RateTheRef

The downside to the cup games is you can get games at midday in the middle of the week because of when the park is available for use and the fact no-one has floodlights so games can only be in the day time. That can take away fan availability to attend but the domestic game has only a small number of core fans anyway.  Mr Csányi when he made the announcement that football was returning after the covid break made a joke about it being behind closed doors, saying that league attendances over the years had fully prepared Hungarian clubs for this moment & there were several who wouldn't notice the difference! It's a shame really because it's great fun attending matches there but youngsters want PL, Bundesliga quality football as they can widely watch on the National sports TV channel. Sadly they don't realise that by attending and supporting the domestic league they will actually help it to keep growing. It has grown so much in the 10 years or so that I have been watching it.

We do have a bit of a non league vibe going on even at our top flight if you compare our league with the UK ones. It's one of the things I love so much about it. It is football and social any tainting by money is way above the actual football's level in the scheme of it all. It doesn't impact the fans anyway! I think it was AFCB's 2nd season in the PL that the cost really hit home to me, it was about Ł30 cheaper for me and my son to fly to Budapest on a Saturday morning, watch Lilák that afternoon, Hunreal on the Sunday morning and Vasas on the Sunday afternoon before flying back on the last flight on the Sunday and I mean including flights, travel to and from the airports, hotel, food, travel to the games and ticket cost than it was to take a train to Manchester and get tickets for the Man Utd away game. The hotel I use is a 2 star place, they virtually pay you to stay there but it's a great location for travel, the staff are ace and it's always clean, tidy & comfy and I do get a discount there. Free travel to and from there for the airport as well. Lilák I never paid for a ticket & they would also feed us a big lunch and the chef would send me away with food for that evening and sometimes the next day! If I had to pay for those on top it would have probably been the same price but even so, what I got for my money was way better value!

Budapest is beautiful, it is my favourite city anywhere in the world. Debrecen and Esztergom are pretty high on the list as well and Pécs which is where my Hungarian family are based.The best time to go in October is so that you are there for the 23rd. It is the biggest national holiday, so many festivals and things going on. It's the anniversary of the 1956 revolution and our Independence day. My son loves being there that week as he feels the whole country is celebrating his birthday! Oh my the food is amazing! This year travel restrictions permitting we will go that week (it's normally half term week) and then on the 24th go to Debrecen ready for Szent Dömötör Day on the Hortobágy, which is on the 25th. Never been there for that one although I always watch the videos afterwards - I am beyond excited for that!! I absolutely love the csikös.

If you go again and plan to take in a game, let me know when you will be there & I'll tell you what the game of the weekend is. Fradi are our top team by far and in terms of footballing ability yes they are the team to watch but it's not necessarily the best atmosphere and all round experience.  Their far right ultras have also returned to games recently with the aryan greens flag being back on prominent display, not a good thing to see and it makes for a hostile, intimidating atmosphere, completely the opposite to the normal welcoming Budapest you'd expect. Plus Fradi v Kisvárda for example would be a complete bore in comparison with MTK v Honvéd, the latter being one of the lesser Budapest derbies. There are 5 Budapest clubs in the NBI this year - that's a lot of derby matches! The best derby will always be Fradi v Lilák but only if both sets of ultras attend, they make it what it is, looking forward to experiencing the MTK v Fradi derby live as well this year!