Debrecen4U September 8, 2025

The Maugli Cup now has a history spanning two decades

On September 6, 2025, the Bihar State Care Association (BAGE) hosted the 20th annual Maugli Cup Football Tournament and Youth Meeting—an event dedicated to young people living in state care.

The event was attended by young people living in residential homes in Debrecen and Hajdú-Bihar, aftercare leavers, and children and young people living in disadvantaged situations. The goal of the football tournament is that, in addition to playing sports, those associated with the Bihar State Care Association can meet each other and representatives of civil organizations from whom they can receive help in their later lives.

At the opening of the event, held on artificial turf fields next to the Debrecen Ice Arena, Lajos Buzás, president of the Bihar State Care Association, expressed his pride, among other things, that several of the young people participating in this football tournament are certified athletes, and this is an opportunity for them to break out. According to the president, there are currently 23,000 young people in Hungary living in state care, so it is very important that society helps them. The National Child Protection Service, among others, has an important role to play in this.

Diána Széles, Deputy Mayor of Debrecen, said that they often talk to the president of the Bihar State Care Association, Lajos Buzás, about how to motivate young people living in state care. Their life situation is very difficult—and these difficulties cannot be overcome alone. Therefore, the activity carried out by those who help young people living in state care, including those working in residential homes, is very valuable. The work of Lajos Buzás is a very good example of the importance of helping, as he himself grew up in state care and has been working for the benefit of his younger peers for many, many years. According to the deputy mayor, sports, exercise, music, and dance are areas where young people can fulfill themselves; belonging to a community, adopting and following good human examples creates opportunities for them to catch up, break out, and achieve jobs and professions that previously seemed unattainable. And these opportunities must be taken advantage of—despite all the difficulties!

The star guest of the event was Norbert Balogh, a former DVSC footballer and former national team player, who shared his own life experiences with the young people. As he said about his departure, he grew up in a poor family in Hajdúböszörmény, in a Roma environment. Although it was very difficult, he always believed that he could get there and achieve the results he wanted, and in this way he could help those he loved very much and who were very important to him, and he could help his family. Norbert Balogh strongly recommended to the young people to believe in themselves, because a person who believes in themselves can go any distance and achieve any result. Education is important, knowledge of a foreign language is important, and it is important for a person to be able to put everything on one page in order to achieve their goals. Education is important, knowledge of a foreign language is important, and it is important that a person can put everything on one page in order to achieve his goals. It is possible to achieve what he achieved, that he was able to play on the field with world stars. According to Norbert Balogh, the most important thing in life is to fight for yourself and for those you love. And you should be happy when you are surrounded by people who pay attention to you and support you. 

During the opening ceremony, the participants were also greeted by Marianna Éles, the national professional director of the Baptist Active Charity Mission (Bétesz), which provided lunch for the event. The organizers presented the participating young people with sports equipment, sweets, and perfumes, courtesy of the event’s sponsors.

The winners of the football tournament were 1. BAGE team, 2. Debrecen Correctional Institution, and 3. Bihar Child Protection Center.

Source and photo credit:debrecen.hu