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The Government Office of Békés County and the Békéscsaba Volleyball Sports Association, as well as the Békéscsaba Volleyball Sports Association and Gál Ferenc University, Kodolányi János University and the Hungarian Agricultural and Life Sciences University signed a partnership agreement on Wednesday afternoon at a ceremony held at the Government Office of Békés County.

Dr. Árpád Takács, Békés County Archbishop, said that a few years ago, the government office set itself three main goals, which it has succeeded in achieving.

– The three areas were the creation of a unified law enforcement, the increase of responsiveness and the realisation of an open authority, he stressed. The four pillars of an open authority are a well-trained, language-speaking cadre of government officials, partnership with municipalities, a society-building function based on cooperation agreements and cooperation with higher education institutions.

– We have similar goals with the BSRE in the field of social organisation, namely to provide a viable future for young people in Békés county,” he said. Our main idea is that young people should stay here, choose higher education here, play sport here and work here. He said that the cooperation would also involve workshops and scientific research, and that a sports science section would be set up within the Scientific Council of the Békés County Government Office. He stressed that they share similar core values with the sports association, they want to succeed, and they are opposed to the public mood that they have to leave, as they believe that they will write the history of Hungary in Békés county in the future.

Ádám Baran, president of the Békéscsaba Volleyball Sports Association, presented the milestones of their club. He highlighted the reorganisation of Békéscsaba volleyball in 2000, which preserved the values of the team and its youth, the new direction of the management in 2010, which led the team to significant success and developed the youth, the brilliant results in the international cup competition and the Békéscsaba Volleyball Academy, which was implemented with government support.

– With the signing of the cooperation agreements on Wednesday, we have taken an important step towards achieving another milestone, he stressed, which is the opening of a methodological centre and a state-accredited academy in Békéscsaba. He said that sport is a strategic sector with economic and demographic implications. Thanks also to BRSE, many young professionals have come to Békéscsaba or have settled back.

– The example of BRSE can give us faith that it is possible to prosper and achieve success here too,” he said. “We want to show our young talents a career model, which is why the agreements signed with higher education institutions are of particular importance.

Péter Szarvas, mayor of Békéscsaba, like Ádám Baran, described the agreement as unique. He recalled that the initiative to boost women’s volleyball in Békéscsaba started in 2016, when he and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán signed the chapter of the Modern Cities Programme to build a volleyball academy in Békéscsaba.

– This was followed by action and implementation, he added. Péter Szarvas pointed out that in recent years, a number of adult and junior athletes have left Békéscsaba and their training clubs to find higher education elsewhere.

– The agreement signed by BRSE with three universities will strengthen the club and the whole of Békéscsaba, and will also have a positive impact on the region’s retention capacity, he said, commenting on the significance of Wednesday’s event.

The agreement could be inspiring

Dr Gyula Bögöly, president of the Hungarian Volleyball Association, said he hoped the cooperation agreement would also serve as an inspiration for all the member organisations of their association.