In 1904, members of the singing and social circle of Magyar Vagon- és Gépgyár founded the Egyetértés Torna Osztály, known as ETO, with a focus on football. The club soon welcomed enthusiasts from other sports as well. During its first four decades, athletes from table tennis, athletics, wrestling, rowing, cycling, boxing, chess, shooting, tennis, hiking, gymnastics, swimming, water polo and fencing sections helped strengthen the club’s reputation.
The club chose green and white as its colours. Although these colours changed several times over the years, one thing remained unchanged: from the very beginning, the wagon factory was a reliable supporter of ETO’s footballers.
The Early Years of ETO
In the club’s early years, the team played in the district championship. Its first significant success came in the Hadikupa, in which all the top teams except Ferencváros took part. ETO surprisingly finished second behind MTK, a team made up of outstanding players.
The year 1926 brought a turning point in Hungarian football. With the introduction of professionalism, ten teams formed the first division and fourteen teams formed the second division. ETO did not agree with the conditions of professional participation, so the team continued to play in the amateur league.
First Time in NB I
The team played in the first division for the first time in the 1937/38 season, after defeating Diósgyőr in the promotion play-off. Under the leadership of Károly Fogl, the team struggled, losing many matches and winning only three. At the end of the season, the team was relegated and was unable to return to the first division until after the end of the Second World War.
A major change in the life of the team came in the 1948/49 season. Lajos Baróti, who had arrived in Győr from Szeged, broke his leg, after which the club management asked him to become the team’s coach. Under his leadership, the team improved and reached a mid-table position. At the beginning of the 1950s, Imre Kovács took over the management of ETO. With his help, the team climbed as high as sixth place.
The legends of this era included Dombos, Fehérvári, Pális, Pesti, Palotai, Kárpáti, Kalmár, Kertesi, Gőcze and Józsa. Unfortunately, the team was relegated in the mid-1950s, as a decision by the Hungarian Football Federation in 1955 meant that four teams dropped out of the first division. After a three-year break, talented players such as Szentmihályi, Palotai and Keglovich joined the team.
Great Result in the European Cup
The team achieved an outstanding result in the European Cup in the 1964/65 season. ETO defeated Chemie Leipzig twice, then overcame Lokomotiv Sofia. To reach the top four, ETO also beat DWS Amsterdam.
In the semi-final, the team faced the famous Benfica. The match was played at the Népstadion, but the Portuguese side stopped ETO’s run. Nevertheless, from a Hungarian point of view, this remains one of the greatest results in club football history, and it has still not been surpassed.
During the 1960s, ETO also had a great run in the Hungarian Cup. The team won the cup three times in a row — in 1965, 1966 and 1967 — which made ETO a regular participant in the Cup Winners’ Cup. Teams such as Fiorentina, Braga, Standard Liège and AC Milan came to Győr to play in the competition.
Tóth made his debut for the national team, Palotai and Orbán became Olympic champions in Tokyo, and Keglovich won an Olympic gold medal in Mexico City.
The József Verebes Era
With the signing of József Verebes, one of the most successful eras in ETO’s history began. In the 1981/82 season, ETO scored more than one hundred goals in the championship and revolutionised Hungarian football with its Dutch-style game.
At that time, more than 20,000 people regularly attended matches at the stadium. In the following year, the club managed to defend its title against the big clubs from the capital. These were unforgettable moments for both the fans and the players. The first József Verebes era brought two more silver medals and one bronze medal in the following years.
Players who won two championships: Burcsa Győző, Csonka Gyula, Hajszán Gyula, Hannich Péter, Hlagyvik Gábor, Kovács László, Magyar Lajos, Mile Sándor, Póczik József, Szabó Ottó, Szentes Lázár and Szijártó László.
Players who won one championship: Füzi Géza, Glázer Róbert, Gyurmánczy Attila, Hornyák Béla, Kiss Csaba, Koltai István, Onhausz Tibor, Palla Antal, Pardavi Károly, Rezi Lajos, Szepesi László, Turbék István, Varga József, Vági János and Wunder András.
The 1990s
After difficult times, József Verebes returned to Győr in 1993. In his first year, the team finished ninth, and in the following season it reached fifth place. Verebes gave many ETO players the opportunity to play for the national team, including Kuttor, Csertői, Klausz, Ivanics and Herczeg.
Due to unsuccessful performances both with the national team and at club level, József Verebes was dismissed by the club at the end of 1994.
In the following years, László Győrfi, József Póczik and Sándor Haász coached the team, and the club managed to retain its place in the first division.
In 1997, István Reszeli Soós was appointed, and the club also brought in Bertalan Bicskei as technical director. They achieved good results in their first year.
The 2000s
In the 2005/06 season, ETO finished ninth, and one year later the team finished thirteenth. In 2007, the stadium was renovated with the aim of achieving better results in professional infrastructure. In the 2007/08 season, ETO won a bronze medal under Sándor Egervári and qualified for international competitions.
In the 2008/09 season, ETO finished eighth in the league, and Péter Bajzát became the top goalscorer. In the same season, ETO reached the semi-final of the Hungarian League Cup.
ETO started the 2009/10 season under coach Attila Pintér. The team remained unbeaten for nineteen matches and won a bronze medal in the league. After this season, ETO played in the Europa League and defeated opponents such as Nitra, Atyrau and Montpellier. In the play-off round, Dinamo Zagreb stopped ETO, but it was still a great achievement for the club and for Hungarian football as well.
ETO won its fourth league title in 2013. The team defeated Ferencváros at home and became champions three rounds before the end of the championship. One year later, ETO won a silver medal in the Hungarian championship.
Present
In 2015, the team was on the verge of disappearing and was left without an owner and main sponsors. Radical changes were made in the following years, and ETO began fighting to return to the first division with talented, mainly home-grown players.
Club Foundation
In 1904, members of the singing and social circle of Magyar Vagon- és Gépgyár founded the Egyetértés Torna Osztály, known as ETO, with a focus on football. The club soon welcomed enthusiasts from other sports as well. During its first four decades, athletes from table tennis, athletics, wrestling, rowing, cycling, boxing, chess, shooting, tennis, hiking, gymnastics, swimming, water polo and fencing sections helped strengthen the club’s reputation.
The club chose green and white as its colours. Although these colours changed several times over the years, one thing remained unchanged: from the very beginning, the wagon factory was a reliable supporter of ETO’s footballers.
The Early Years of ETO
In the club’s early years, the team played in the district championship. Its first significant success came in the Hadikupa, in which all the top teams except Ferencváros took part. ETO surprisingly finished second behind MTK, a team made up of outstanding players.
The year 1926 brought a turning point in Hungarian football. With the introduction of professionalism, ten teams formed the first division and fourteen teams formed the second division. ETO did not agree with the conditions of professional participation, so the team continued to play in the amateur league.
First Time in NB I
The team played in the first division for the first time in the 1937/38 season, after defeating Diósgyőr in the promotion play-off. Under the leadership of Károly Fogl, the team struggled, losing many matches and winning only three. At the end of the season, the team was relegated and was unable to return to the first division until after the end of the Second World War.
A major change in the life of the team came in the 1948/49 season. Lajos Baróti, who had arrived in Győr from Szeged, broke his leg, after which the club management asked him to become the team’s coach. Under his leadership, the team improved and reached a mid-table position. At the beginning of the 1950s, Imre Kovács took over the management of ETO. With his help, the team climbed as high as sixth place.
The legends of this era included Dombos, Fehérvári, Pális, Pesti, Palotai, Kárpáti, Kalmár, Kertesi, Gőcze and Józsa. Unfortunately, the team was relegated in the mid-1950s, as a decision by the Hungarian Football Federation in 1955 meant that four teams dropped out of the first division. After a three-year break, talented players such as Szentmihályi, Palotai and Keglovich joined the team.
Great Result in the European Cup
The team achieved an outstanding result in the European Cup in the 1964/65 season. ETO defeated Chemie Leipzig twice, then overcame Lokomotiv Sofia. To reach the top four, ETO also beat DWS Amsterdam.
In the semi-final, the team faced the famous Benfica. The match was played at the Népstadion, but the Portuguese side stopped ETO’s run. Nevertheless, from a Hungarian point of view, this remains one of the greatest results in club football history, and it has still not been surpassed.
During the 1960s, ETO also had a great run in the Hungarian Cup. The team won the cup three times in a row — in 1965, 1966 and 1967 — which made ETO a regular participant in the Cup Winners’ Cup. Teams such as Fiorentina, Braga, Standard Liège and AC Milan came to Győr to play in the competition.
Tóth made his debut for the national team, Palotai and Orbán became Olympic champions in Tokyo, and Keglovich won an Olympic gold medal in Mexico City.
The József Verebes Era
With the signing of József Verebes, one of the most successful eras in ETO’s history began. In the 1981/82 season, ETO scored more than one hundred goals in the championship and revolutionised Hungarian football with its Dutch-style game.
At that time, more than 20,000 people regularly attended matches at the stadium. In the following year, the club managed to defend its title against the big clubs from the capital. These were unforgettable moments for both the fans and the players. The first József Verebes era brought two more silver medals and one bronze medal in the following years.
Players who won two championships: Burcsa Győző, Csonka Gyula, Hajszán Gyula, Hannich Péter, Hlagyvik Gábor, Kovács László, Magyar Lajos, Mile Sándor, Póczik József, Szabó Ottó, Szentes Lázár and Szijártó László.
Players who won one championship: Füzi Géza, Glázer Róbert, Gyurmánczy Attila, Hornyák Béla, Kiss Csaba, Koltai István, Onhausz Tibor, Palla Antal, Pardavi Károly, Rezi Lajos, Szepesi László, Turbék István, Varga József, Vági János and Wunder András.
The 1990s
After difficult times, József Verebes returned to Győr in 1993. In his first year, the team finished ninth, and in the following season it reached fifth place. Verebes gave many ETO players the opportunity to play for the national team, including Kuttor, Csertői, Klausz, Ivanics and Herczeg.
Due to unsuccessful performances both with the national team and at club level, József Verebes was dismissed by the club at the end of 1994.
In the following years, László Győrfi, József Póczik and Sándor Haász coached the team, and the club managed to retain its place in the first division.
In 1997, István Reszeli Soós was appointed, and the club also brought in Bertalan Bicskei as technical director. They achieved good results in their first year.
The 2000s
In the 2005/06 season, ETO finished ninth, and one year later the team finished thirteenth. In 2007, the stadium was renovated with the aim of achieving better results in professional infrastructure. In the 2007/08 season, ETO won a bronze medal under Sándor Egervári and qualified for international competitions.
In the 2008/09 season, ETO finished eighth in the league, and Péter Bajzát became the top goalscorer. In the same season, ETO reached the semi-final of the Hungarian League Cup.
ETO started the 2009/10 season under coach Attila Pintér. The team remained unbeaten for nineteen matches and won a bronze medal in the league. After this season, ETO played in the Europa League and defeated opponents such as Nitra, Atyrau and Montpellier. In the play-off round, Dinamo Zagreb stopped ETO, but it was still a great achievement for the club and for Hungarian football as well.
ETO won its fourth league title in 2013. The team defeated Ferencváros at home and became champions three rounds before the end of the championship. One year later, ETO won a silver medal in the Hungarian championship.
Present
In 2015, the team was on the verge of disappearing and was left without an owner and main sponsors. Radical changes were made in the following years, and ETO began fighting to return to the first division with talented, mainly home-grown players.