Budapest Honvéd FC's women's team is entering a new professional era, with Balázs Dörnyei taking charge at the start of summer pre-season. The experienced specialist is one of the best-known and most successful coaches in Hungarian women's football and has previously proved himself at Ferencváros and ETO FC Győr.
During his career, Balázs Dörnyei became one of the defining figures of Hungarian women's football. He led Ferencváros's women's team for eight years, winning five league titles during that period (no champion was declared in one season because of COVID) and celebrating six consecutive Hungarian Cup victories. Under his leadership Fradi became a dominant force in the domestic top flight year after year and also appeared regularly in international cup competitions.
In 2022 he took on a new professional challenge at ETO FC Győr, where as head of the women's section he was responsible not only for the first team but also for building the entire professional structure. Under his leadership, Győr's women's team quickly caught up with the leading sides and won the Hungarian Cup four times, taking Dörnyei's total number of cup triumphs to ten.
Welcome to Kispest, Balázs, and we wish you every success in our work together!
“When I think of Honvéd, what comes to mind is that this is Ferenc Puskás's club. Puskás and Bozsik – I think that wherever you go in the world, even if people do not immediately know what Honvéd means, everyone from South America to Asia will know those two names, especially Puskás. That is something enormous, and it is one reason why this invitation is such an honour. I also liked the project they outlined and the way they want to build here. Throughout the discussions I felt that women's football is not a side branch here; they are trying to create conditions in which high-quality work can be done.
Our goal is for this team to win a medal one day, whether in the cup or the league. Of course, there is still a long way to go. A lot of players are arriving and in practice we have to build an entirely new team.
The conditions Honvéd can provide for female footballers are exceptional in Hungary. Perhaps only Ferencváros works in similar conditions and with a similar level of attention to women's football. It will require some patience and a great deal of work, but these goals are not unattainable."
