Ferencvárosi Torna Club is a Hungarian professional women's handball team from Budapest, that is part of the multi-sports club Ferencvárosi TC. Nicknamed Fradi, the team plays in the Nemzeti Bajnokság I, the top level championship in Hungary. They are one of the most successful clubs in the country, having won eleven Hungarian championships and as many Hungarian cup titles. FTC also enjoy a good reputation in continental competitions: they lifted the EHF Cup Winners' Cup trophy in 1978, 2011,^[1] and 2012,^[2] and they were also crowned as the EHF Cup winners in 2006.^[3] The team also reached the finals of the EHF Champions League two times, however, they fell short in both occasions.

Quick Facts FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria, Full name ...

FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria
Full name	Ferencvárosi Torna Club
Nickname(s)	Fradi
Short name	FTC
Founded	1950; 74 years ago (1950)
Arena	Elek Gyula Aréna, Budapest Érd Aréna, Érd
Capacity	1,300 2,200
President	Zsolt Ákos Jeney
Head coach	Allan Heine
League	Nemzeti Bajnokság I
2023–24	Nemzeti Bajnokság I, 1st
Club colours
Home Away
Website Official site

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The current name of the club is FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria due to sponsorship reasons.

After the cessation of large-field games in the early 1960s, Ferencváros, which regained its name in the autumn of 1956, focused on small-field handball. Continuous improvement (finishing 9th in 1960, 7th in 1961, 4th in 1962, and 2nd in 1963) made the championship title a feasible goal. Nevertheless, there was a slight decline: the team finished 6th in 1964 and 5th in 1965. In 1966, they won their first championship gold. The team members included Éva Czitkovics, Márta Giba, Erzsébet Huszár, Erzsébet Jányáné Bognár, Ida Nagy, Teréz Nagy, Júlia Pencz, Anna Rothermel, Ilona Ruff, Judit Stern, Ida Szegedi, Gizella Szilágyi, Gáborné Zubor, and Zsuzsa Zsidai, with Gyula Elek as their coach.^[4]

In his first year as coach, Gyula Elek won the championship, which was followed by more championship titles and podium finishes. From 1966 to 1980, the team finished on the podium every year. They were champions four times (1966, 1968, 1969, 1971), runners-up seven times (1967, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1978), and third place four times (1974, 1975, 1979, 1980). During this period, the team won the cup four times (1967, 1970, 1972, 1977).^[5]

A standout figure of the team was goalkeeper Anna Rothermel Elekné, who was considered the best goalkeeper of her time both domestically and internationally. Thanks to her, Ferencváros conceded the fewest goals in the championships, even when they did not finish in first place.^[6]

Among the greats of the era were Márta Giba Takácsné, Erzsébet Bognár Szőkéné, and Magdolna Csiha, who played key roles as prolific scorers. Amália Sterbinszky, who became one of the best Hungarian handball players of the 20th century and played 250 matches for the national team, also started her senior career at Ferencváros.

The successful series starting with the first championship gold was followed by a decline in the 1980s. The team finished in the middle ranks or lower. The only exception was the 1987 championship when Fradi finished in third place. In this decade, the Hungarian People's Republic Cup brought a silver medal for the team (1985).

The foundations of the second golden era were laid by András Németh. Under his leadership, the team achieved its first result in the 1992/93 season, a silver medal. This was followed by gold a year later, so after 23 years, in 1993-94, Ferencváros won the championship again. The champion team of that time included Mária Bregócs, Andrea Farkas, Ágnes Farkas, Adrienne Fiedler, Erika Fiedler, Klára Kertész, Erzsébet Kókai, Beatrix Kökény, Mária Krammer, Gyöngyi Kulcsár, Dóra Lőwy, Rita Menyhárt, Mária Olasz, Beáta Őze, Ildikó Pádár, Margit Pádár, Éva Szarka, Gabriella Takács, Beatrix Tóth, and Hajnalka Vavrik.

The Fradi girls also won the next three championships. The 1994/1995 season was completed with a 100% performance: 30 matches, 30 victories. This successful era lasted for 16 years, with the team finishing first seven times, second four times, and third five times. Cup successes also followed: they won the cup again in 1993, and then in 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2001, and 2003. They also achieved two second places (1998, 1999).

The master of this second golden era was András Németh, from whom legendary players emerged, such as goalkeepers Andrea Farkas and Tímea Sugár, and field players Beatrix Kökény, Ágnes Farkas, Ildikó Pádár, Eszter Siti, Erika Kirsner, Éva Szarka, Beatrix Tóth, Tímea Tóth, and Gabriella Takács.

Between 2007 and 2008, Gyula Zsiga led the team, achieving a bronze medal (2007/2008).

From 2008, the team was taken over by Gábor Elek, son of former successful coach Gyula Elek. The rejuvenated team’s first success was a silver medal in the 2008/2009 season and a cup silver in 2010. Another podium finish followed in the league, with Ferencváros finishing third in the 2010/2011 season. In the 2014/2015 season, the team reached the Hungarian Cup final and won the Hungarian championship by defeating the Győri Audi ETO KC team twice in the playoffs under Gábor Elek's leadership.^[7]

Before the start of the 2016/2017 season, Anikó Kovacsics, who left Győri ETO, national team goalkeeper Blanka Bíró, and World Championship silver medalist Dutch player Danick Snelder joined the team. ^[8][9] In the Hungarian Cup final in Kecskemét on April 2, 2017, they defeated Győri ETO in a shootout and celebrated cup victory again after fourteen years. ^[10]

In the 2018/2019 season, the squad included several national team players: Blanka Bíró, Dorottya Faluvégi, Noémi Háfra, Dóra Horváth, Kinga Klivinyi, Katrin Klujber, Anikó Kovacsics, Viktória Lukács, Rea Mészáros, and Nadine Schatzl strengthened the Hungarian women's handball team at this time. The Dutch national team player Danick Snelder, the Spanish national team’s key player Nerea Pena, and Montenegrin national team members Bobana Klikovac and Djurdjina Malović were also part of the team.

In the season, Ferencváros finished second in both the Hungarian Cup and the championship and was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Champions League against the Russian Rostov-Don team. ^[11][12]

Before the 2020-2021 season, Faluvégi moved to Győr, and Pena was no longer part of the team, but four foreign players who later performed significantly, Emily Bölk, Alicia Stolle, Julia Behnke, and Angela Malestein, joined the team. In the Champions League, the Montenegrin Buducnost Podgorica was the final stop for the team ^[13] in the round of 16, and they did not reach the final in the Hungarian Cup either. However, in the league, Ferencváros celebrated a championship victory again after six years, the 13th in its history. ^[14]

In the following two seasons, the team led by Gábor Elek celebrated Hungarian Cup victories. Before the 2022-2023 season, it had been twenty-nine years since the green-white team won the domestic cup series in two consecutive years. ^[15]

On May 7, 2023, the team reached the Final Four of the Champions League for the first time in its history after defeating the French Metz Handball team 33-26 away, winning 59-58 overall.^[16] After the match, it was officially announced that Gábor Elek would leave the team at the end of the season after fifteen seasons.^[17] In the Final Four of the Champions League, they first defeated the Danish Team Esbjerg by one goal in a tough match, but in the final, they were defeated by the twice-defending champion Norwegian Vipers Kristiansand, featuring Anna Vjahirjeva, Katrine Lunde, and Markéta Jeřábková, with a score of 28-24.^[18]

• Ferencváros achieved its first major international result in the 1970/71 season when it reached the final of the European Champions Cup. They lost to the Spartak Kiev, which was equal to the then world-leading Soviet team, 11-9 in a close match, thus becoming silver medalists.
• In the Cup Winners' Cup, however, Ferencváros succeeded: they won the series in the 1977/1978 season. In the final, they defeated the East German team SC Leipzig 18-17 in the Kör Hall. The team also reached the Cup Winners' Cup final in the following year, 1978/1979, but the East German team TSC Berlin celebrated with a 20-15 result.
• The team added another Cup Winners' Cup silver in 1994 when Walle Bremen proved to be better with a 45-44 aggregate score (23-21 at home, 24-21 away). In the 1995/1996 season, Ferencváros reached the semi-finals in the Champions League and repeated this performance in the following season.
• In 2001, the team played in the Champions League semi-finals again.
• In 2002, they almost achieved a miracle against Macedonian Kometal Skopje: after a home victory (27-25), the away match ended 22-26, so Ferencváros finished with a 51-49 aggregate score, earning a silver medal.
• In the 2004-2005 season, the team reached the top four in the EHF Cup.
• A year later, they surpassed their performance and won the EHF Cup in the 2005/2006 season. Ferencváros' opponent was the Croatian Podravka from Koprivnica, which they defeated with a 70-68 aggregate score (37-36 and 33-32).
• In the 2006/2007 season, the team competed in the Cup Winners' Cup again and reached the semi-finals.
• In the 2010/2011 season of the Cup Winners' Cup, Ferencváros finished first again, defeating strong opponents like Viborg HK and Metz Handball. In the final, Gábor Elek's students defeated the Spanish team C.B. Mar Alicante with a 57:52 aggregate score (34-29 at home, 23-23 away).
• In the 2011/2012 edition, the girls proved to be unbeatable again, winning the Cup Winners' Cup in 2012 by defeating the Danish star team Viborg both home and away. With this, Gábor Elek not only repeated his father's feat of leading the team to two consecutive KEK finals but surpassed it by winning both finals.
• FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria reached the top eight teams in the Champions League in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2024, and in the 2022-2023 season, they made it to the Final Four of the competition for the first time in history.

• Name: – Elek Gyula Aréna
• City: – Budapest, IX. ker
• Capacity: – 1300
• Address: – 1101 Budapest, Kőbányai út 47./A

As of 16 June 2023

• Seasons in Nemzeti Bajnokság I:^[20] 64

More information Season, Division ...

Season Division Pos. Magyar kupa 1993-94 NB I Winner 1994–95 NB I Winner 1995–96 NB I Winner 1996–97 NB I Winner 1997–98 NB I Finalist 1998–99 NB I Finalist 1999–00 NB I 2000–01 NB I 2001–02 NB I 2002–03 NB I Winner 2003–04 NB I

Season Division Pos. Magyar kupa 2004–05 NB I 2005–06 NB I 2006–07 NB I Finalist 2007–08 NB I 2008–09 NB I 2009–10 NB I 5th Finalist 2010–11 NB I Quarter-finals 2011–12 NB I Quarter-finals 2012–13 NB I Finalist 2013–14 NB I Finalist 2014–15 NB I Finalist

Season Division Pos. Magyar kupa 2015–16 NB I Third place 2016–17 NB I Winner 2017–18 NB I Third place 2018–19 NB I Finalist 2019–20 NB I Cancelled 2020–21 NB I Third place 2021–22 NB I Winner 2022–23 NB I Winner 2023–24 NB I Winner

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In European competition

Main article: Ferencvárosi TC in European handball

• Participations in Champions League (Champions Cup): 27x
• Participations in EHF Cup: 4x
• Participations in Cup Winners' Cup (IHF Cup Winners' Cup): 9x

More information Season, Competition ...

Season	Competition	Round	Club	Home	Away	Aggregate
2023–24	EHF Champions League	Group B	Team Esbjerg	28–33	23–27
			Metz Handball	25–38
			Vipers Kristiansand		26–37
			CS Rapid București	24–24
			RK Krim Mercator	26–28	26–32
			Zagłębie Lubin	35–22	35–23
			Ikast Håndbold	37–36	28–28

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More information Rank, Name ...

Top scorers in the EHF Champions League (All-Time) – Last updated on 2 June 2024 Rank Name Seasons played Goals 1 Katrin Klujber 6 482 2 Nerea Pena 7 339 3 Angela Malestein 4 314 4 Zita Szucsánszki 12 294 5 Emily Bölk 4 292 6 Anikó Cirjenics-Kovacsics 5 248 7 Szandra Szöllősi-Zácsik 9 227 8 Gréta Márton 7 211 9 Nadine Schatzl 6 201 10 Viktória Lukács 7 189

Individual awards in the EHF Champions League Last updated on 4 September 2022 Season Player Award 2001–02 Ágnes Farkas Top Scorer (112 goals) 2012–13 Zsuzsanna Tomori Top Scorer (95 goals) 2015–16 Luca Szekerczés Best Young Player 2016–17 Blanka Bíró Best Young Player 2018–19 Noémi Háfra Best Young Player 2019–20 Noémi Háfra Best Young Player 2021–22 Angela Malestein Best Right Wing

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• Endre Balogh (1960–65)
• Gyula Elek (1966–85, 1990–92) Longest serving coach in Ferencvárosi TC's history
• Gyula Elek and András Németh (1985)
• Károly Konkoly (1986)
• Mária Berzsényi (1986–88)
• Pál Hoffmann (1989–90)
• András Németh (1992–2007) Most honours won with Ferencvárosi TC
• Gyula Zsiga (2007–08)
• Gábor Elek (2008–23)
• Martin Albertsen (2023)
• Allan Heine (2023–)

• ÉDOSZ SE (1950–1951)
• Budapesti Kinizsi (1951–1956)
• FTC (1956–1990)
• Herz-FTC (1990–1993)
• Spectrum-FTC (1993–1994)
• FTC-Spectrum (1994–1995)
• FTC-Polgári Bank (1995–1996)
• Herz-FTC (1996–2003)
• FTC (2003–2006)
• Budapest Bank-FTC (2006–2008)
• Budapest Bank-FTC-RightPhone (2008–2009)
• FTC (2009)
• FTC-Jógazdabank (In 2010, due to the bank's bankruptcy, only for a short time.)^[21][22]
• FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria (2010–)

Ferencvárosi TC II is the junior team of Ferencvárosi TC women's handball club. They compete in the Nemzeti Bajnokság I/B, the second-tier league in Hungary. Although they play in the same league system as their senior team, rather than a separate league, they are ineligible for promotion to the Nemzeti Bajnokság I, since junior teams cannot play in the same division as their senior side.