In the summer of 1957, a “half-pool” floating platform was once again installed on the Tisa River near Gradište, enabling the continuation of organized training sessions and competitive activities.
Dušan Tikvić became the club secretary, while Tomislav Acković, a student of the Faculty of Physical Education (DIF), took over the role of head coach. He mainly worked with female and male swimmers, while the water polo team followed a separate training program focused on conditioning and ball technique. For tactics and match management, Milivoj Marić was engaged, having at that time ended his active playing career.
In this way, the club once again had a clearly defined structure: management, coaching staff, swimmers, and water polo players.
Swimmers and Female Athletes
The number of female swimmers increased, with regular training and competition participation by Jelka Bugarski, Marica Štefkić, Vera Stambolić, and Nada Vukčević, who came from Belgrade. She had been training there for several years and was particularly dominant in freestyle events.
The men’s swimming team included: brothers Milorad and Živorad Berbakov, Vladimir Davidović Nјora, Miroljub Matić, Zlatoje Marić, Miroslav Jakšić, Karlo Štaud, Milan Perović, and Ivan Popov.
Manojlo Gurjanov trained exclusively in water polo (playing as a center), while Milorad Kiselički preferred ball games over swimming and fully dedicated himself to water polo.
Matches and Guest Appearances
During the preparation period in mid-July, PVK Radnički Kikinda visited the Tisa River. Since there was no proper turning area, only a water polo match was played, in which the Novobečej team unexpectedly won 6:5.
The team from Kikinda insisted on a rematch, scheduled for early August at “Bonova Banja” in Kikinda.
That match is remembered for extreme heat of around 40°C. Players from Jedinstvo had to walk about 5 kilometers from the railway station, located on one side of the city, to Bonova Banja on the other side. Only goalkeeper Zlatoje Marić managed to get there more easily, traveling with the Kikinda team in a freight vehicle.
In the rematch, Radnički won 6:4. After the match, the club management rented a horse-drawn carriage (fijaker) to transport equipment and part of the delegation, while the players again walked back to the station and then returned by train to Novi Bečej.
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