How did it all began?
Željka Banović is an international leader in majorette sport, with more than two decades of experience in developing organizations, competitions, judging standards, and international cooperation within the majorette community.
She is the founder and current President of SMPTH – Savez mažoretkinja i pom pon timova Hrvatske, the largest Croatian majorette alliance. Founded in 2003, SMPTH has played an important role in the development and promotion of majorette and pom pon activities in Croatia, bringing together clubs and teams and supporting their work at both national and international levels.
Željka Banović has been actively involved in international majorette organizations since the beginning of her career. SMPTH was one of the founding members of IMA – International Majorette Association, an international federation that operated from 2003 until 2014.
From 2003 to 2014, Željka served as Vice-President of IMA and President of the IMA Judicial Committee, taking an active role in the development of international regulations, competition standards, and organizational structures.In 2013, she founded MWF – Majorette-sport World Federation, which has since grown into the world's largest majorette-sport federation, bringing together members from more than 30 countries across the globe.
MWF is the sole legal successor of IMA and is a member of TAFISA – The Association For International Sport for All, an international sport-for-all organization. Željka Banović has served as President of MWF since its foundation in 2013, leading its international expansion and working to strengthen cooperation among national organizations, clubs, coaches, judges, and athletes.
Under her leadership, MWF has developed into a global platform for majorette sport, connecting participants from different countries and sporting traditions through international competitions, education, and common standards.
Her contribution to majorette sport also extends deeply into her home country of Croatia. Over the years, Željka has initiated and supported the establishment of numerous majorette clubs and organizations, including Petrinjske mažoretkinje and Velikogoričke mažoretkinje, helping to create opportunities for new generations of young people to become involved in majorette sport.
Through more than two decades of organizational and international work, Željka Banović has dedicated her career to the development, professionalization, and international recognition of majorette sport, from building local clubs in Croatia to leading a worldwide federation.