# Falco KC Szombathely

Falco Kosárlabda Club, for sponsorship reasons named Falco Volvo Alpok Autó Szombathely, is a Hungarian professional basketball club based in Szombathely. The team play their home games at Arena Savaria, a multi-use complex, which was opened in 2006.

## History
### Beginning and uprising

The club was created in 1980, when basketball fanatics György Gráczer and István Németh with the support of the local wood industry Falco started to organize meetings and trainings. In that year the club entered the county level championship. In 1987, Falco decided to invest more money into the club and the success was immediate. By winning the championship in the 1987/88 season they won promotion to the second division. In the next year they did surprisingly well, finishing on the top in the regular season with only two losses, but failed in the play-offs final. A season later there was nothing what could prevent the yellow-blacks to lift the trophy in the final, and with that, after 27 years Szombathely got a top-flight basketball team again.

### Successful years

The goal in the inaugural season couldn't be more than to stay in the NBI, which they clearly managed. In the following years Falco turned into a good mid-table team with a good reputation. In the 1995/96 and 1996/97 season Falco have been only a step away from the semifinals, fallen in decisive fifth match. In the next year the team finished only 7th in the league but won silver medal in the Hungarian National Basketball Cup. The team reached its top performance next year, finishing second in the National Championship and beating teams like Rimini and Beşiktaş in the Korać Cup.

### Financial crisis and revival

In the next few years Falco continued with high-level results, but a slow decreasing had been noticed. For 2002 the team went into a financial crisis, and produced the worst final place of the past years. A long-term, step by step financial consolidation plan have been accepted in that year, which saved the club from bankruptcy, but prevented the club to make quality signings. Still, the team had won a valuable bronze medal in the Hungarian Cup. After the financials have been cleared a quick improvement have started. In 2006 Falco moved to the newly built Arena Savaria and Srećko Sekulović arrived to coach the guys. In his first year in charge, after beating the reigning champion Atomerőmű, the team finished fourth in the playoff. In the 2007/2008 season Falco played unstoppable, the hard-work of Sekulović fructified and won the Championship title, first time in the club's history by beating arch-rival Körmend 3–1. In the Cup they marched till the final, where they lost to Atomerőmű in an epic battle. Nowadays Falco considered one of the top clubs in the country in a highly competitive league and have one of the best youth base in the country.
In 2015, Falco played in the 2015–16 FIBA Europe Cup, the third-tier continental level. Finishing with a 2–4 record in Group C, Falco was eliminated in the regular season.
In the following 2016–17 season, Falco had a successful year in the NB I/A. The club reached the playoff finals for the first time, where its lost 3–2 to Alba Fehérvár.
In the 2017–18 FIBA Europe Cup season, Falco played better as it had a 3–3 record but the club did not advance past the regular season.
In the 2018–19 season, Falco won its second national championship completing a total sweep in the playoffs. In the quarter-finals they eliminated KTE. Then they made it to the finals with sweeping Szolnoki Olaj KK. In the finals they upset their local rival BC Körmend 3–0, celebrating the Championship Title away.
In the 2019–20 season, Falco managed to qualify for the Basketball Champions League (BCL). Since the league was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Falco gained the rights to join again for the 2020–21 season.

## Players
### Retired numbers

Falco KC Szombathely retired numbers :
| No | Nat. | Player | Position | Tenure |
| 8 | | László Kálmán | G | 1992–2013 |
| 18 | | Zoltán Horváth | F | 2008–2009 |

### Other notable players

To appear in this section a player must have either: - Set a club record or won an individual award as a professional player. - Played at least one official international match for his senior national team.
* Benedek Váradi
* Antonio Alexe

## Honours
### Domestic competitions

Nemzeti Bajnokság I/A (National Championship of Hungary)
* Champions (6): 2007–08, 2018–19, 2020–21, 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24
* Runners-up (4): 1998–99, 2011–12, 2016–17, 2017–18
* Third place (2): 1999–00, 2001–02
Magyar Kupa (National Cup of Hungary)
* Champions (3): 2021, 2023, 2025
* Runners-up (6): 1998, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2018, 2019
* Third place (2): 1997, 2024

## Season by season

| Season | Tier | League | Pos. | Domestic cup | European competitions | European competitions |
| 1989–90 | 3 | NB II/A | 1st | | | |
| 1990–91 | 2 | NB I/B | 8th | | | |
| 1991–92 | 2 | NB I/B | 3rd | | | |
| 1992–93 | 1 | NB I/A | 12th | | | |
| 1993–94 | 1 | NB I/A | 8th | | | |
| 1994–95 | 1 | NB I/A | 7th | | | |
| 1995–96 | 1 | NB I/A | 8th | | | |
| 1996–97 | 1 | NB I/A | 5th | Third place | | |
| 1997–98 | 1 | NB I/A | 7th | Runner-up | 3 Korać Cup | RS |
| 1998–99 | 1 | NB I/A | 2nd | | 3 Korać Cup | RS |
| 1999–00 | 1 | NB I/A | 3rd | | | |
| 2000–01 | 1 | NB I/A | 5th | | | |
| 2001–02 | 1 | NB I/A | 3rd | | | |
| 2002–03 | 1 | NB I/A | 7th | | | |
| 2003–04 | 1 | NB I/A | 6th | | | |
| 2004–05 | 1 | NB I/A | 6th | | | |
| 2005–06 | 1 | NB I/A | 11th | | | |
| 2006–07 | 1 | NB I/A | 4th | | | |
| 2007–08 | 1 | NB I/A | 1st | Runner-up | | |
| 2008–09 | 1 | NB I/A | 4th | Runner-up | | |
| 2009–10 | 1 | NB I/A | 6th | Runner-up | | |
| 2010–11 | 1 | NB I/A | 7th | | | |
| 2011–12 | 1 | NB I/A | 2nd | | | |
| 2012–13 | 1 | NB I/A | 7th | | | |
| 2013–14 | 1 | NB I/A | 11th | did not qualify | | |
| 2014–15 | 1 | NB I/A | 6th | Quarterfinalist | | |
| 2015–16 | 1 | NB I/A | 9th | Quarterfinalist | 3 FIBA Europe Cup | RS |
| 2016–17 | 1 | NB I/A | 2nd | Quarterfinalist | | |
| 2017–18 | 1 | NB I/A | 2nd | Runner-up | 4 FIBA Europe Cup | RS |
| 2018–19 | 1 | NB I/A | 1st | Runner-up | 4 FIBA Europe Cup | RS |
| 2019–20 | 1 | NB I/A | 1st | Cancelled | 3 Champions League | RS |
| 2020–21 | 1 | NB I/A | 1st | Champion | 3 Champions League | RS |
| 2021–22 | 1 | NB I/A | 1st | Quarterfinalist | 3 Champions League | T16 |
| 2022–23 | 1 | NB I/A | 1st | Champion | 3 Champions League | |
| 2023–24 | 1 | NB I/A | 1st | 3rd | 3 Champions League | |
    ^1 Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Hungary.

### In European competition

Source: basketball.eurobasket.com
* Participations in Champions League: 6x
* Participations in FIBA Europe Cup: 3x
* Participations in Korać Cup: 2x
| Season | Competition | Round | Club | Home | Away | Aggregate |
| 1997–98 | Korać Cup | Qual. Round 1 | Brotnjo | (wo.) | (wo.) | (wo.) |
| 1997–98 | Korać Cup | Regular season (Group I) | Aris Moda Bagno | 81–97 | 62–101 | 3rd |
| 1997–98 | Korać Cup | Regular season (Group I) | TBB Trier | 81-95 | 108-102 | 3rd |
| 1997–98 | Korać Cup | Regular season (Group I) | Maribor Ovni | 87-73 | 72-67 | 3rd |
| 1998–99 | Korać Cup | Qual. Round 1 | Svjetlost Brod | 72-61 | 85-94 | 157–155 |
| 1998–99 | Korać Cup | Regular season (Group E) | Beşiktaş | 94–83 | 71–74 | 4th |
| 1998–99 | Korać Cup | Regular season (Group E) | Ericsson Bobry Bytom | 71–90 | 74–84 | 4th |
| 1998–99 | Korać Cup | Regular season (Group E) | Pepsi Rimini | 85–66 | 63–83 | 4th |
| 2015–16 | FIBA Europe Cup | Regular season (Group C) | Telenet Oostende | 64–86 | 62–91 | 4th |
| 2015–16 | FIBA Europe Cup | Regular season (Group C) | Openjobmetis Varese | 75–73 | 71–94 | 4th |
| 2015–16 | FIBA Europe Cup | Regular season (Group C) | Södertälje Kings | 81–85 | 62–54 | 4th |
| 2017–18 | FIBA Europe Cup | Qual. Round 2 | Balkan | 96-95 | 84-74 | 180–169 |
| 2017–18 | FIBA Europe Cup | Regular season (Group H) | Nizhny Novgorod | 79–84 | 92–94 | 3rd |
| 2017–18 | FIBA Europe Cup | Regular season (Group H) | Szolnoki Olaj | 84–74 | 79–89 | 3rd |
| 2017–18 | FIBA Europe Cup | Regular season (Group H) | Karpoš Sokoli | 108–87 | 104–43 | 3rd |
| 2018–19 | FIBA Europe Cup |
| 2018–19 | FIBA Europe Cup | Regular season (Group H) | Szolnoki Olaj | 66–83 | 76–79 | 3rd |
| 2018–19 | FIBA Europe Cup | Regular season (Group H) | Dinamo Sassari | 60–92 | 69–104 | 3rd |
| 2018–19 | FIBA Europe Cup | Regular season (Group H) | Leicester Riders | 80–65 | 95–84 | 3rd |
| 2019–20 | Champions League | Qual. Round 1 | Oradea | 71-62 | 90-96 | 161–158 |
| 2019–20 | Champions League | Qual. Round 2 | Ventspils | 75-69 | 73-55 | 148–124 |
| 2019–20 | Champions League | Regular season (Group D) | Casademont Zaragoza | 70–77 | 69–70 | 5th |
| 2019–20 | Champions League | Regular season (Group D) | JDA Dijon | 82–81 | 68–87 | 5th |
| 2019–20 | Champions League | Regular season (Group D) | Telekom Baskets Bonn | 91–59 | 77–91 | 5th |
| 2019–20 | Champions League | Regular season (Group D) | Beşiktaş Sompo Sigorta | 79–83 | 49–74 | 5th |
| 2019–20 | Champions League | Regular season (Group D) | Neptūnas | 97–73 | 83–87 | 5th |
| 2019–20 | Champions League | Regular season (Group D) | PAOK | 76–66 | 89–80 | 5th |
| 2019–20 | Champions League | Regular season (Group D) | Happy Casa Brindisi | 93–83 | 92–98 | 5th |
| 2020–21 | Champions League | Regular season (Group D) | Casademont Zaragoza | 94–86 | 76–85 | 3rd |
| 2020–21 | Champions League | Regular season (Group D) | Nizhny Novgorod | 88–93 | 68–73 | 3rd |
| 2020–21 | Champions League | Regular season (Group D) | Start Lublin | 84–75 | 83–59 | 3rd |