Photo: TSCIf football, and good football at that, is played even outside of Belgrade, the best example is TSC. Bačka Topola is located two hours from the capital. A small town whose football club managed to overshadow its more famous neighbors from Subotica and to be side by side with Novi Sad's Vojvodina.
TSC's success did not come overnight. It could even be said that it was built for decades. And not only on the field. Today, TSC has a modern stadium, infrastructure, an academy that can be envied by richer clubs from Western Europe, and, above all, stability. The main architect of success is the president of the vice-champion of Serbia, Janos Žemberi. Someone who participated in the club's development from the beginning, when TSC was in the fourth tier of the competition.
I think that the beginning of the rise of TSC started in 2003 when I came to the club with my colleagues. We invested in the younger categories, the infrastructure; initially, the guys from Bačka Topola and the returnees from the former AIK played. We enjoyed football then. We built the club step by step, with the desire to make, at one point, a serious breakthrough. Our contacts taught us that the Hungarian Football Association wants to invest in areas with a Hungarian community. We eagerly accepted that help. Then we, as a club, increased our investments and dreams, which we were chasing, we set out to realize. Sponsors began to appear, the local community began to help us, and our interlocutor began the story.
However, not everything was so easy. The investments had to be bigger as the club grew and won lower ranks.
You know what was the hardest moment? When we moved from the amateur level to the professional level of Serbian football. That transition is very complicated. We needed a playing staff, people's trust that you want to create something good. There are many things in your head that you need to shift. It was necessary to find the right people, a serious coach and professional staff, and a team of managers to raise the organization. But we wanted it. We did so many good things that I don't want to remember the bad ones. We were constantly looking for a way to succeed. You grit your teeth in some situations and push on. I carry some instincts from business. I run the club like a company; I'm simply the manager and don't interfere in business, says Janos Žamberi.
Unlike some bigger clubs in Serbia and the region, TSC does not have a bulky board of directors and too many people who make vital decisions.
Simply, we picked up quality people recognized in their work and environment. Our board of directors consists mostly of businessmen with several hundred employees. We are a good company with about ten people who work well outside this club. There are ten of us, we share experiences, and we enjoy the results. Every club must have such people and a manager. I lead, they help me, and we care for TSC like our children.
TSC is not the only club in the region where Hungary, as a country, helps through sports. In Croatia, such a case was with Osijek, Slovakia with DAC, and Romania with Šepši. However, they did not rely on their experiences in Bačka Topola.
That experience from the region did not help us. And I will tell you why. We all function differently, regardless of Hungary's help as a country. Of course, we know each other, but the stories are completely different. Osijek had financial problems; help came from a Hungarian businessman (Ferenc Sakalj), who is not so present in the club itself, but they are enjoying good results. DAC, that is, Dunajska Streda, is something else again. The club is led by Oskar Vilagi, a man born in Dunajska who holds high positions, is the vice president of MOL, is very wealthy, and has built a modern stadium himself. Romania probably has the largest Hungarian community, but Šepši does not have such results. We lead the story in our way. We are independent, we adapt to the conditions, we manage well, and we have great cooperation with FSS. Unlike the listed clubs supported by Hungary in those countries, we have support from all over Serbia, and fans from the former Yugoslavia also recognize us. Sometimes, we play friendly matches with the clubs I listed, but I must repeat, how we operate is different. And even in the football style, the president of TSC is honest.
The pride, not only of Bačka Topola but also of all those who follow football in Serbia, is the TSC Arena. It is a modern stadium with a capacity of about 4,500 seats, which even the Bundesliga would not be ashamed of. This facility has three Uefine stars; it is multifunctional; there are plans to complete a hotel with 45 rooms and everything that adorns modern stadiums throughout Europe. The academy is another story. Tucked away with state-of-the-art fields, modern classrooms, quality kitchen, and modern classrooms.
I love the Academy. When I enter here, I am filled with positive energy. Now we also have a women's football club training there. Academy and Arena go together. The Academy is work, the Arena is show. We want to bring in quality coaches and let their experience help us. The parents also recognize that. We lacked scouting, and we are developing that. I assure you, now we have children from Belgrade and the south of Serbia in the club. We have pedagogues and psychologists, and children can choose which school they will attend in Bačka Topola. There is an agricultural school, a gymnasium... We also monitor how they behave in school and what kind of grades they get. Sometimes, we are parents instead of parents because we experience them as our children. This is the environment where they can develop properly as athletes and people. Even if they don't become footballers, they will leave here as quality people. When we talk about the stadium, we want a modern facility. I'm sorry we didn't increase the capacity, but who expected us to reach the Europa League so quickly? Against Zvezda and Partizan, we need a double cap; for Europe this season, we could fill up even more. Again, for smaller games, this is also enough. UEFA permitted us to play Europa League group-stage matches despite being skeptical. They couldn't believe it when they saw that our away team dressing room looked better than West Ham's or Freiburg's.
There is also advice for those who plan to build new stadiums in Serbia.
My recommendation is that Skybox boxes are mandatory. These are the places where businessmen come. It's harder to raise money from regular tickets than this way. The price is not a problem, and we have a fixed fee of around five thousand euros per game. When people pay, they come and feel good. During the week, they come with their business partners. The next step is the hotel, which will also be a place to watch matches and a relaxation center. I'm sad that the stadium in Leskovac doesn't have skyboxes, which I think is a big mistake. We took care of every detail. Bars for drinks are in the stand itself, not outside. Fans can watch the game, talk, and reduce nervousness. We copied that from American stadiums. The club shop is close to the stadium, and we make animations for the youngest fans. The idea is to have an play room within the hotel. If a parent wants to watch football peacefully, we are here to help. The idea is to connect the pool and the hotel with a footbridge. A modern spa center and a modern restaurant are planned. We also have a hall for table tennis, and our idea is to connect sports in the city that way.
This year's Europa League group stage was a special experience. TSC did not dissapoint in the company of West Ham, Freiburg and Olympiakos, and until the last round they were in the race for third place. A lot was learned, not only on the field.
We learned a lot. We learned what a real organization is, and UEFA excels at that. We were given the chance to learn the game's real organization. After that, it is not a problem for us when we need to do the same in our Superliga. Another thing was the away games against the mentioned clubs. We took our coaches to see what their academies look like, we talked to the club owners, we got new ideas from them where we can make a profit. We created a quality marketing service after those meetings. Honestly, our players also benefited. They saw and felt another level. We learned from everything. Freiburg and West Ham are special experiences for me, we also had a great reception at Olympiakos. At Piraeus, we had some internal problems with the match being played without the audience. We met the West Ham and Freiburg leaders and had good talks, which greatly benefited us. In Freiburg, they even told us that our Academy is more beautiful than theirs.
Social networks are something that the club from Bačka Topola pays special attention to. With over 20 thousand followers on Instagram and TikTok, clubs with a larger army of fans are far behind.
We have seen how they work in Europe. It costs us a lot every year, but the investment, when we are talking about a club, is not only the players. My son, who came from London, helped me a lot. Our goal is to follow trends, to be a role model for other clubs. We cannot reach Zvezda and Partizan, but we want to join them in the fight for the fans.
For a long time, TSC has cooperated with the company Kapeli Sport, which became recognizable due to its cooperation with the club from Bačka.
They recognized us when we started the project. The owner of Kapeli is a man with fruit orchards here; he loves sports a lot, and his five children play football. He owns football academies in New York, Duisburg, Denmark, and one in Africa. At the beginning, he told us that he would help us. Later, bigger companies gave us better conditions when we developed, but we stayed with Kapeli because they recognized us in time. We are also impressed by the fact that we are an important client for them. Sometimes, the status you have is more important than the contract itself.
In the end, the question arises - what is the next step for TSC and in what direction will the club go after the second place in the championship and playing in the Europa League.
We have reached the top regarding results and currently do not have the budget to compete for the title. Our goal is for Europe to play it constantly and bring points for Serbian football. We will also invest in a women's football club. To begin with, to be near the top, and for our girls to appear on the big stage. We do not chase unattainable results, and we want to be realistic. I want you to know that I like to invest in infrastructure, and now we will build two more fields. Infrastructure is what gets left behind. I must add that TSC is a club that brings people together and strengthens relations between two nations. Our goal is to unite Serbia and Hungary, and also others from the region, concluded Janos Žemberi.
The development of TSC started in 2003 when Janoš and his associates came to the club.
It is a modern stadium with a capacity of about 4,500 seats, which even the Bundesliga would not be ashamed of.
The building has three UEFA stars, it is multifunctional, there are also plans to complete a hotel with 45 rooms, along with everything that adorns modern stadiums throughout Europe.
TSC did not disappoint in the company of West Ham, Freiburg, and Olympiakos, and until the last round, they were in the race for third place.
TSC is a club that brings people together, strengthening relations between two nations.
TEXT: Miloš Milićević
