Budapest celebrates: Ferencváros strengthens the ICE Hockey League!

Budapest celebrates: Ferencváros strengthens the ICE Hockey League!

Budapest, Ungarn - The field of participants in Wind2day Ice Hockey League for the next season is now finally determined. With the recording of Ferencváros Budapest, the league will consist of 13 teams in the 2025/26 season. The application of the newly founded Hockey Club Asiago in 1935 was not approved, which means that HC Asiago will take its place. In one vote, 10 of the 12 voting clubs against Asiago and only 2 opted for it. Asiago had played in the league for three years and his test status was extended for another year, but there were too many concerns about new player transfers, which ultimately led to this exclusion. The league president Dr. Alexander Gruber spoke out pro Asiago, but the necessary two-thirds majority could not be achieved. So HC Asiago withdraws and returns to the Italian league. The unexplained salaries from the previous season also cause problems for the association because agents are looking for contact persons.

The entry of Ferencváros Budapest

ferencváros will receive test status for initially two years, but which can be converted into permanent status, however, if all obligations are fulfilled by May 2, 2025. League President Alexander Gruber emphasizes that Budapest is an exciting market that has the potential to increase the attractiveness of the entire league. This is also evident in the international composition for the coming season, which, in addition to Austria (8 teams), also Italy (2), Hungary (2) and Slovenia (1).

Zoltán Nyíri, Vice President of Ferencváros, highlights the importance of this step for both the men's team and the Hungarian ice hockey sport and calls the fans to show patience and support while the new team integrates into the league. The new team structure also introduces a “game-free” status, which means that the game plan will include 52 game days in the future, which will take place primarily on weekdays.
This also benefits the Austrian TV channels ORF and Puls24, which will benefit from the extended league.

The development of ice hockey in Hungary is not new because the highest Hungarian league, the OB I. Bajnokság, has existed since 1936. Ferencváros is the league's record champions with 25 titles, now it is expected that the new financial and structural possibilities will continue to advance ice hockey. The international league has increasingly diversified since its foundation, whereby the Hungarian ice hockey league acts separately from the national championship. In 1999 the international competition was launched under the name MOL League, which was later renamed the first division and now offers a mixture of national and international clubs.