National Academy of Handball
The National Academy of Handball (Hungarian: Nemzeti Kézilabda Akadémia, commonly abbreviated NEKA) is a Hungarian state-funded handball training and developing center run by the Hungarian Handball Federation. Located in Balatonboglár, it offers an integrated four year education for students in grades 9–12. In addition, it is open for Hungarian international junior handballers (aged 18–21) under a trilateral agreement between the academy, the players' club and the players itself.
| Nemzeti Kézilabda Akadémia | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Nemzeti Kézilabda Akadémia | ||
| Short name | NEKA | ||
| Founded | 2013 | ||
| Arena | NEKA Sportcsarnok | ||
| Capacity | 678 | ||
| Head coach | László Sótonyi (men's) Beáta Bohus (women's) | ||
| League | Nemzeti Bajnokság I (men's) Nemzeti Bajnokság I/B (women's) | ||
| Club colours | |||
| |||
| Website Official site | |||
Entry conditions
The academy is open for those of 14 years old girls and boys who completed the eighth grade, but has to pass the professional sports input requirements:
- Sports physician certification
- Expert's report on the resilience of the spine
- Anthropometric measurements
- Psychological test
- Measurement of motor skills (running speed, dynamic leg strength, throwing power, game skills in match situation)
The first semester of the school set to begin in autumn 2013 with 30 girls and 30 boys, subsequently new classes will be launched in every 3 years.
It is not mandatory for junior international handballers to join the academy, however, if they do so, at the end of their training period they are free to return to their previous club.
Facilities
- Accommodation for the academists in residential system in a formerly three star hotel (150 rooms)
- Restaurant, kitchen, education and training areas in the building
- 800-seats capacity handball arena, suitable for international matches
- Gym, swimming pool, sauna, regeneration and rehabilitation facilities
- Specific training sites for individual theoretical and practical training
- Sports medicine, physiology and diagnostic center
- Personality development, distance learning, and competency-based training opportunities
Academy personnel
The technical staff of the academy is independent from clubs and most of them associatied with the Hungarian national teams.
- Staff as of 2020[1]
- Lajos Mocsai – academy director, master coach
- Tamás Mocsai – academy manager, former handball player
- János Hajdu – technical director, master coach, former head coach of the Hungarian national teams in younger age categories (women's teams)
- Beáta Bohus – EHF master coach, head coach of the Hungarian national teams in younger age categories (women's teams)
- Beáta Siti – certified coach, assistant coach of the Hungary women's national handball team
- László Sótonyi – EHF master coach
- Szilárd Kiss Sr. – master coach
- Szilárd Kiss Jr. – EHF master coach, head coach of Hungarian national teams in younger age categories (women's teams)
- Péter Woth – EHF master coach, assistant coach of Hungarian national teams in younger age categories (women's teams)
- Béla Bartalos – goalkeeping coach
- Edit Vári – athletics coach
- Zsolt Varga – coach
- Zsolt Kopornyik – coach
- György Zsigmond
Men's team
Kits
| HOME | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
           2016-17 |
    2017-18 |
     .png.webp){kind=small} 2018-20 |
    2020-21 |
    2021- | ||
| AWAY | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
     2016-17 |
    2017-18 |
    2018-20 |
    2020-21 |
    2021- | ||
| THIRD | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
    2016-17 |
    2017-18 |
    2018-19 |
 2019-20 |
    2020-21 |
    2021- | |
Current squad
- Squad for the 2021–22 season[2]
| NEKA | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Goalkeepers
Left Wingers
Right Wingers
Line Players
|
Central Backs
Left Backs
Right Backs
|
Technical staff
| ||
Transfers
- Transfers for the 2021–22 season
|
|
Honours
| Honours | No. | Years | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League | |||||
| Nemzeti Bajnokság I/B | Winners | 1 | 2020-21 | ||
| Nemzeti Bajnokság I/B | Third Place | 1 | 2018-19 | ||
Recent seasons
- Seasons in Nemzeti Bajnokság I:[3] 1
- Seasons in Nemzeti Bajnokság I/B:[4] 5
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Women's team
The first team of NEKA has regularly competed in the Nemzeti Bajnokság I/B. For the 2020–21 season they signed an agreement with Szent István SE that the two teams would unite and compete as one team in the Nemzeti Bajnokság I under the name Boglári Akadémia-SZISE.[5] The union is often referred to as SZISE-NEKA.[6][7]
Kits
| HOME | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
    2013-14 |
2015-17 |
2017-18 |
2018-20 |
2020- | ||
| AWAY | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
    2013-14 |
2015-17 |
2017-18 |
2018-20 |
2020- | ||
| THIRD | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
    2013-14 |
2015-17 |
2018-19 |
2019-20 |
2020-21 |
    2021- | |
Current squad
- Squad for the 2021–22 season[8]
| NEKA | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Goalkeepers
Left Wingers
Right Wingers
Line Players
|
Central Backs
Left Backs
Right Backs
|
Technical staff
| ||
Former club members
Notable former players
Women's team
|
Men's team
|
Former coaches
Women's team
|
Men's team
|
References
- "Edzők és terapeuták". NEKA. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
- "Neka.hu".
- "Magyar bajnokság NB1 - férfi" (in Hungarian). kezitortenelem.hu.
- "Magyar bajnokság NB1B - férfi" (in Hungarian). kezitortenelem.hu.
- "Boglári Akadémia-SZISE". mksz.hu. 10 August 2020.
- "Szent István SE-NEKA: Közösen az NBI-ben". szise.hu. 6 June 2020.
- "Kézilabda:Közösen indul a Szent István SE és a NEKA a női NBI-ben". utanpotlassport.hu. 4 June 2020.
- "NEKA - Akadémisták - Női szakág".
- "National Academy of Handball – Summary" (PDF) (in Hungarian). Hungarian Handball Federation. 18 December 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 February 2013. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
- "Edzők és terapeuták". NEKA. Retrieved 21 May 2020.