A century of tradition at stake: Haladás 105-year legacy in peril as club appeals to PM Orbán

For 105 years, Haladás VSE, the most important sports club in Szombathely and Vas county, was one of the most important factors in Hungarian sports life. Now it seems that there is time to save the club at the end of the year, and if the desired HUF 55 million (EUR 134,000) for the tax debt is not collected, the history of the sports club loved by many could end forever.

The Haladás Railway Sports Association (Haladás Vasutas Sport Egyesület) was founded in 1919, and since then, there have been better and worse times, but the situation has never been so hopeless.

The previous owner’s half-hearted economic activities brought the club, which has 14 sections, to the brink of bankruptcy, and it now has a debt of HUF 55 million to pay to the National Tax and Customs Office by 31 December. The municipality of Szombathely does not want to help, so now the leaders of the sections have appealed to the Prime Minister of Hungary and the fans have started a desperate fundraising campaign:

Open letter to the Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán

We are publishing the open letter of the leaders and supporters of Haladás VSE in unchanged form:

Subject: Be the saviour of Haladás VSE – Request for help from the Prime Minister of Hungary

“Respect the past to understand the present and work for the future.” – István Széchenyi

Dear Prime Minister!

This letter is nothing more than a last call for help. It is a plea that a legacy that has shaped the lives of generations and has become a symbol of Hungary should not be lost forever.

These lines are addressed to you not only on behalf of a small community, but on behalf of an entire region. A region that is about to lose an asset that has been part of its life, its daily life and its identity for more than a century. After 105 years, the Haladás VSE, one of the greatest prides of Vas county, is on the verge of disappearing. At the delegates’ meeting on 18 December, the delegates voted unanimously that the association’s departments should continue to operate together under the name of Haladás. This shows that we are all committed to preserving the club’s heritage and its role as a community.

Haladás is not just a sports club. It is a symbol that has brought Szombathelyites together, that has given hope, that has bridged the gap between our past and our future. Haladás is the common denominator of the past, the present and the future in Vas county. In its fourteen divisions, nearly 1,000 athletes play their favourite sport – not just competitively, but with joy and community-building. Among them are footballers, wrestlers, weightlifters, archers, judo players, athletes and many other sportsmen and women who have made Hungary famous not only locally, but also nationally and internationally. We have many children of pre-school age who have had their first sporting experience in the crest of the Haladás. The loss of the club would not only endanger competitive sport, but also the sporting opportunities of families, children and young people in Szombathely. Our Olympians, world-class athletes – such as Géza Tóth, Erzsébet Márkus, Dániel Ligeti or the footballer Zoltán Szarka – all started their careers within the walls of Haladás. Their names represented not only Szombathely, but the whole nation on the world sports map. But just as important are the coaches, youth trainers and volunteers who have worked tirelessly to educate future generations. For Szombathely and Vas county, the Haladás is more than a sport: it is an identity. It is a community foundation that has educated generations to honour, perseverance and solidarity.