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Developing football in Hungary

Six decades ago, Hungarian football, led by Ferenc Puskás, set the pace, technically and tactically, of the European game. While the national association remains proud of its rich past, it is laying the foundations for a new chapter in the country's football history.

UEFA via Getty Images

Overview

By the early 2000s, participation levels in Hungary's revered national sport had declined drastically, viewing figures for professional matches were among the lowest in Europe, stadiums and facilities were poorly maintained, while the national team had not qualified for a major tournament since the 1986 FIFA World Cup.

Over the past 10 years, the Hungarian Football Federation's (MLSZ) 'Decade of Revival' strategy has transformed the state of the game, with the number of registered players rising from 127,000 to 300,000, including 30,000 female players. Several tactics have contributed:

  • Ensuring a football pitch is never more than 10km away
    In total, the MLSZ has built over 1,200 grassroots pitches, including 100 in the country's poorest areas, and renovated another 2,700 small/semi-sized pitches – in villages and cities.
  • Modernising Hungary's stadiums to attract more fans
    All 32 of Hungary's leading professional clubs have new or renovated stadia, while Budapest's state of the art Puskás Aréna was inaugurated in 2019 – it hosted the UEFA Super Cup and EURO 2020 matches in 2021.
  • "Everybody on the pitches!"
    To ensure its new football fields are filled with players, the MLSZ encourages everyone to adopt football as their main leisure activity. Sports programmes target kindergartens and schools, universities and colleges, amateur and veteran championships as well as people with disabilities.
  • Inspiring a nation
    Recognising the importance of a competitive national team to inspire people to take up the game, the MLSZ has invested in nurturing elite young players. It is paying off with the national team performing well at all levels in the male and female game, while the senior men's team has now qualified for the last two EUROs. The nation also took pride in hosting Hungary's EURO 2020 group stage matches at the Puskás Ferenc Aréna – the first major international tournament finals to take place in the country.
  • Raising coaching standards
    The federation is developing a dedicated online platform to help coaches at all levels – professional and amateur – exchange best practice and share knowledge, both on technical knowledge of football and sports health.

UEFA support

Introducing football to children – boys and girls – and involving their parents as early as possible, both in kindergartens and schools, lies at the forefront of the Hungarian Football Federation's efforts to increase participation levels across the country.

UEFA's HatTrick development programme, which channels EURO revenue into football development across Europe, has facilitated this approach by investing in a series of MLSZ programmes. These include:

UEFA Foundation for Children in Hungary

Set up in 2015, the UEFA Foundation uses football as a vehicle to help improve children's lives by supporting hundreds of campaigns and projects across Europe and around the world.

Oltalom Sport Association (OSA) partnership

In 2021, the UEFA Foundation for Children partnered with the Oltalom Sport Association (OSA) which helps vulnerable children in Hungary at risk of exclusion. The UEFA Foundation for Children awarded OSA €50,000 for a project which aims to Enhance physical and mental well-being, reduce school dropout, foster social skills development, encourage entry and re-entry to education and promote social inclusion of at-risk groups (e.g. unaccompanied migrants and refugees).

 

Case study: Hanya Mirzai

Additionally, the UEFA Foundation for Children and the OSA together made a young girl’s dream come true in 2020 when they secured her tickets for the 2020 UEFA Super Cup match between FC Bayern München and Sevilla at the brand-new, 68,000-seater Puskás Arena. Up until this point, Hanya Mirzai, a refugee originally from Iran had never been inside a football stadium. She left Iran at four years old and went to Iraq. At the age of 16, Hanya started to play football in Budapest and fell in love with the game.

Read the full story here.

 

Timeline

Association history

9 May 1897 First official match played between two teams from Budapesti Torna Club. 19 January 1901 Hungarian Football Federation (Magyar Labdarúgó Szövetség or MLSZ) established by 12 clubs in Budapest, quickly followed by first domestic championship. 1906 MLSZ, which existed independently within the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, becomes a FIFA member. 1921 Football federation modernises after World War One and advent of Hungarian independence, introducing compulsory injury insurance for players. 1926 Hungary's the first division turns professional with regular club competitions between central European sides. 1946 With the MLSZ operating as a department of the sport office under the postwar Communist regime, domestic football championship resumes. 1989 MLSZ becomes democratic self-governing body. 2001 Hungary celebrates its football federation's 100th anniversary. 2021 Rebuilt national stadium, the Puskás Arena, stages three group matches and a round of 16 fixture at UEFA EURO 2020. It is also scheduled to host the 2023 UEFA Europa League final. Present day

 

National team history

1902 Hungary national team plays first ever match, losing 5-0 to Austria in Vienna. 1934-38 Hungary participates in the 1934 FIFA World Cup and the 1936 Olympics without success, but national team finishes second at the 1938 World Cup. 1952 Hungary claims Olympic gold for football. 1953 With players such as Puskás and Nándor Hidegkuti, Hungary beat England 6-3 at Wembley in the 'Game of the Century' and 7-1 in Budapest in 1954. 1954 Hungary suffer shock defeat to the Federal Republic of Germany in 1954 World Cup final – the ‘Miracle of Berne’. 1960 National team wins bronze medal at 1960 Olympics. 1964 Hungary takes gold medal at 1964 Olympics for second time in its history and finishes third at the 1964 European Championship. 1967 Flórián Albert is voted European Footballer of the Year. 1968 Hungary retains gold medal at 1968 Olympics. 1972 Runners-up at 1972 Olympics and fourth-place at that summer's EURO. 2005 UEFA European Women's Under-19 Championship takes place in Hungary – the first UEFA finals tournament hosted by the country. 2008 Hungary reach semi-finals of 2008 U19 finals, before finishing third at the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup. May 2009 World-class national team training centre opens in the village of Telki, near Budapest. November 2015 Hungary qualify for UEFA EURO 2016 – their first appearance at a major international tournament for 44 years. 2016 National team reach knockout phase of EURO 2016 in France as Group F winners. 2020 National team win EURO 2020 play-off against Iceland. Present day

President

Sándor Csányi

Nationality: Hungarian
Date of birth: 20 March 1953
Association president since: 2010

Sándor Csányi
Sándor Csányi©UEFA

General secretary

Márton Vági

Nationality: Hungarian
Date of birth: 4 October 1962
Association general secretary since: 2010

Márton Vági
Márton Vági©UEFA.com

Hungarian Football Federation website