I received Mr. Horvat’s phone number from a knowledgeable friend and information that there is a Hungarian soccer team in Toronto that just won the regional championship. In addition, between 2012 and 2015, this team had a famous Hungarian coach, Laszlo Kis, in the person of “Campo”, who was called Mini Minotti in his prime, when he participated in the 1987 MTK Championship as Josef’s coach. Ferrips.
The full name of Croatian gentleman Adalbert Horvát, aged only 36, is the owner of Hungaria Toronto Vasas FC – because that is the full name of the club – and he started our phone conversation with shocking information.
I looked at every website I found, went back fifty years, but did not find a similar achievement: This is the first time that a Hungarian football team won a championship in Canada, says the young entrepreneur, who left his home country in 2008 barely before thirteen year and settled in the New World, mainly financing the club on his own with the help of some Hungarian businessmen and restaurateurs. – What we have won is the Eastern Ontario State Championship, which is actually the third line of Canadian Football, an amateur league made up of several regional leagues on a regional basis. Our club was founded in 2003, five years before I left for Canada, It was founded by Ágnes Rajnák and Károly Turcsik. Initially, the team fought in first-class domestic tournaments, but then I came out to Canada in 2008, then some Laszlo Diack took over the club in 2011 and the Toronto Fasas FC was called up. Between 2012 and 2015, Laszlo Kiss was our coach!
The honorary president of the club, which was founded in 2003, was also Kalman Lamy, who lives in Toronto. Although almost immortal and lived to be beautiful, Kálmán Lami left the ranks of the living in 2007 at the age of 86. He was a great player, he once played in Fez with Rudolf Ilovsky, Gyula Zelaghi. In 2015, Karoly Tursic formed an association called Hungária, which merged with Toronto Vasas FC, this consolidated club has been in operation for six years and has now won the Eastern Ontario Championship.
In practice, I pushed these two clubs, founder Karoly Turczyk applied for and obtained permission from Mr. Laszlo Markovic, President of Vasas SC, to use the name. I am the boss, but Messrs. Turcsik and Deák remain honorary chiefs, two of the older gentlemen – continued Mr. Croat, who has been the king of the team’s goals and best player for years. “I myself am a bloody Vasas printer, which is why Vasas is the name of the club.” There is an important Hungarian colony in and around Toronto, there are about sixty thousand of us, two thirds of the players are Hungarian, but we also have players from other countries.
Recently, two Hungarian players arrived from Donaszerdahli, Attila Buraus and Zolt Bazso, and Peter Levente Kovacs. A big thank you to goalkeeper Tamas Mesko and captain, who contributed to the success of winning the Provincial Championship with his brave defenses.
Laszlo Kiss remembered the three years he spent in Toronto between 2012 and 2015 as fondly.
The amateur team is Hungária Toronto Vasas FC, Hungarian and non-Hungarian players play football there out of love – the eternal opponent said “Campo”. “I had a great time at the club, they provided me with a modest but secure livelihood and I am happy to hear that they won the county championship.
Of course, there was a lot of volatility in the team, many talented Hungarian men who worked abroad, of course, because they did not pay at the club, stood apart after a while because they earned well and the more they worked, the more money there was for the house. Even two or three thousand followers per month, which was a huge difference compared to the 60-100 thousand forints they got in Hungary. After a while, they had no time to play.
But this is the case with most amateur teams, let’s talk about Canada or Hungary.
Now, however, there is great joy around the club house, because they are indeed champions regardless of the outcome of their last round match against Toronto Celtic!
(cover photo: Adalbert Horváth)
