The proud heritage of Polish football dates back to the late 19th century with the first clubs being formed around 1900. These were largely made up of student organisations or were off-springs of sporting institutions that were already established.
A landmark moment occurred in 1919 when the Polish Football Union (PZPN) came into existence. Four years later, PZPN joined FIFA. In 1955 it affiliated itself with UEFA.
As for the league structure that we know of today, that first came to be in 1927, the Ekstraklasa boasting 20 different winners in its 97-year history.
Such variation is a testament to the competitive nature of Polish football, especially when compared to a La Liga or Bundesliga, leagues that have long been dominated by a very select few.
Which neatly brings us to the question of the day: Who is the biggest club in Poland? After all, unlike several other countries, it’s not entirely clearcut.
Biggest Clubs In Polish Football:
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Legia Warsaw
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Górnik Zabrze
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Lech Poznań
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Wisła Kraków
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Ruch Chorzów
A point of order before we begin. Though the amount of trophies a club has won naturally makes up a large part of our thinking, it does not account for all of it.
There is also history, stature, fan-bases and Champions League appearances to factor in too.
5) Ruch Chorzów
With a population of two million, Chorzów resides in Upper Silesia, a region known for its heavy industry and mining. The club therefore is deeply proud of traditionally having a large working class following.
It’s a club too that has had a lot of different names and incarnations down the years, beginning life as KS Ruch Bismarkhuta in 1920 before changing to KS Ruch Wielkie Hajduki for nearly two decades.
During the Second World War, it disbanded only to be renamed Unia Chorzów on its return, reluctantly taking the new moniker under communist pressure.
‘Ruch’ – translating as ‘movement’ – was reinstated after the Silesian Uprisings.
Nicknamed the Blues for very obvious reasons, Ruch won the Ekstraklasa five times pre-war then a further five more times leading up to the nineteen-seventies whereupon the club elevated itself to even greater heights by experiencing its golden period.
Led by legendary coach Michal Vican, the Blues secured a famous double in 1974 before advancing to the quarter finals of the UEFA Cup and European Cup in consecutive seasons.
These achievements were inspired by some wonderful talents, most notably Zygmunt Maszcyzk and striker Joachim Marx, admired for his powerful shooting.
Subsequent financial problems resulted in the Blues plummeting to Poland’s third tier but in recent times some much-needed equilibrium has been restored.
Indeed, Ruch are well fancied in the betting to make a welcome return to the top-flight in the not-too-distant future.
4) Wisła Kraków
Presently the ‘White Star’ languish in the second tier (I Liga) but even in a relative slump they remain a trophy-winning proposition. Last May they secured the Polish Cup, becoming only the fifth side outside of the top-flight to ever do so.
Still, finishing mid-table last term, with promotion never part of the conversation is a reflection on how far this giant of Polish football has fallen, a club that once reached the last eight of the European Cup and has competed in the UEFA Cup on ten occasions.
Formerly called TS Wisla, the occupants of the Henryk Reyman Municipal Stadium have won 13 Ekstraklasa titles across its 118-year existence and are, by some distance, the biggest club in Kraków, a city that used to be Poland’s capital.
That honour was switched to Warsaw in the sixteenth century and that partly explains the intense rivalry with Legia Warsaw, as two of the most successful clubs in Polish football’s history compete while representing the north and south of the country.
The fixture has been dubbed ‘The Derby of Poland’.
3) Lech Poznań
Brits are most aware of the ‘Railwaymen’ due to their unusual style of celebration, that entails fans turning their back to the pitch when rejoicing in a goal.
This eye-catching act, complete with jumping up and down on the spot, has since been copied by Manchester City supporters and become known as ‘doing the Poznan’.
In Poland meanwhile, despite being an almost constant fixture of the top-flight beyond the Second World War the club were rarely viewed as a threat. Popular among neutrals for this very reason the ‘Pride of Greater Poland’ – another of their nicknames – were simply….there.
That all changed in 1980 when Wojciech Lazarek took charge, the manager completely transforming the club’s fortunes and turning them into regular title challengers.
Back-to-back Ekstraklasa triumphs were attained in the early Eighties and there followed a rich vein of success that is showing no signs of abating. In the last three decades, Lech have won eight league crowns, five domestic cups, and competed in over 150 European games.
2) Górnik Zabrze
A pedigree name in Poland, Górnik are another club with an association with Manchester City, losing to the English side in the UEFA Cup Winners Cup final in 1970. They additionally reached the last eight of the European Cup two years earlier.
A remarkable 14 league crowns and six Polish Cups places the Miners as the second most successful club from their country and even if such successes have dried up in recent years – last lifting a meaningful trophy in 2001 – they will forever be Polish royalty.
Moreover, their fan-base to worth considering, a fervent and loyal horde who turn up in great numbers.
When the club reclaimed their top division status in 2017 Górnik boasted the highest attendances that season by far, with every game sold out.
1) Legia Warsaw
One of the founding members of the Ekstraklasa, Legia have not experienced relegation from the top-flight since regrouping after the Second World War.
They have won a record 15 league titles, along with 20 Polish Cups and five Polish Super Cups. They have been blessed with a plethora of true homegrown greats down the generations, including Lesław Ćmikiewicz and Kazimierz Deyna.
Unquestionably then, the club with strong military links dating back to their forming in 1916 are the biggest, and most successful Polish club of them all.
That being said, could it be argued that their record in European competition has historically been somewhat underwhelming?
Granted, reaching the semi-finals of the European Cup and UEFA Cup Winners Cup – in 1970 and 1991 respectively – is no small feat. Yet it’s still notable that a club of such stature has failed to feature in a single final.
Regardless, the Legionaries will once again be short-priced in the football betting to secure the league title this season for a century’s worth of reasons.
*Credit for the photos in this article belongs to Alamy*
