific article “Determinants of entrepreneurial intentions in European sports science students”
Members of the Sports Management and Sociology Lab recently collaborated with an international team of co-authors on a manuscript titled “Determinants of entrepreneurial intentions in European sports science students,” which has just been published in the prestigious journal “European Research on Management and Business Economics” (with an Impact Factor of 5.8, Q1).
Prof. Ivana Milovanovic was an invited lecturer of the 1st International Staff Week in Split (Croatia)
Prof. Ivana Milovanovic was an invited lecturer at the First International Staff Week, which was held at the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of Split (Croatia).
The conference was held from October 10 to 12, 2023, under the title “Challenges and opportunities: international sports context”. Prof. Milovanović presented the results of successfully implemented projects of the Faculty of Sports and Physical Education.
Lab members were participants of the International Scientific Conference “Child in motion – changing the game – a modern view of the basics” in Portorož (Slovenia)
SMS Lab researchers were participants of the International Scientific Conference “Child in motion – changing the game – a modern view of the roots”, which was held in Portorož (Slovenia) from October 2 to 4, 2023. The conference was attended by 150 researchers from numerous European countries (including Finland, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia). The topics presented by the lab researches proved to be inspiring, stimulating deep and constructive discussion.
Prof. Radenko Matic attended the final meeting of the MOSMEN project
A delegation from the Faculty of Sport and Physical Education attended the final meeting within the Erasmus+ project MOSMEN in the city of Biała Podlaska, in Poland. During the three years of the project, all project activities were successfully implemented and a new master’s curriculum in the field of Management in Sports was prepared. The project was implemented within a consortium of institutions from three European countries – Poland (Bialska Academy of the University of Poland), Hungary (Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pecs) and Serbia (Faculty of Sports and Physical Education, University of Novi Sad).
Prof. Radenko Matic attended the final meeting of the MOSMEN project Prof. Radenko Matic was the local organizer of the 2nd international COST SHIINE training school at the Faculty of Sport and Physical Education of the University of Novi Sad
The 2nd international COST SHIINE training school took place at the Faculty of Sports and Physical Education of the University of Novi Sad. The opening ceremony was attended by the national COST coordinator – prof. Dr. Zoran Mijić and Vice Dean for Science and International Cooperation of the Faculty of Sports and Physical Education – prof. Dr. Sergej Ostojić. The training school gathered participants from 10 European countries, representing various higher education institutions and companies. The goal of the training school is the development of multidisciplinary innovation methods that provide an answer to contemporary social and economic problems. The event lasted for 3 days, during which the plenary lecturers presented their topics, all with the aim of imparting knowledge to the participants of the training school.
