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On Monday evening we held a special event in the VIP room of Bozsik Arena, where our management made several major announcements in front of 200 Honvéd supporters.
First, Árpád Séllei was given the floor, speaking about the events and changes of the past 15 months.
“There was a change of ownership at Honvéd in August 2024. We took over a club in quite a poor condition. From January 2025 we were able to intervene more effectively in the sporting work: we changed coach and players arrived. In 2025 we were also able to start building for the future. We signed agreements with partner clubs abroad and in Hungary. We joined the Defence Association, established contact with our parent club, BHSE, are building a broad participation base and launched the Leo Liga. We achieved a good result at the Puskás-Suzuki Cup. The Academy age groups are at the top. I feel Honvéd's future is secure.”
Our Academy director, Endre Bajúsz, presented the developments and infrastructure changes planned at the club.
“Thanks to the government, an opportunity opened up in August 2025 for sports academies to apply for TAO funding. We compete in 22 age groups. That means that if several league matches take place at the same time on a Saturday, we cannot accommodate them because we do not have enough changing rooms. We will also carry out maintenance work on the main building, and a solar-panel carport will be built here as well, which will allow us to reduce the operating costs of the main building significantly,” – said our Academy director, who then presented the plans for the Sports Hall to be built next to the Lajos Tichy Sports Centre.
“It will primarily be used by the three age groups of our futsal section and the pre-academy children,” –our Academy director said about the development. The biggest ovation, however, was prompted by the new team bus. Our owner, Tamás Leisztinger, then took the floor.
“A person does not have unlimited time or an unlimited network of contacts, so I decided to establish a presidency alongside me. The presidency is originally five-member, but we are naming four of its members” – he began, before standing up to present the four-member presidency: Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade; Péter Gajda, mayor of Budapest's 19th district; István Gergely, executive president of Budapesti Honvéd SE; and Imre Garaba, a legend of our club.
“I would like to thank the owner of Budapest Honvéd for asking me to take the position of club president. This was not the first request, but this is the first time I said yes. It is an honour for me because I have been a Honvéd supporter for more than forty years.” – Szijjártó began. He also regularly plays for our Old Boys team.
“Obviously, we all feel that compared with the club's history we are still not where we need to be. We want Budapest Honvéd Academy to become known for developing people who not only receive the professional training needed to find their place in senior football, but who are also good people. Human values and professional knowledge: that must be Budapest Honvéd in the future. There are three important conditions for this to happen. First, with government support, we are launching a four-billion-forint investment programme funded through TAO, including the Sports Hall, the renovation of the Academy and its operation. Second, we will amend the Sports Act at the end of November so that Bozsik Arena and Budapest Honvéd Academy become the property of Budapest Honvéd. That means we will no longer be coming here as guests – we will be at home!”
At the same time, Bozsik Arena will be the stadium not only of the senior team but also of the academy teams, so in every league season each of our academy sides will play at least one match at Bozsik Arena.
Szijjártó then made perhaps the biggest announcement of the evening, presenting the arrival of main sponsor Vulcan Shield Global as the beginning of a new era.
“It is not right that one of Hungary's most influential clubs has no sponsor. That was the case until now, but from now on it changes. Budapest Honvéd will now have as its main sponsor a major company with Singaporean ownership that is a world-market leader in its own industry. We signed the contract with Vulcan Shield Global yesterday, which means that over the next four years the club's budgetary room for manoeuvre and financial strength will increase by several hundred million forints. From now on, the stable background for professional work is secured. We want every single Honvéd supporter to be proud of their team.”
Péter Gajdahighlighted the Kispest community.
“I am very proud that I was a registered Honvéd footballer until the age of seventeen. I have always watched this team with great admiration. We will help these projects in every way, but that requires not only me but also the representative body. Thank you for the invitation; the municipality's support will be there behind Honvéd all the way.”
István Gergely, executive president of Budapesti Honvéd SE, said a few words about the Honvéd family and the spirit that runs through the club.
“It is a tremendous honour to be here, because this is a development in my own life that I could only dream of. I owe everything to Honvéd. I became a water polo player at Honvéd. Here I became an Olympic champion, a world champion, Hungarian champion and Hungarian Cup winner, and I can still serve Honvéd today, which I feel is the finest vocation of my life so far. What captured me is the Honvéd spirit, which I also feel here in Kispest. There is a Honvéd spirit; I became infected by it. It is a great honour to belong to this team. I would be very happy if this team returned to the top. It will happen here. With this ownership background and this level of supporter backing, it is inevitable. I like winning and being part of a winning team, and that's it!”
Imre Garabathanked them for the invitation in an emotional speech.
“I was very strong on the pitch, less so behind the microphone. Ever since I signed for the club, I have been a Honvéd supporter. Lajos Tichy discovered me; I still bless his name in my prayers today. If it were not for him, I could not be standing here! I would like to thank you for the invitation; I did not think for a second before saying ‘yes’. I want us not to be playing in NB II. I was tasked with representing the older players. Honvéd's management has made it possible for me to help preserve the club's past. Next year I would like to support the team in NB I!”
Representing Vulcan Shield Global, Lóránt Komjáti , the company's head in Hungary, shared his thoughts.
“It is important to me that we want to support everyone from the youngest age group to the first team. We feel this club wants to renew itself; we are a new company in Hungary and we also want to renew ourselves. I would like this cooperation to become a symbol of renewal. I trust that with this support we can contribute to faster development.”
The final speaker of the evening was our sporting director, Sándor Fórizs , who, in addition to asking Imre Garaba to ensure that his grandson also makes his debut at Honvéd, announced that the senior team's friendly matches will be held at Bozsik Arena with ‘open gates’.
At the end of the event the Honvéd anthem was played, and we commemorated the evening with a group photo.
