NEKA completed the most successful season of its history this year. Although the U16 boys’ team playing in the second U18 league have secured their title already by the first days of April, and our national championship second division teams have also performed very well taking silver and bronze, NEKA crowned its season efforts by its U18 and U16 teams respectively having successful Final Four appearances.

NEKA showed significant success by having all four of its teams qualify for the Final Four in their respective categories. The Saturday semi-finals saw all of them go through to their respective finals on Sunday. Out of the four finals they have taken the title in two cases, losing in the two other events, which meant four medals including twice gold and twice silver for NEKA teams. János Hajdu, head of sports of NEKA sees the picture in its entirety, mentioning that it includes every age group and team, beyond the medal winners also NEKA II teams have shown excellent results: the girls having brought two fourth places and the boys an eighth place season finish, all competing in higher age categories than their own.

“So far, our aim has been to reach outstanding results in the top talent development championships, and this has been achieved fully. However, having followed the excellent performances by players developing at our Academy, we felt the ambition to compete at the top national level as well”– János Hajdu refers back to the second national championships finishing before the junior Final4. The second national league saw NEKA’s women’s team comprised of players aged between sixteen and eighteen finish with a second place, almost making it to promotion, and the boys finish with a bronze medal as a huge surprise, missing out on silver by a whisker.

“We do have responsibility for the young players leaving our academy, who as graduates are not always capable of bridging the gap between youth and adult level play. All in all, I can claim with certainty that every team of NEKA has performed at their maximum.”

According to Hajdu, the key to this success is based on the outstanding teamwork, since cooperation at the National Handball Academy is exemplary, their true strength is rooted in common wisdom. This cohesion is valid for everyone, let them be excellent coaches recognized domestically and internationally or the invaluable goalkeeper coaches and fitness instructors as well as medical doctors, physios, massage or other therapists. Technical staff and the excellent player squads thanks to a multiple-stage selection system.

“The human resources would not be sufficient if we could not work under conditions that meet all material and infrastructural demands. If one piece of the puzzle was to fall out, the whole system would not work so smoothly. We have been consciously building in the past few years, based on a solid professional concept. And while we had some antagonists at the start, they have become fewer by now. Particularly the clubs feel this change. More and more people are directing their talented children to us, and at a later stage many would turn to us if they need a well-trained player. This success not only gives us confidence, but also improves the perception and recognition of us in the sport.”

János Hajdu may not only feel content as the head of the sports professional part. Prof. dr. h. c. Lajos Mocsai, Director General of Sports and Sports Science of NEKA and him jointly laid the foundations of the academy six years ago, thus his fate is closely linked with that of the Balatonboglár talent development hub.

“These are the best years of my life, I only regret that time flies so fast. Prior to this job, I only worked in talent development as head coach of youth national teams, so now I enjoy these tasks very much. I think every coach would dream of such a job where you can work in ideal conditions with talented young athletes and professional colleagues who bring quality in the human and the pedagogical sense as well. My assignment is very exciting, and I am proud to be a member of this team”– summarised János Hajdu his feelings who only finds hardship in being away from his family more often. He is lucky as they are flexible about it, as NEKA has grown to become a second family for all of them in recent years.