INTERVIEWS

INTERVIEW Dániel Varga: Family values behind Csurgói KK

By Editor

Posted on 31. March 2026.

For decades, Csurgói KK have been one of the most stable clubs in the Hungarian top flight, a regular member of the league’s upper half in a championship dominated by two giants, One Veszprém and Pick Szeged. The club continues its mission of bringing top-level handball to its local community.

The town of around 5,000 inhabitants has secured its place on the map of European handball and remains an unavoidable stop whenever the conversation turns to Hungary, a country where the sport is deeply loved. Behind the project stands the enthusiasm and passion of one family, and with managing director Mr. Dániel Varga, we spoke about the current season and what investing in handball means to him.

How satisfied are you with the season so far?

• If we look only at the number of points we have collected, we have to be satisfied. We achieved some really big results against strong teams such as Szeged, Tatabánya and Ferencváros, although unfortunately we also suffered a few unexpected defeats. Overall, I think our current position reflects reality.

You have traditionally finished between fifth and eighth place in the championship. What are the club’s realistic sporting goals at this moment?

• In my opinion, we are one of the most stable teams in Hungary. Back in 2013, we won the bronze medal, and later we also had a few fourth-place finishes. But the Hungarian league is getting stronger year after year, so it is becoming harder to maintain that level. At this moment, we are behind the very best teams in the standings, and our goal is to stay right behind them — at the top of the middle group.

How do you see the quality of the Hungarian league? How difficult is it to stay competitive with the resources the club has?

• Honestly, there was a time when finishing sixth or seventh might have felt like a disappointment, but today we have to appreciate those positions because they are much more difficult to achieve. The top clubs are extremely strong and operate with much bigger budgets, so it is not easy to compete with them.

You are working with Alem Toskić, the Serbian head coach. He was also your player in the final stage of his career. How do you see him and his role?

• He is much more than just a head coach for us. He oversees the entire professional side of the club. He is a true fanatic, just like us, and we share the same goals. He is a very good coach, but even more importantly, he is a very good person.

This is his second spell in Csurgó, and between the two periods he was also successful in Celje. I am sure that in the future he will coach a really big club.

Most of your foreign signings come from the Ex-Yugoslav region. Do you prefer that market, and how do you see the qualities and mentality of those players?

• There are several reasons for that. Of course, we always think about Hungarian players first, but because we are based in a very small town, we are at a significant disadvantage compared to many other clubs. It is very difficult to sign good and affordable Hungarian players, and in many cases they also find it harder to adapt to the conditions here. At the same time, we like to sign players from the countries you mentioned because we have often found very professional players there who are available under more favorable financial conditions. Slovenia and Croatia are very close to us, and Serbia is not far away either, which is one of the reasons why players from that region feel comfortable coming here.

What does Csurgói KK mean to you personally? What motivated you to invest in and support the club?

• My father became involved in handball in Csurgó when the club was still in the third division. We were constantly moving forward, maybe even a little too quickly, but he was the only one who believed we could one day reach the top league and play in European competitions. Even back then, we had fanatical supporters, and together we kept dreaming bigger and bigger.
• Now this is probably our 17th season in the first division, and my father has stood behind the team for at least 25 years. This is a family club, which is why our motto is: “We are one family.”
• Many of our employees have also been here for decades. For example, our managing director came here as a player back in the second division, while our technical director takes photos, drives the bus and handles daily operations all at the same time. I could name many more examples. Everyone here works toward the same goal, and it is a pleasure to be part of that.

Where do you see the club in the next three to five years?

• We are not focused primarily on rankings. Of course, we want to remain stable — that is the most important objective. But we also want to continue signing talented players, both Hungarian and foreign, who can develop here and later move on to even bigger clubs. In the past two seasons, we have managed to transfer one coach and five or six players, which is a big achievement in handball. So we believe we are moving in the right direction, and we hope the results will continue to follow, said at the of interview for Handball-Planet.com, Daniel Varga.