Górnik Zabrze

Górnik Zabrze
Full name	Górnik Zabrze Spółka Akcyjna
Nickname(s)	Trójkolorowi (Tri-Colour),; Górnicy (The Miners)
Founded	14 December 1948; 76 years ago
Ground	Arena Zabrze
Capacity	24,563
Chairman	Vacant
Manager	Jan Urban
League	Ekstraklasa
2023–24	Ekstraklasa, 6th of 18
Website	https://www.gornikzabrze.pl
	Current season

Górnik Zabrze Spółka Akcyjna, commonly referred to as Górnik Zabrze S.A. or simply Górnik Zabrze (Polish pronunciation: [ˈɡurɲiɡ ˈzabʐɛ]), is a Polish football club from Zabrze. Górnik is one of the most successful Polish football clubs in history, winning the second-most Polish Championship titles together with Ruch Chorzów. The club was a dominant force in the 1960s and 1980s. Górnik holds the record for winning the most consecutive Polish Championship titles (5) and Polish Cup titles (5). In addition, the club was 1969–70 Cup Winners' Cup runners-up.

They currently compete in the Ekstraklasa, the top tier of the national football league system. The club plays in a white or dark blue-red kit, and is based at the Arena Zabrze. Their main local rival is Ruch Chorzów.^[2]

History

First years

The club was founded in 1948 after several smaller sports associations – KS Zjednoczenie, KS Pogoń, KS Skra, and KS Concordia – were merged into a single organization, which took the name "Górnik", the Polish word for "Miner", reflecting the fact that Zabrze was an important coal-mining centre.

In 1950 Górnik joined the Opole Silesia regional league. In 1952 the club was promoted to the Polish Second Division. Their first game in the second tier was against Skra Częstochowa, and was witnessed by 20,000 fans, with Górnik winning 5–1. The whole season was very successful and Górnik finished second overall, behind Górnik Wałbrzych.

The club was promoted to the top division in 1955. In their first game in the top flight Górnik beat local rivals Ruch Chorzów 3–1, with 25,000 in attendance; the club finished the season in sixth place.

First successes

In 1957, just a year after promotion, Górnik won its first championship of Poland. The team, with star, Ernest Pohl, was third in 1958, to regain the crown in 1959 and 1961, together with such players as Stanisław Oślizło and Hubert Kostka. In 1961 Górnik for the first time appeared in European Cups, losing in the first round to Tottenham Hotspur.

Golden years

The next championship, won in 1963, marked the beginning of an unusual streak of five consecutive titles (1963, 64, 65, 66 and 67), which is a Polish record.

Górnik's biggest success in European football took place in 1970 (even though in Poland the team was second, after Legia Warsaw). In the UEFA Cup Winners Cup, Gornik beat all their opponents – Olympiacos, Rangers, Levski Sofia and AS Roma, reaching the final, which took place in Vienna. There, Manchester City turned out to be the better team, winning 2–1. The following season Górnik would once again play Manchester City, with the 1970 final being repeated this time in the quarter-final.

Late 1970s and early 1980s

During the mid-1970s Górnik form deteriorated and in late spring of 1978, the team was relegated to the Second Division. However, it returned after one year and in games of 1979–80, Zabrze's side finished sixth. In 1984, after purchasing of a group of talented players (Ryszard Komornicki, Waldemar Matysik, Eugeniusz Cebrat, Andrzej Zgutczyński, Tadeusz Dolny, Andrzej Pałasz), Górnik finished fourth, which was a sign of better times.

Late 1980s until now

Between 1985 and 1988 Górnik again marked a magnificent streak, with four consecutive championships. Zabrze's side also played versus renowned European powerhouses, such as Bayern Munich, Anderlecht, Hamburger SV, Juventus and Real Madrid.

In 1994 Górnik competed again for the title and with players as Jerzy Brzęczek, Grzegorz Mielcarski, Tomasz Wałdoch, hopes were high. Before the last round of the league the standings at the top were: Legia 47 points and Górnik 45 points. Since the two teams were to face each other in Warsaw, Górnik still had a chance to win the title. However the game ended in a 1–1 tie which gave Legia the crown. Before Legia scored the goal which gave her the title (the score 0–1 would mean the title for Górnik), the referee of the match – Mr Redzinski – sent off one by one 3 players from Górnik's squad, and Górnik had to finished match with only 8 players against 11 players of Legia. It was the last match in Mr Redzinski's career.

In the same year, Górnik played its last so far game in European Cups, losing to Admira Wacker Vienna.

In the spring of 2007 Górnik got a new sponsor – German insurance company Allianz. However, after finishing 16th in the Ekstraklasa in 2008–09, the club was relegated to the Polish First League, the second level of Polish football, during the 2009–10 season. In June 2010, the club earned promotion back to the Ekstraklasa for the 2010–11 season. Since then, Górnik has promoted a number of players to the Poland national team and transferred several players to stronger leagues, including Arkadiusz Milik, Łukasz Skorupski, Szymon Żurkowski and Paweł Bochniewicz.

Honours

League

Ekstraklasa
- Champions: 1957, 1959, 1961, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1965–66, 1966–67, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1987–88
- Runners-up: 1962, 1968–69, 1973–74, 1990–91

Cup

Polish Cup
- Winners: 1964–65, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1971–72
- Runners-up: 1955–56, 1956–57, 1961–62, 1965–66, 1985–86, 1991–92, 2000–01
Polish League Cup
- Winners: 1978
Polish Super Cup
- Winners: 1988

Europe

European Cup
- Quarter-finalists: 1967–68
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
- Runners-up: 1969–70

Youth teams

Polish U-19 Championship
- Champions: 1967, 1989
- Runners-up: 1985, 2001, 2011
- Third place: 2015
Polish U-17 Championship
- Champions: 1992, 1996, 2023
- Runners-up: 2014

Górnik in Europe

Season	Competition	Round	Club	Score
1961–62	European Cup	Q	Tottenham Hotspur	4–2, 1–8
1963–64	European Cup	Q	Austria Wien	1–0, 0–1, 2–1
1963–64	European Cup	1R	Dukla Prague	2–0, 1–4
1964–65	European Cup	Q	Dukla Prague	1–4, 3–0, 0–0
1965–66	European Cup	Q	LASK Linz	3–1, 2–1
1965–66	European Cup	1R	Sparta Prague	0–3, 1–0
1966–67	European Cup	1R	Vorwärts Berlin	2–1, 1–2, 3–1
1966–67	European Cup	2R	CSKA Sofia	0–4, 3–0
1967–68	European Cup	1R	Djurgårdens IF	3–0, 1–0
		2R	Dynamo Kyiv	2–1, 1–1
		1/4F	Manchester United	0–2, 1–0
1968–69	European Cup Winners' Cup	1R	Dynamo Moscow	withdrawal
1969–70	European Cup Winners' Cup	1R	Olympiacos	2–2, 5–0
		2R	Rangers	3–1, 3–1
		1/4F	Levski-Spartak	2–3, 2–1
		1/2F	Roma	1–1, 2–2, 1–1
		F	Manchester City	1–2
1970–71	European Cup Winners' Cup	1R	Aalborg BK	1–0, 8–1
		2R	Göztepe	1–0, 3–0
		1/4F	Manchester City	2–0, 0–2, 1–3
1971–72	European Cup	1R	Marseille	1–2, 1–1
1972–73	European Cup	1R	Sliema Wanderers	5–0, 5–0
1972–73	European Cup	2R	Dynamo Kyiv	0–2, 2–1
1974–75	UEFA Cup	1R	Partizan	2–2, 0–3
1977–78	UEFA Cup	1R	Haka	5–3, 0–0
1977–78	UEFA Cup	2R	Aston Villa	0–2, 1–1
1985–86	European Cup	1R	Bayern Munich	1–2, 1–4
1986–87	European Cup	1R	Anderlecht	0–2, 1–1
1987–88	European Cup	1R	Olympiacos	1–1, 2–1
1987–88	European Cup	2R	Rangers	1–3, 1–1
1988–89	European Cup	1R	Jeunesse Esch	3–0, 4–1
1988–89	European Cup	2R	Real Madrid	0–1, 2–3
1989–90	UEFA Cup	1R	Juventus	0–1, 2–4
1991–92	UEFA Cup	1R	Hamburger SV	1–1, 0–3
1994–95	UEFA Cup	Q	Shamrock Rovers	7–0, 1–0
1994–95	UEFA Cup	1R	Admira Wacker Mödling	2–5, 1–1
1995	Intertoto Cup	GR	AGF	1–4
			Basel	1–2
			Sheffield Wednesday	2–3
			Karlsruher SC	1–6
2018–19	UEFA Europa League	1Q	Zaria Bălți	1–0, 1–1
2018–19	UEFA Europa League	2Q	Trenčín	0–1, 1−4

Best results in European competitions

Season	Achievement	Notes
European Cup / UEFA Champions League
1968	Quarter-Final	lost to Manchester United 0–2 in Manchester, 1–0 in Chorzów
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
1970	Final	lost to Manchester City 1–2 in Vienna
1971	Quarter-Final	lost to Manchester City 2–0 in Chorzów, 0–2 in Manchester, 1–3 in Copenhagen

Players

Current squad

As of 16 September 2024^[3]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
1	GK	POL	Filip Majchrowicz
5	DF	POL	Kryspin Szcześniak
6	MF	POL	Damian Rasak
7	FW	SVN	Luka Zahović
8	MF	CZE	Patrik Hellebrand
9	FW	TUR	Sinan Bakış (on loan from Zaragoza)
10	FW	GER	Lukas Podolski
11	FW	NGA	Taofeek Ismaheel
14	MF	POL	Aleksander Tobolik
15	MF	POL	Norbert Wojtuszek
16	DF	POL	Paweł Olkowski
17	MF	POL	Kamil Lukoszek
18	MF	CZE	Lukáš Ambros


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
19	DF	POL	Norbert Barczak
20	DF	ESP	Josema
21	MF	POL	Dominik Sarapata
22	DF	ESP	Manu Sánchez
25	GK	POL	Michał Szromnik
26	DF	POL	Rafał Janicki
27	DF	POL	Dominik Szala
28	GK	POL	Kamil Soberka
30	MF	POL	Nikodem Zielonka
31	GK	POL	Mateusz Jeleń
44	FW	POL	Aleksander Buksa
64	DF	SVN	Erik Janža (captain)
88	MF	JPN	Yosuke Furukawa (on loan from Júbilo Iwata)

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
—	FW	POL	Jan Ciućka (at Rekord Bielsko-Biała until 30 June 2025)

Notable former players

Managers

Ginter Pawelczyk (1948–49)
Teodor Meiser (1949)
Karol Luks (1949–50)
Gerard Wodarz (1950–54)
Augustyn Dziwisz (1954–56)
Paweł Mościński (1956)
Hubert Skolik (1957)
Zoltán Opata (1957–58)
Hubert Skolik (1958–59)
Janos Steiner (1959)
Feliks Karolek (1960)
Vilém Lugr (1960)
Augustyn Dziwisz (1 July 1960 – 30 June 1962)
Feliks Karolek (1962)
Ewald Cebula (1962–63)
Feliks Karolek (1963)
Hubert Skolik (1963)
Feliks Karolek (1964)
Hubert Skolik (1964)
Ferenc Farsang (1964–65)
Władysław Giergiel (1 July 1965 – 30 June 1966)
Géza Kalocsay (1 July 1966 – 30 June 1969)
Michał Matyas (1969–70)
Ferenc Szusza (1970–71)
A. Brzeżańczyk (1 July 1971 – 30 April 1972)
Jan Kowalski (1972)
Gyula Szücs (1972)
Jan Kowalski (1972–73)
Teodor Wieczorek (1973–75)
Andrzej Gajewski (1975–76)
Józef Trepka (1976)
Hubert Kostka (30 May 1976 – 5 December 1977)
Władysław Jan Żmuda (13 December 1977 – 24 May 1980)
Zdzisław Podedworny (1980–83)
Hubert Kostka (1 December 1983 – 30 May 1986)
Lesław Ćmikiewicz (1 June 1986 – 14 October 1986)
Antoni Piechniczek (15 October 1986 – 30 June 1987)
Marcin Bochynek (1 July 1987 – 30 June 1989)
Zdzisław Podedworny (1989)
Jan Kisiel (1989–90)
Jan Kowalski (1990–92)
Janusz Kowalik (1992)
Alojzy Łysk (1992–93)
Henryk Apostel (1 July 1993 – 31 December 1993)
Hubert Kostka (1 January 1994 – 22 May 1994)
Edward Lorens (23 May 1994 – 2 June 1995)
Stanisław Oślizło (1995)
Adam Michalski (1995–96)
Jan Kowalski (1996)
Jan Żurek (11 August 1996 – 11 September 1996)
Piotr Kocąb (1996)
Henryk Apostel (1 January 1997 – 10 November 1997)
Jan Kowalski (1997)
Jan Żurek (1 December 1997 – 15 March 2000)
Józef Dankowski (int.) (16 March 2000 – 19 March 2000)
Marcin Bochynek (20 March 2000 – 9 April 2000)
Mieczysław Broniszewski (10 April 2000 – 16 September 2000)
Józef Dankowski (17 September 2000 – 7 May 2001)
Marek Piotrowicz (2001)
Waldemar Fornalik (10 May 2001 – 31 October 2001)
Marek Piotrowicz (2 November 2001 – 31 December 2001)
Waldemar Fornalik (12 January 2002 – 4 April 2004)
Verner Lička (5 April 2004 – 13 December 2004)
Edward Lorens (13 December 2004 – 3 February 2005)
Marek Wleciałowski (7 February 2005 – 31 October 2005)
Marek Motyka (4 November 2005 – 13 January 2006)
Ryszard Komornicki (13 January 2006 – 19 April 2006)
Przemysław Cecherz (int.) (19 April 2006 – 26 April 2006)
Marek Motyka (26 April 2006 – 12 December 2006)
Zdzisław Podedworny (2006–07)
Marek Motyka (13 March 2007 – 20 May 2007)
Marek Kostrzewa (2007)
Marek Piotrowicz (2007)
Ryszard Wieczorek (1 July 2007 – 10 September 2008)
Marcin Bochynek (int.) (2 September 2008 – 16 September 2008)
Henryk Kasperczak (16 September 2008 – 3 June 2009)
Ryszard Komornicki (18 June 2009 – 15 December 2009)
Adam Nawałka (1 January 2010 – 31 October 2013)
Bogdan Zając (int.) (1 November 2013 – 10 November 2013)
Ryszard Wieczorek (12 November 2013 – 9 March 2014)
Robert Warzycha (12 March 2014 – 30 June 2014)
Józef Dankowski (1 July 2014 – 30 June 2015)
Robert Warzycha (1 July 2015 – 13 August 2015)
Leszek Ojrzyński (13 August 2015 – 3 March 2016)
Jan Żurek (3 March 2016 – 2 June 2016)
Marcin Brosz (3 June 2016 – 27 May 2021)
Jan Urban (27 May 2021 – 15 June 2022)
Bartosch Gaul (23 June 2022 – 18 March 2023)
Jan Urban (18 March 2023 – present)

Supporters and rivalries

Górnik Zabrze is believed to have one of the largest and most loyal fanbases in Poland, especially in the Katowice metropolitan area. In the 2016–17 season, Górnik Zabrze drew the highest average home attendance (10,636)^[4] of all second level Polish football clubs. They also drew the highest attendance in their league (20,987). After their comeback to the top flight in 2017, Górnik drew the highest average home attendance in Polish football, surpassing current top teams Lech Poznań and Legia Warsaw,^[5] with most league games being sold-out.^[6]

Górnik holds a long-standing rivalry with Upper Silesian side Ruch Chorzów, known as the Great Silesian Derby [pl]. Other main rivals are Piast Gliwice, Polonia Bytom, Legia Warsaw and Zagłębie Sosnowiec.

Torcida Zabrze is named after the ultras of Torcida Split, with whom they have friendly relations; together they are called United Torcida. They have also friendly relations with fans of ROW Rybnik, Wisłoka Dębica, GKS Katowice and German club Schalke 04;^[7]^[8]^[9] the latter in past used to be a rival. Fans of Concordia Knurów, Naprzód Rydłutowy, Slavia Ruda Śląska and Czarni Pyskowice are also Górnik fan-clubs.

References

^ "KRS 0000106227 GÓRNIK ZABRZE SPORTOWA S A, NIP 6481278811, REGON 273128033". Krs-online.com.pl. Retrieved 2022-08-23.
^ Willis, Craig; Hughes, Will; Bober, Sergiusz. "ECMI Minorities Blog. National and Linguistic Minorities in the Context of Professional Football across Europe: Five Examples from Non-kin State Situations". ECMI. ECMI. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
^ "Drużyna I" (in Polish). Górnik Zabrze. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
^ "EFS Attendances". www.european-football-statistics.co.uk. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
^ Kusina, Maciej. "90minut.pl". img.90minut.pl. Archived from the original on 30 December 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
^ "Już jutro stadion Górnika odwiedzi więcej kibiców niż stadion Ruchu przez cały sezon - weszlo.com". weszlo.com. 15 September 2017. Archived from the original on 30 December 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
^ "Fanfreundschaften & Kontakte". stadionfans.de (in German). Archived from the original on 9 March 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
^ "Ultras-Tifo Forum-Friendship". Ultras-Tifo Forum. 2018-05-28. Retrieved 2024-09-15.
^ "RWE & Schalke Fans mit Sprüchen gegen die Polizei". archiv.faszination-fankurve.de (in German). 2015-05-09. Retrieved 2024-09-15.

External links

Official website (in Polish)
Fansite (in Polish) (archived 12 January 2007)
Fans' forum (in Polish) (archived 18 June 2004)

50°17′47″N 18°46′7″E / 50.29639°N 18.76861°E / 50.29639; 18.76861

[1] "KRS 0000106227 GÓRNIK ZABRZE SPORTOWA S A, NIP 6481278811, REGON 273128033". Krs-online.com.pl. Retrieved 2022-08-23.

[2] Willis, Craig; Hughes, Will; Bober, Sergiusz. "ECMI Minorities Blog. National and Linguistic Minorities in the Context of Professional Football across Europe: Five Examples from Non-kin State Situations". ECMI. ECMI. Retrieved 27 March 2023.

[3] "Drużyna I" (in Polish). Górnik Zabrze. Retrieved 19 January 2024.

[4] "EFS Attendances". www.european-football-statistics.co.uk. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2018.

[5] Kusina, Maciej. "90minut.pl". img.90minut.pl. Archived from the original on 30 December 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2018.

[6] "Już jutro stadion Górnika odwiedzi więcej kibiców niż stadion Ruchu przez cały sezon - weszlo.com". weszlo.com. 15 September 2017. Archived from the original on 30 December 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2018.

[7] "Fanfreundschaften & Kontakte". stadionfans.de (in German). Archived from the original on 9 March 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2024.

[8] "Ultras-Tifo Forum-Friendship". Ultras-Tifo Forum. 2018-05-28. Retrieved 2024-09-15.

[9] "RWE & Schalke Fans mit Sprüchen gegen die Polizei". archiv.faszination-fankurve.de (in German). 2015-05-09. Retrieved 2024-09-15.

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