The Pre tennis club celebrated its 40th anniversary with a ceremony at the House of Culture, where guests gathered around a documentary about the club's history. The club was officially established in 1986, although tennis had been played in Prelog before that.
The history of tennis in Prelog dates back to 1934, when Dr. Miljenko Svoboda, Nikola Hirschsohn and Stjepan Lukačić founded a tennis group within the Pre sports club. That same year, the first tennis court was built in Brod. Tennis was played by women as well as men, and the local grandee Franjo Punčec occasionally coached them. Žarko Bermanec was the first president of the club, and the founders also included Dubrav Horvat and Ivan Glava.
President Goran Rakić highlighted the contributions of all the generations that have built the club, expressing pride in the current activities and achievements. He stated that the focus should be on those who have invested a part of themselves in the club over the past 40 years. He noted that they have a large number of activities and tournaments that regularly attract fifty, sixty, and sometimes even more competitors, including the Pre Open, a tournament that has grown year on year. He emphasized that the value of the club lies primarily in the people and the generations that come, stating that the club is not the courts, but the people.
Numerous generations of players, from recreational players to the youngest students, have passed through the Pre tennis club. The club, in addition to its work with children, organises various tournaments. It currently has around 150 members.
The club is celebrating its jubilee with renovated infrastructure. The existing courts have been renovated, with new lighting, fencing, and an automatic irrigation system installed, and the club's upper rooms have been refurbished. A new hard court will be opened as part of the anniversary celebrations tomorrow.
The evening celebration was enhanced by the performance of the anthem and "Dej mi Bože oči sokolove" by Roko Kolari. The president of the Pre town council, Dražen Novak, the president of the Pre sports association, Dejan Naranja, the president of the Međimurje region sports association, Mato Kljaji, the president of the Tennis Association of Međimurje, Krešimir Golubi, the director of the Franjo Punč Tennis Club, Bojan Ružić, and the president of the Franjo Punč Tennis Club, Josip Sabo, attended the celebration.
