Górnik Zabrze facts for kids
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| Full name | Górnik Zabrze Spółka Akcyjna | |||
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| Nickname(s) | Trójkolorowi (Tri-Colour), Górnicy (The Miners) |
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| Founded | 14 December 1948 | |||
| Ground | Arena Zabrze | |||
| Capacity | 24,563 | |||
| Chairman | Vacant | |||
| Manager | Jan Urban | |||
| League | Ekstraklasa | |||
| 2023–24 | Ekstraklasa, 6th of 18 | |||
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Górnik Zabrze is a famous football club from Zabrze, Poland. Its full name is Górnik Zabrze Spółka Akcyjna, which means "Górnik Zabrze Joint Stock Company".
Górnik is one of the most successful Polish football clubs ever. They have won many Polish Championship titles, tying with Ruch Chorzów for the second-highest number of wins. The club was super strong in the 1960s and 1980s. Górnik holds the record for winning the most Polish Championship titles in a row (5 times!). They also won the Polish Cup 5 times in a row.
A huge achievement for Górnik was reaching the final of the 1969–70 European Cup Winners' Cup in 1970. They finished as runners-up in this big European competition.
Today, Górnik Zabrze plays in the Ekstraklasa, which is the top football league in Poland. The team plays in white or dark blue-red kits. Their home stadium is the Arena Zabrze. Their biggest rival is Ruch Chorzów.
Contents
Club History
How it Started
Górnik Zabrze was founded in 1948. Several smaller sports clubs joined together to form one big club. They chose the name "Górnik," which means "Miner" in Polish. This name showed that Zabrze was an important city for coal mining.
In 1950, Górnik joined a regional league. By 1952, the club was promoted to the Polish Second Division. Their first game in this league was against Skra Częstochowa. About 20,000 fans watched Górnik win 5–1! The team had a great season and finished second.
In 1955, Górnik was promoted to the top league in Poland. In their first game in the top league, they beat their local rivals Ruch Chorzów 3–1. About 25,000 fans were there to see it! Górnik finished their first top-league season in sixth place.
First Big Wins
Just one year after joining the top league, Górnik won its first Polish Championship in 1957. The team had a star player named Ernest Pohl. They finished third in 1958, then won the championship again in 1959 and 1961. Other important players from that time included Stanisław Oślizło and Hubert Kostka.
In 1961, Górnik played in a European Cup for the first time. They lost in the first round to Tottenham Hotspur.
The Golden Years
Górnik won another championship in 1963. This started an amazing run of five championships in a row (1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, and 1967). This is still a Polish record!
Górnik's biggest success in European football happened in 1970. Even though they were second in Poland that year, they did great in the UEFA Cup Winners Cup. Górnik beat teams like Olympiacos, Rangers, Levski Sofia, and AS Roma. They reached the final, which was played in Vienna. In the final, Manchester City won 2–1. The next season, Górnik played Manchester City again in the quarter-finals.
The 1980s and Today
In the mid-1970s, Górnik's performance dropped, and they were relegated to the Second Division in 1978. But they quickly came back up after just one year.
In 1984, Górnik bought some very talented players. These included Ryszard Komornicki, Waldemar Matysik, and Andrzej Pałasz. The team finished fourth, which showed that better times were coming.
Between 1985 and 1988, Górnik had another amazing run, winning four championships in a row! During this time, Górnik also played against famous European teams like Bayern Munich, Anderlecht, Hamburger SV, Juventus, and Real Madrid.
In 1994, Górnik almost won the title again. They had great players like Jerzy Brzęczek and Tomasz Wałdoch. In the last game of the season, Górnik played against Legia Warsaw. If Górnik had won, they would have been champions. But the game ended in a 1–1 tie, and Legia won the title.
In the same year, Górnik played its last European Cup game for a while, losing to Admira Wacker Vienna.
In 2007, Górnik got a new sponsor, Allianz. However, in 2009, the club was relegated to the second level of Polish football. But in June 2010, they were promoted back to the Ekstraklasa! Since then, Górnik has helped many players become part of the Poland national team. Some players, like Arkadiusz Milik and Szymon Żurkowski, have moved to play in stronger leagues in other countries.
Club Achievements
League Titles
- Ekstraklasa (Top Polish League)
- Champions: 14 times! (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: 4 times (1962, 1968–69, 1973–74, 1990–91)
Cup Wins
- Polish Cup
- Winners: 6 times! (1964–65, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1971–72)
- Runners-up: 7 times (1955–56, 1956–57, 1961–62, 1965–66, 1985–86, 1991–92, 2000–01)
- Polish League Cup
- Winners: 1978
- Polish Super Cup
- Winners: 1988
European Competitions
- European Cup
- Quarter-finalists: 1967–68
- UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
- Runners-up: 1969–70
Youth Team Success
- Polish U-19 Championship
- Champions: 1967, 1989
- Polish U-17 Championship
- Champions: 1992, 1996, 2023
Górnik in European Games
Górnik Zabrze has played in many European football competitions over the years. Here are some of their notable matches:
| 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 |
| 1R |  |
Dukla Prague | 2–0, 1–4 | ||
| 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 | ||
| 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 | ||
| 1985–86 | European Cup | 1R |  |
Bayern Munich | 1–2, 1–4 |
| 1988–89 | European Cup | 2R |  |
Real Madrid | 0–1, 2–3 |
| 1989–90 | UEFA Cup | 1R | |
Juventus | 0–1, 2–4 |
| 2018–19 | UEFA Europa League | 1Q |  |
Zaria Bălți | 1–0, 1–1 |
| 2Q |  |
Trenčín | 0–1, 1−4 |
Current Team Players
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Players on Loan
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Famous Former Players
Many talented players have played for Górnik Zabrze. Here are some of the most well-known:
Jan Banaś- Paweł Bochniewicz
- Jerzy Brzęczek
- Jerzy Gorgoń
- Tomasz Hajto
- Andrzej Iwan
- Ireneusz Jeleń
- Hubert Kostka
- Włodzimierz Lubański
- Arkadiusz Milik
- Stanisław Oślizło
- Ernest Pohl
- Łukasz Skorupski
- Andrzej Szarmach
- Zygfryd Szołtysik
- Jan Urban
- Tomasz Wałdoch
- Robert Warzycha
- Szymon Żurkowski
- Michał Bemben
- Igor Angulo
Club Managers
Many different managers have led Górnik Zabrze throughout its history. Here are some of them:
- Gerard Wodarz (1950–54)
Zoltán Opata (1957–58)- Augustyn Dziwisz (1960–62)
- Géza Kalocsay (1966–69)
- Hubert Kostka (1976–77, 1983–86, 1994)
- Antoni Piechniczek (1986–87)
- Marcin Bochynek (1987–89, 2000, 2008)
- Henryk Apostel (1993, 1997)
- Jan Żurek (1996, 1997–2000, 2016)
- Waldemar Fornalik (2001, 2002–04)
- Verner Lička (2004)
- Marek Motyka (2005–06, 2006–07)
- Ryszard Wieczorek (2007–08, 2013–14)
- Henryk Kasperczak (2008–09)
- Adam Nawałka (2010–13)
- Robert Warzycha (2014, 2015)
- Marcin Brosz (2016–2021)
- Jan Urban (2021–2022, 2023–present)
- Bartosz Gaul (2022–2023)
Fans and Rivals
Górnik Zabrze has one of the biggest and most loyal fan groups in Poland. Many fans come from the Katowice metropolitan area. In the 2016–17 season, Górnik Zabrze had the highest number of fans at their home games in the second league. They also had the highest attendance in their league overall. When they returned to the top league in 2017, Górnik had the highest average home attendance in all of Polish football! Most of their league games were completely sold out.
Górnik has a long-standing rivalry with another team from Upper Silesia, Ruch Chorzów. Their matches are known as the Great Silesian Derby. Other main rivals include Piast Gliwice, Polonia Bytom, Legia Warsaw, and Zagłębie Sosnowiec.
Górnik Zabrze's main fan group is called Torcida Zabrze. They are named after the ultras (super fans) of Torcida Split from Croatia, and they have a friendly relationship with them. Together, they are called United Torcida. Górnik fans also have friendly ties with fans of ROW Rybnik, Wisłoka Dębica, GKS Katowice, and even the German club Schalke 04. Several smaller local clubs also have Górnik fan-clubs.
Images for kids
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History of Górnik Zabrze classifications in the Ekstraklasa
See also
In Spanish: Górnik Zabrze para niños
