Zalaegerszeg reveals budget plan to achieve financial sustainability

Zalaegerszeg has launched the ‘Open ZTE’ project to increase transparency by publishing its full budget details. The club’s budget plan reveals an operating cost of approximately 9.3 million euros (3.38 billion forints) for the current season, while revenue excluding player sales is only 3.8 million euros (1.38 billion forints). To cover the 5.5 million euro deficit, the club intends to generate roughly 4.83 million euros through player sales.

Zalaegerszeg head coach Filipe Celikkaya indicated that the club may temporarily forgo certain state subsidies related to fielding Hungarian players in favor of global recruitment to ensure long-term sustainability. Economist Gábor Szabados suggests this model of developing and selling talent is a necessary shift for Hungarian football as state support and media rights revenues potentially decrease in future seasons.

While Kisvárda owner Attila Révész holds a different view on the league's future, the Zalaegerszeg approach emphasizes a market-based strategy to achieve financial stability within the NB I.