Are you ready for some Amerikai football?

8000 miles from home and the first live sporting event I attended in Hungary is Amerikai Football. The upstart Szolnok Soldiers semi-pro team battled the Eger Heroes Saturday afternoon in Rakoczifalva (RAH-koh-chee-fahv-uh) a small village about 25km south of here.

(Here's the Szolnok team preparing to take the field. I'm sure it's an ominous feeling to have to sprint past the ambulance on your way to the field of play.)


Only in the past few years has American Football started to grab hold here. Last season, a handful of NFL games were broadcast live here, although they were on at around 4 AM. Last fall, a guy named Gary (who was given a football for a gift by his Godmother when he was very young and ever since has been a big fan of American Football) organized a team, and gained entrance into the Hungarian Semi-Pro Football League. I had the chance to talk football with Gary at a pub the night before the game. Through broken English, he described to me their offense (fullback run plays between the tackles and end arounds) and defense (they run a base 4-3), and when I suggested the idea of running the option offense, he explained that his players are so new to the game they have to keep it very simple and add little bits at a time. When I showed up at the field Saturday, it turned out that while the team may be short on experience, they are long on commitment: Szolnok far outnumbered Eger in terms of players, and on the field it showed.

(The Eger Heroes doen't realize that they are about to get shutout.)

The Soldiers rolled out to a 10-0 halftime lead, using a lot of fullback dive plays with the occasional end-around to a strong, quick wide receiver. Szolnok went on to win 19-0 (Including a very impressive 41 yard field goal into the wind). The style of play resembles the smallest high schools in the US: very simple and relying more on strength than skill. On occasion the teams were forced to pass and it became quite clear they lack American Football skills. A Hungarian who can deliver a tight spiral is quite a commodity.

Later, we walked into town to catch the bus back to Szolnok. On the way we passed several homes. At the majority of homes, yards had been fenced in and converted to vegetable gardens. Some also had chickens and roosters (look out bird flu!).

(These two very nice ladies helped us find out way to the bus station in Rakoczifalva)

Their was a water polo match in town Saturday night, but after staying out too late Friday, and spending much of the day at the football game I was beat. So, I stopped by the local gyro stand, grabbed some supper (the gyros here have french fries on them, and they're really good!), and headed to my flat where I listened to music and went to bed early.

(I attended Saturday's game with (from left) Chad (from DC), Emesa (EM-uh-shay) and Julia (Yulia) along with Agi (AH-gee) who is Gary the coach's fiance and isn't pictured.)