Legends from the Edge of the Pitch – Stories of Goriška Football

A discussion on the history of Goriška football, its legends and anecdotes, featuring Prof. Dr Tomaž Pavlin and Franc Kopatin at X-Center Nova Gorica.

The event Legends from the Edge of the Pitch – Stories of Goriška Football highlights the rich and dynamic history of football in the Goriška region, as presented in the event material . At the end of the 19th century, football arrived in the area as a new and exciting sport that captivated the youth while causing concern among the older generations. What began as informal student games soon developed into organised football clubs, which helped shape not only well-known local football legends but also the identity, resilience and sense of belonging of young people. The clubs also carried strong symbolic national meanings.

In the early 20th century, Slovene students in Gorizia founded their own student club, soon followed by a civilian club named Jugoslavija. Football quickly became an important part of local community life, its development deeply influenced by the political upheavals of both world wars. As the material shows, the match was never just a game – it was also a space of social, political and national expression, where sport, identity and broader historical shifts intersected.

The talk will feature two distinguished guests:
– Prof. Dr Tomaž Pavlin, sports history expert and lecturer at the Faculty of Sport, University of Ljubljana;
– Franc Kopatin, long-time sports official, more than 30 years a member of the executive board of NK Primorje, and author of the book Nogomet je življenje (Football Is Life).

Organised by the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Nova Gorica in cooperation with X-Center Nova Gorica.