03.03.2021, 12:00
The blueprint: How Györ became the best team in Europe

FIRST-HAND INSIGHT: We examine how Györi ETO Audi KC defied the odds and created a dynasty in women’s handball

What makes a handball team truly great? A question many have tried to answer, yet there is no definitive recipe, no plan that cannot be derailed by injuries, lack of chemistry or problems that might arise during a season.

However, one team has strived for greatness and accomplished it, by turning a generation into a dynasty and winning Europe's premier club competition five times between 2013 and 2019.

Despite playing fewer games than other powerhouses such as Buducnost and RK Krim Mercator, no team has won more than Györi Audi ETO KC. Györ has both the largest number of wins in history, 171, and the best winning percentage in the DELO EHF Champions League, 74.3 percent.

A democracy that works

Yet it was not all plain sailing for the Hungarian powerhouse since their first appearance in the competition 20 seasons ago.

Despite being a top team in the last two decades in Europe, Györ have lost their first seven European finals – four in the EHF Cup, two in the EHF Champions League and one in the Cup Winners’ Cup.

Clubs have folded or reduced their expectations after lesser disappointments but Györ stayed true to their plan and corrected their mistakes, learning on a season-to-season basis to be better, stronger and line up everything with their eyes on the big prize.

“It is still no secret behind our constant performances, we believe in work, that is what embodies our club and is our motto. In terms of decision-making, I manage the club in an operational way, but there is a democracy, if you want to call it like that, the ideas are discussed by all involved.

“Handball issues are discussed with the coaches, economical issues are related to the financial department, while marketing, which is very important, is handled by the marketing group. The final decisions are made by the board and myself but the day-to-day operational activity is all about teamwork,” says Györ president, Dr. Csaba Bartha.

The otherworldly unbeaten run

It is this democracy that has made Györ work so well and look like a team, despite a plethora of players coming and going. The Hungarian club always tries to find an advantage and work together through their challenges.

A testament to that is an otherworldly unbeaten run, never seen in the EHF Champions League, which Györ pride themselves with. For the past three years, over 20 teams have tried and win against the Hungarian powerhouse, but to no avail.

Györ have pieced together a 51-game unbeaten run, taking 44 wins and drawing seven times since their main round loss against CSM Bucuresti in January 2018.

It has been more than three years since the Hungarian champions lost a game and while there may have been some close calls, especially against CSKA Moscow and Odense in this season’s group phase, the experience and sheer depth of Györ prevailed in the end. And it was no surprise for Bartha.

“There is no secret, there is only one thing behind it: a lot of work. I also find it important to highlight that there are two DELO EHF FINAL4 wins among these 51 games. I always point out that we are a great club and team and we always work in a team, which is true for the players, the professional staff and the whole management of the club.”

Players have come and gone, their style might have shifted from a defence-orientated team to a free-flowing one, boasting averages of over 32 goals per game in the last two seasons, but the idea behind their success has remained the same. 

The system is calibrated on both short-term performances as well as a focus on the future. However, it also relies on stars like Norwegian centre back Stine Bredal Oftedal, EHF EURO 2020 MVP Estelle Nze Minko and French goalkeeper Amandine Leynaud.

This is not goodbye

While this season might look like a foregone conclusion, it feels that it is also Györ’s swansong for a golden generation.

Only two players have been there for all the five DELO EHF Champions League titles won in Budapest. Both of them, Anita Görbicz and Eduarda Amorim, will leave at the end of the season. Görbicz will call it quits after playing in three decades and winning 32 trophies with Györ, Amorim heads for a new challenge at Rostov-Don, one of Györ’s biggest rivals.

“If I were to say that I am not sad, that would not be true, of course, we would have been happier with her finishing her career with us but she decided to try another country, another culture, we have to respect that. We wish her good luck,” Dr. Bartha says of Amorim leaving after 12 successful years at Györ.

On the other side, Görbicz, who built her career through Györ’s academy since 1993 and knows the DNA of the club inside out, therefore nothing could deter one of the best players in history from extending her stay, albeit in another role.

Dubbed as “The Athlete” by the team’s president, the iconic figure will become the new sporting director of the club from next summer.

“I owe a lot to the ETO. I had serious offers, but I could never imagine playing anywhere else. This will be a new task for me, but I am not scared of the challenges, and I am very happy to continue to work for Győri Audi ETO KC, even if it is no longer primarily about scoring goals,” Görbicz told the club's official website.

The five-time DELO EHF Champions League winner knows a thing or two about handball, therefore serving in the club’s management upon her retirement is a natural progression.

A no-nonsense approach to transfers

With a volatile transfer market in women’s handball and key players going in and out for every top club, Györ’s strategy was always praised and respected by outsiders and rivals. Few players have ever complained about team chemistry or problems in the side, even after they left.

Maintaining the core of the team was always a must for Györ in the past years, yet difficult times call for changes of the strategy. Six players will be ushered in this summer, with two new line players – Crina Pintea and Linn Blohm – coming in, as well as Montenegrin back Jelena Despotovic and Korean back Ryu Eun-Hee. 

“The work we do in transferring a player is very systematic and varied, as we are not only looking for good players, but good personalities. Our criteria of selection are a sensitive topic, it is what makes us the best, so I do not want to answer in more detail. But I can only share that we try to be very careful in the transfer market,” says Dr. Bartha.

Of course, you will see scouts for the Hungarian team at the Women’s EHF EURO or World Championship as seeing players during games is crucial in rating them and establishing a true connection.

But most of all, Győr will surely be proud to welcome two Hungarian stars from rival FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria, left wing Nadine Schatzl and left back Noemi Hafra, who Bartha dubs as “world-class” after seeing them in person for the past years.

“We do not look at the nationality of the players, rather than see if they are good fits for our team. Doing our homework, we realised that both of them, in fact all of our six transfers, will make Győr better."

A welcome back party

It was business as usual for Györ in the last year, despite the challenges brought in by the Covid-19 pandemic.

One of the teams to not suffer extensive outbreaks and had games postponed due to Covid-19 cases, Györ showed again why they are perceived as one of the top clubs in Europe and a model to follow.

“The current situation is very difficult in several respects but we try to meet all regulations and pay more attention to our players. From the beginning, we appointed a Covid-19 manager who introduced very important and strict rules, with players not allowed to leave their homes. Sure, it was difficult, but everyone understood the special situation and complied,” said Dr. Bartha.

In these tough conditions, Györ were not afraid to make another splash on the transfer market and sign six new players, as well as a new coach, after Gabor Danyi announced he will leave for rivals Siofok KC at the end of the season.

The architect of the current project, Ambros Martin, who has already served as the head coach between 2012 and 2018, winning the EHF Champions League four times, will be back after three years away, during which he had spells as Rostov-Don and Russia coach.

Despite being a long-time-no-see situation, Martin knows the club and several players inside out, making the transitional period not so much a challenge, rather a “welcome back” party.

Whether Martin or the players will be there five years later, only the future will tell. But one thing is certain, Györ are the most successful club in the DELO EHF Champions League’s history, both in terms of titles won and overall winning percentage. Because, as Anita Görbicz said, winning is in their DNA.

TEXT: EHF / Adrian Costeiu