The CEO of the Veszprém Handball Club and the Head of the Training Theory and Methodology Research Centre at the Hungarian University of Sports Science (TF) does two important jobs at the same time.
Handball and domestic sport lovers are well aware of the fact that the most successful Hungarian handball club, Veszprém HC men's team won the 2024 IHF Men's Club World Championship for the first time in its history at the tournament in Egypt last week.
The CEO of the Veszprém Handball Team Zrt. is Dr Csaba Bartha, Head of the Training Theory and Methodology Research Centre. His success as CEO proves the saying, “Behind every Hungarian sports success there is some kind of TF knowledge.”
"I hope that this is still the case, and that I was able to contribute to this historic triumph, but I do not want to put myself in the limelight," said Dr Csaba Bartha, who accompanied the team to the venue of the tournament so he could experience first-hand what it is like to experience such a special success. “Above all, the players and the professional staff deserve praise. Many people, wrongly, I think, believe that the Club World Championship is not a high-quality tournament, but anyone who saw the live coverage of the games knows that this is not the case. Of the nine teams taking part, six are of a very high standard, and I am not just talking about Barcelona, Magdeburg or Veszprém, but also the two Egyptian and Saudi Arabian clubs that have proven themselves in this tournament and whose players would be a match for any big European club. I am extremely proud of the Veszprém team and I am very happy to have been part of this success. Let's not forget that this is the first time since 2008 that the team have won a major international cup."
On the day after the tournament, celebrations were still in full swing, but afterwards everyone got back to work, as the team and Csaba Bartha have serious tasks ahead both in the domestic championship and the Hungarian cup and the Champions League.
"Thank God I have plenty of experience as a sports manager in the areas of administration, finance and management. I have to carry out my duties on a daily basis and I am happy that the university continues to count upon my work. Fortunately, I am able to combine the two jobs well, although I have limited free time. We are moving forward slowly, we are working, everyone knows exactly what they are doing. In my work in Veszprém so far, I have mainly had to clarify the precise tasks with the representatives of the different areas. It is my job to coordinate these activities and to help them to move in the right direction."
Veszprém has not won the Champions League for a long time, which would be an outstanding success not only for Csaba Bartha, but for the whole Hungarian sport.
"I make no secret of the fact that when I took the job, my mind was rolling around helping Veszprém win the Champions League. As club manager of the Győr women's handball team, I had the chance to celebrate three Champions League victories, and in a way, I still have that expectation towards myself. Our primary goal is to fight our way back to the final four in Cologne after two years, which is a terribly difficult challenge. Of course, we all want to win the Champions League, but it's not an easy pie.”
Photo: https://handballveszprem.hu
