Two years later, the club gets the more appropriate name of Federico Riosa, in memory of the Rovinj resident who left the Austrian army during the war and died fighting on the Italian side.

After years of playing friendly and cup matches on the Tiere russe field near the city's railway station, the club entered the first Istrian football championship in 1928.

Only in the mid-sixties, with a new capable administration, the Valbruna stadium was completed, a new lawn was planted, and the rise of football in Rovinj began.

In real euphoria, in which half the city flocked to Valbruna, Rovinj kicked out Zadar and Segesta, but was eliminated by Sloboda from Bosanski Novi in the repechage.

With epic victories over Zadar and Zagreb blue, Rovinj became the champion of Croatia for amateurs, but in the repechage for the newly formed Second League, it was eliminated by Dinamo from Vinkovci.

Before the war, Rovinj achieved its greatest success by reaching the round of 16 of the Yugoslav Cup, but due to the unstable atmosphere, the trip to Sarajevo, where Željezničar was supposed to be the host, was abandoned.