The Hungarian women’s U17 national team has become European champion with a faultless record in the town of Celje in Slovenia.

As regards the background of the team’s success, national coach Szilárd Kiss jr. had to refer to the work done by the National Academy of Handball (NEKA) as the squad included ten players of our institution.

Prior to the European Championships he did not say anything about chances or expectations, but exclusively focused on the first two matches.

Szilárd Kiss jr.recalls the proceedings of the tournament:„The opening group match against Slovakia did not at all begin the way we wanted. The first half fell victim to our anxiety, but after the intermission we managed to find our rhythm. Against Austria it all went well, so we could finish our two most important matches with four points as planned. We thought we would play with Romania for first place in the group, but they lost earlier than expected, probably the EYOF participation had taken too much energy out of their team. We paid attention to our rivals only after having secured promotion from group play. It was clear to see that on our route the Scandinavian teams are improving, among them the Swedes seemed to be the strongest, while in the other half of the draw the French looked impressive. We considered the former as our biggest rivals, and we did play them in the final indeed.”

Prior to the European Championships, the European Youth Olympics Festival was held in Baku, Azerbaijan, which did finish just days before the event in Celje, so it certainly has had an influence on the outcome of the results in Slovenia.

„Many countries nominated the same team and got tired by the time of the European Championships. For instance, the Dutch team finished second at the EYOF and here they failed to qualify for the final stages, which can be a setback for their youth teams as they cannot compete against the best opponents for a while. It determines many things. We did not want to commit the same mistake, and the depth of the handball sport in Hungary is clearly visible by the fact that we could stage two different teams at the two events: we had thirty-one girls at our disposal in the two competitions. In fact, we consider our best result that so many of our players can perform well on an international level. We have prepared them, they went to training camps, and this is the reason why the victory at the European Championships coupled with the EYOF bronze medal is such a great success” – evaluated the expert the conclusions of their experience in the international arena.

The players of the team needed plenty of work and endurance until they finally reached the gold medal at the European Championships. A huge role in the success was due to the fact that Szilárd Kiss jr. could work together with ten squad members on a daily basis:

„We had started selections two and a half years ago, and the number of players has continuously been reduced but had never fully been cut to the final figure. We did not let the competitive spirit fade, one could only remain in the squad if she performed well in her club, too. This system shall be kept for the future as well. At the National Academy of Handball, we could provide good foundations, our young players could compete on a high level against teams senior to them, which has definitely been a strength of the team. The other players have been treated the same way in their respective clubs, and only those could make it to the final selection who – besides being trained at a high level – could receive a similarly prepared competition schedule and were showing continuous improvement throughout the whole year. They could become key players for Hungary in the competitions.”  

The national team played with commanding confidence and finished with a 100 per cent record, winning the first youth European Championships title for the country in the history of the sport.

Szilárd Kiss jr., national team coach about the European Championships: „We have a very solid team, many of the kids are strong-willed and the girls also study well, you can count on them. Mind and willpower, I would highlight these two as keys to success. And, of course, their harmony on court. We have played many matches together; we have experience and do not falter in certain situations. Norway managed to take the lead 90 seconds before the end, but we could turn it around, Sweden could come back from seven goals, but we did not fall apart, while against Denmark following the first half we produced a defence like in the books. These have been the key moments in the European Championships. It is fun to work with this squad, we like to be together, during all these years hardly any conflict situations arose, and the girls do not need any extra incentives. Besides the superb team, a selfless staff could be compiled, only such people have surrounded the players who were like themselves. This all has contributed to the success we have accomplished.”