Vasas SC is one of Hungary's major sports clubs. Most of its facilities are situated in Budapest's 13th district in the north of the town. Members of the Hungarian Union of Iron Workers founded the club as Vas-és Fémmunkások Sport Clubja, the "Sport Club of Iron and Steel Workers", on 16 March 1911. The club colours are red and blue.
The club is internationally best known for its successful football and water polo departments, which have won many national and international competitions. But also athletes from other departments have won many Olympic gold medals as well as international and national championships.
The club’s women's handball team has for 15 times been crowned Hungarian champions, and in 1982 won the Handball European Cup.
Naming history
1911: Vas-és Fémmunkások Sport Clubja
1943: Kinizsi Vasas Budapest
1944: Nemzeti Kinizsi Budapest
1945: Budapesti Vasas SC
1948: Budapesti Vasas SE
1957: Budapesti Vasas SC
Departments
The club is active in the following sports:
Athletics, basketball (women), boxing, chess, fencing, football, handball (women), ice skating, rowing, skiing, tennis, touring, volleyball (women), water polo (men / women) and wrestling,
Football
Vasas' football team belongs to the highest
Hungarian football league and was the dominating force in Hungarian football during the 1960s. In the 2006/07 season Vasas finished 5th.
In 2006 the club would have been relegated as penultimate, but could retain its place as rivals Ferencvarosi TC were ousted instead due to financial irregularities. This would have been Vasas' second relegation in this decade.
The team plays its home matches in the Rudolf Illovszky Stadium, which has a capacity of 18,000.
Honours
Hungarian League
* Winners (6): 1957, 1961, 1962, 1965, 1966, 1977
Hungarian Cup
* Winners (4): 1955, 1973, 1981, 1986
Mitropa Cup
* Winners (7): 1956, 1957, 1960, 1962, 1965, 1970, 1983
European Champions Club Cup
* Semi-finalists (1): 1958
Selected former players
Selected former managers
Current squad
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
UEFA Intertoto Cup
UEFA Cup
UEFA Champions League
Men's water polo
Hungary is acknowledged the world over as a powerhouse of water polo. The water polo department of Vasas belongs to the leading ones in the country.
Honours
Hungarian League
* Winners (16): 1947, 1949, 1953, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1989, 2007, 2008, 2009
Hungarian Cup
* Winners (14): 1947, 1961, 1971, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005
Hungarian Super Cup
* Winners (2): 2001, 2006
Champions Cup:
* Winners (2): 1979–80, 1984–85
Cup winners Cup
* Winners (3): 1985–86, 1994–95, 2001–02
Women's handball
Honours
Hungarian League
* Winners (15): 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1991–92, 1992–93
Hungarian Cup
* Winners (11): 1969, 1971, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984
Champions Cup:
* Winners (1): 1981–82
* Finalist (5): 1977-78, 1978–79, 1981–82, 1992–93, 1993–94
Cup winners Cup
* Finalist (1): 1987-88
EHF-Cup
* Finalist (1): 1984-85
City-Cup
* Finalist (1): 1994-95
Other sports
Athletes of the club have won 40 Olympic gold medals (2006) and more than 1,000 Hungarian National Championship titles, making Vasas one of the most successful Hungarian sports clubs. There are only 29 countries which won more golds at the Summer Olympics (though some of the 40 wins were in team sports with athletes from other Hungarian clubs).
István Kozma was a wrestling champion in 1964 and 1968
László Papp was a boxing champion in 1952 and 1956 - also in 1948 being member of Vasas.
Trivia
János Kádár,
HSWP First Secretary and Hungarian leader from 1956 until 1988, was a supporter of Vasas. A working-class man, Kádár had played in the team when young and was it's president for a short period in the mid-50s (when, after being released from prison, Kádár was party secretary in
Budapest 13th district, where the team is based). During the 60s, it was not uncommon to see Kádár in the crowd during Vasas games. Unlike some of his
Eastern Europe counterparts, though, Kádár did not used his position to favor his team, nor did he aloud Hungarian officials to interfere in football as was common in other bloc countries.
External links
Official website
Official website (football team)
Unofficial fan-site (team sports)
Category:Hungarian football clubs
Category:Association football clubs established in 1911
Category:1911 establishments in Hungary