Diósgyőri Vasgyárak Testgyakorló Köre, more commonly Diósgyőri VTK () is a professional football club from Hungary. Located in the Diósgyőr district of Miskolc. Founded in 1910 by the local working class youth, the club plays in the Nemzeti Bajnokság I, the top flight of Hungarian football, and has spent most of its history in the top tier. Diósgyőr is best known for its passionate supporters – in the past years, Diósgyőr had one of the highest average attendances in the Hungarian top division. The football club enjoyed its first golden age in the late 1970s and early 1980s, including a third-place finish in the 1978–79 season of the Hungarian League and two Hungarian Cup triumphs in 1977 and 1980.
History
Diósgyőri VTK, a Hungarian football club, was founded in 1910. The club's history is marked by periods of both success and struggle. They achieved their first Hungarian Cup victory in the 1976-77 season, which led to their qualification for the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. The team's best league finish was third place in the 1978-79 season. The article also notes frequent promotions and relegations, with their longest uninterrupted run in the top league lasting from 2011 to 2021. The most recent events include their promotion to the first league in 2023.
Crest and colours Naming history 1910–38: Diósgyőri VTK 1938–45: Diósgyőri MÁVAG SC 1945–51: Diósgyőri VTK 1951–56: Diósgyőri Vasas 1956–92: Diósgyőri VTK Miskolc 1992–00: Diósgyőr FC 2000–03: Diósgyőri VTK 2003–04: DVTK 1910 2004–05: Diósgyőri Balaton FC (later Diósgyőri VTK-BFC) 2005–07: Diósgyőri VTK 2007–08: Diósgyőri VTK-BORSODI 2008–present: Diósgyőri VTK
Manufacturers and shirt sponsors The following table shows in detail Diósgyőri VTK kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors by year: PeriodKit manufacturerShirt sponsor −2008 Saller Szeviép / Regale Klíma 2008 – 2009 Szeviép / É.M.K. 2009–2010 Erreà AVE / Jánosik és TSA. / É.M.K. 2010–2011 AVE 2011–2013 Nike – 2014–2018 Borsodi 2018–2021 2Rule Borsodi2021–2RuleHell Energy
Stadia and facilities
The home of the club is the multi-purpose Diósgyőri Stadion located in Miskolc, Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County, Hungary.
They played their matches from 1911 to 1939 near the canteen of the Diósgyőr Ironworks. The stadium was first opened on 25 June 1939.
In 1968, the stadium underwent major expansions and the capacity was increased to 22,000. The stadium was then reopened after renovations on 26 May 1968. At that time, it was the biggest stadium in Hungary outside of Budapest. The highest attendance record for the stadium was set on 27 November 1968, when approximately 35,000 people saw a match between the DVTK and the Ferencvárosi TC. In the 2000s, its capacity was dropped to 15,000 due to security reasons sections of the stadium was closed from the public.
Prior to demolition in 2016, the stadium had the following areas: the western Main Stand that was built in 1939. Three other wings were built in 1968, with a grass surface and a tartan covered running track, where football matches and athletic championships were held. The Complex contained one grass surfaced training field built in 1977, one with artificial turf built in 2006, and two others with cinder covering that opened in the 1960s. The artificial grass field had lighting. Near the stadium, there is a covered training field and a former boxing arena re-opened for soccer in 2009. Although the stadium did not meet the standards of many other European stadiums, it was the most modern arena in Eastern Hungary. Floodlighting was installed and began operating on 15 November 2003.
The Main Stand had its first renovation in 2005–06 and after a significant modernization project, it was opened on 23 April 2006 with a roof over 1,504 seats. In 2009–2010, the eastern-wing of the 40-year-old stands was demolished. For the 100th birthday of the club, new covered stands were built with a buffet, restrooms, and 3,137 seats on the so-called "Sunny wing" or "Napos oldal". This wing was so-named because the sun would make it difficult for fans to watch matches during afternoon competition. Construction began on 10 August 2009 and an opening ceremony was held on 6 March 2010. The 2009–10 renovation cost 400 million HUF. In 2011–2012, the training fields were modernized, and two additional fields were built. Currently, there are four training fields with floodlights, two with natural grass and 2 with artificial grass.
From 1992 to 2000, the field was named DFC Stadium due to the club changed its name from DVTK to Diósgyőri Football club. During the 2007–2008 season, the name of the stadium was DVTK-Borsodi Stadium, because of a sponsorship arrangement.
A famous section of the stadium called the Csáki-stand is named after the fan, József Csáki.
In 2016, the construction of a new stadium has been started.
On 20 June 2017, it was announced that Diósgyőr is no longer able to play their home matches at the Mezőkövesdi Városi Stadion due to the turf not being able to endure the extra matches played on it. As a consequence of this, Diósgyőr played their home matches of the 2017–18 Nemzeti Bajnokság I matches at stadium of Debreceni VSC', Nagyerdei Stadion, in Debrecen.
On 5 May 2018, the new stadium was opened officially. The first official match was played between Diósgyőr and Mezkőkövesd in the 2017–18 Nemzeti Bajnokság I season. The match ended with a 1–0 win for the Borsod-rival Mezőkövesd. The only goal was scored by Dražić in the 88th minute of the game.
The capacity of the newly built DVTK-Stadium is 15,325.
Highest attended games at the DVTK-Stadium DateMatchAttendanceReferences27 November 1968Diósgyőr 1–2 Ferencváros35,00020 June 1992Diósgyőr 0–2 Ferencváros30,0004 April 1969Diósgyőr 0–0 Ferencváros30,00026 April 1970Diósgyőr 1–1 Újpest25,00015 November 1975Diósgyőr 0–0 Ferencváros25,00025 February 1978Diósgyőr 2–0 Ferencváros25,00025 November 1978Diósgyőr 1–0 Ferencváros25,00015 March 1978Diósgyőr 0–0 Vasas25,00016 October 1976Diósgyőr 3–2 Ferencváros25,0005 April 1975Diósgyőr 1–1 Ferencváros25,00023 August 1997Diósgyőr 0–2 Újpest22,00023 May 1998Diósgyőr 0–2 Ferencváros22,00018 September 1982Diósgyőr 2–2 Ferencváros22,00028 November 1970Diósgyőr 1–1 Ferencváros20,00021 March 1971Diósgyőr 0–1 Újpest20,000
Supporters
DVTK has not won a Nemzeti Bajnokság I title and has not spent more than 10 consecutive seasons in the 1st Division. The club's fanbase is estimated at 100,000 to 150,000 people. Most fans reside in Miskolc and the surrounding towns in Borsod–Abaúj–Zemplén County, including Kazinczbarcika, Szerencs, Putnok, Méra, Sajóvámos, and Sátoraljaújhely. Supporters also live in Budapest, Szeged, and locations such as Árhely, Szabadka, and Ruzs.
During the 1963 Nemzeti Bajnokság I (autumn) season, despite the team having a streak of bad results, and finishing 11th, DVTK fans turned up to all home games, and the team had the highest attendance out of all the non-capital teams in the league, and 4th highest attendance behind Ferencváros, Vasas and Budapest Honvéd, with an average attendance of 15,000.
During the 1966 Nemzeti Bajnokság I season, Diósgyőr fans repeated this feat again, being the provincial team with the highest attendance, and only being bested in terms of numbers by Ferencváros, Budapest Honvéd, and Újpest, with an average attendance of 15,000, again.
In the 1968 Nemzeti Bajnokság I season, DVTK had the second highest attendance in the league, behind Ferencváros, with an average attendance of over 17,000. It was in that season, that DVTK took on Ferencváros at the DVTK-stadium in front of 35,000 people, in November 1968. In the span of just a few years, attendance numbers in Diósgyőr experienced a sharp decline, with only an average of 5,000 fans attending the DVTK stadium during the 1972/73 season, and the following season, an average of only 3,000 people showing up to watch DVTK in the 2nd Division. During this time, DVTK also lost the distinction of being the highest attended provincial team, with Fehérvár, Zalaegerszeg and even Salgótarján having a higher attendance.
In the second half of the decade, attendance numbers started rising again, to about 7,000. DVTK had the highest attendance during the 1989/90, 1990/91 1994/95, 1995/96, and 1996/97 seasons of the Eastern Conference of the Nemzeti Bajnokág II (2nd division). The team also had the second highest attendance during the 1992/93 1st Division season, with 9,000, with only fans of Ferencváros turning up in bigger numbers to home games that season.
During the 1997-98 Nemzeti Bajnokság I season, DVTK had the highest attendance in the 1st Division, with over 12,000 people regularly cheering on the red and whites. That season, four out of the five most attended Nemzeti Bajnokság I games were played at the DVTK stadium, against Újpest, Ferencváros, Győr and MTK.
In the 1998-99 Nemzeti Bajnokság I season, the two teams with the highest attendance were both from the North-Eastern part of the country, with DVTK and their arch rivals, Nyíregyháza Spartacus both having average attendances of over 9,000. DVTK had a higher attendance by an incredibly small margin (about 300 people), which meant the team boasted the highest attendance in the league for the second season in a row.
DVTK also had the highest attendance of the Nemzeti Bajnokság II during the 2001/02, 2002/03 and 2003/04 seasons with 3,000. During the team's first season back in the top-flight in 2004/05, after a 4-year hiatus, the team had the highest attendance in the entire country, for the third time, with 6,700 people.
During the 2010/11 season of the Eastern conference of the 2nd Division, DVTK had the highest attendance, with 2,600. In the 2011–12 season, the average number of fans was 7,793, which meant that DVTK, once again, was the team with the highest attendance in the league. The relationship with the Nyíregyháza, Ferencváros, and Újpest supporters is particularly bad. DVTK fans have previously sympathized with the other red and white team in East Hungary, Debrecen supporters. In recent years, a friendly relationship with the supporters of Szeged has evolved and they have a friendship with the Polish fans of GKS Bełchatów.
On 19 July 2014, UEFA issued sanctions against Ferencváros and Diósgyőr and Slovakia's Spartak Trnava, following racist behaviour by their fans during 2014–15 UEFA Europa League qualifying matches against Maltese sides Sliema Wanderers, Birkirkara and Hibernians respectively. Ferencvaros were the hardest hit by the UEFA measures as club were fined by €20,000 and the partial closure of their stadium following monkey chants and racist banners displayed in both legs in Malta and Hungary.
Supporter Groups
Throughout the 1980s and onwards, a new subculture was emerging in Eastern Europe, the ultras culture. The culture was gaining popularity rapidly, and Hungarian football fans began imitating the fanatics of Western Europe, where ultras and hooliganism were deeply engrained in their football culture. The first supporter group of DVTK was founded in 1993, and the name, Sturm Und Drang was chosen, to pay tribute to the German literature movement of the same name. Soon, they would be joined in the Y sector of the DVTK stadium by other Ultra groups, such as Fighters, Red Gladiators, Rude Boys, Redskins, Emigrantes Rojos and Korzó Boys.
In 1998, the separate groups would be united under one banner, called Harcosok. This union between a number of different groups would exist until 2003. In the 2000s, other supporter groups, such as Commandos, Bajtársak (Brothers In Arms) and Hazádnak Rendületlenül (Steadfastly For Your Nation) would come to exist, further solidifying the Ultras' impact on the football scene in Diósgyőr. In the 2010s decade, groups such as Beagle Boys, Egység, Trógerek and Red Company, Pacin Ultras and Barczikai Brigád were founded.