Piast Gliwice facts for kids
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| Full name | Gliwicki Klub Sportowy Piast Gliwice | |||
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| Nickname(s) | Piastunki (the Custodians, the Keepers) | |||
| Founded | 18 June 1945 | |||
| Ground | Piotr Wieczorek Stadium | |||
| Capacity | 9,913 | |||
| Chairman | Łukasz Lewiński | |||
| Manager | Aleksandar Vuković | |||
| League | Ekstraklasa | |||
| 2023–24 | Ekstraklasa, 10th of 18 | |||
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Gliwicki Klub Sportowy Piast Gliwice is a professional football club from Gliwice, Poland. In the 2018–19 season, Piast won its first Polish championship, which is the top league title in Poland. As of the 2024–25 season, they play in the Ekstraklasa, which is Poland's highest football division.
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Club History
The Piast Gliwice football club was started in June 1945. It was founded by Polish people who had to leave their homes in what was then eastern Poland (now part of Ukraine). The club's name, Piast, comes from the Piast dynasty. This was a very important family that ruled Poland from the 10th century until 1370. They also ruled the city of Gliwice until 1532.
Over the years, the club's name changed a few times. In 1949, several local teams joined with Piast. The team was called Metal Piast Gliwice, then Stal Gliwice, before going back to its original name, Piast Gliwice, in 1955. In 1964, Piast merged with another local club, GKS Gliwice, and became GKS Piast Gliwice.
For many years, from the 1950s onwards, Piast mostly played in the Second Division. They even reached the final of the Polish Cup twice, in 1978 and 1983, but unfortunately lost both times.
In the 1990s, the club faced money problems. They had to start almost from the bottom, in the 7th division (Klasa B). But they worked hard and earned four promotions in a row between 1997 and 2001. By 2003, they were back in the second division (II liga). Piast played 33 seasons in the Polish Second Division before finally reaching the top league, the Ekstraklasa, in 2008. They were relegated in 2010 but came back to the Ekstraklasa in 2012. Piast Gliwice is the first Polish football team to climb all the way from the 7th division to the top league and then play in a European club competition!
The 2010s were the most successful years for Piast. They finished as runners-up in the 2015–16 Ekstraklasa season. Then, in the 2018–19 season, they made history by winning their first Polish championship!
Piast Gliwice also has a futsal team, which is a type of indoor football. This team plays in the Futsal Ekstraklasa, which is the top futsal league in Poland. Their home games are played at the Gliwice Arena. The futsal team won its first Polish Championship in the 2021–22 season.
Club Crest
The club's crest (or logo) is based on the official coat of arms of the city of Gliwice. This crest features the Piast Eagle. This eagle is a symbol of the Upper Silesian branch of the medieval Polish Piast dynasty, who ruled the city until 1532.
Club Honours
- Ekstraklasa (Poland's top league)
- Champions: 2018–19
- Runners-up: 2015–16
- Third place: 2019–20
- I liga (Poland's second league)
- Champions: 2011–12
- Polish Cup
- Runners-up: 1977–78, 1982–83
Seasons in Leagues
- Seasons in Ekstraklasa: 14 (2008–10, 2012–present)
- Seasons in I liga: 35
- Seasons in II liga: 16
- Seasons in III liga: 23
European Competitions
Piast Gliwice has also played in European club competitions, which means they have competed against teams from other countries.
Results in Europe
| Season | Competition | Round | Club | Home | Away | Aggregate | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013–14 | UEFA Europa League | Second Qualifying Round |  |
Qarabağ FK | 2–2 | 1–2 | 3–4 (aet) |  |
| 2016–17 | UEFA Europa League | Second Qualifying Round |  |
IFK Göteborg | 0–3 | 0–0 | 0–3 | |
| 2019–20 | UEFA Champions League | First Qualifying Round |  |
BATE Borisov | 1−2 | 1−1 | 2−3 | |
| UEFA Europa League | Second Qualifying Round |  |
Riga FC | 3−2 | 1−2 | 4−4 | |
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| 2020–21 | UEFA Europa League | First Qualifying Round | |
Dinamo Minsk | N/A | 2−0 | N/A |  |
| Second Qualifying Round |  |
Hartberg | 3–2 | N/A | N/A | |
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| Third Qualifying Round |  |
Copenhagen | N/A | 0−3 | N/A | |
Home Stadium
Piast Gliwice plays its home games at the Piotr Wieczorek Stadium in Gliwice. This stadium can hold up to 9,913 fans.
Club Supporters
Piast Gliwice has a special friendship with the fans of a Belarusian club called BATE Borisov. This friendship started in 2011. BATE fans were traveling to a Champions League match and stopped to watch Piast play against their local rivals, GKS Katowice. After that, Piast fans went to support BATE in another match. This led to an official friendship, and fans from both clubs often visit each other's games.
Piast's biggest rivals are Górnik Zabrze. Their stadiums are only a few kilometers apart, making their matches a big local derby (a game between two rival teams from the same area). Other rivals include local teams like GKS Katowice and two clubs from Bytom, Szombierki and Polonia.
Team Players
Current Squad
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Players on Loan
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Retired Numbers
Sometimes, a club will stop using a player's jersey number to honor them. Piast Gliwice has retired one number:
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Famous Players
These players have played for their national teams at some point. Players whose names are in bold played for their national teams while they were playing for Piast.
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Team Managers
Krzysztof Zagórski (2001 – 2002)- Józef Dankowski (2003 – 2004)
- Wojciech Borecki (2004)
- Jacek Zielinski (2004 – 2006)
- Jan Furlepa (interim) (2006)
- Boguslaw Pietrzak (2006 – 2007)
- Piotr Mandrysz (2007 – 2008)
- Marek Wlecialowski (2008 – 2009)
- Dariusz Fornalak (2009 – 2010)
- Ryszard Wieczorek (2010)
- Marcin Brosz (2010 – 2014)
Ángel García (2014 – 2015)
Radoslav Látal (2015 – 2016)- Jiří Neček (2016)
- Radoslav Látal (2016 – 2017)
- Dariusz Wdowczyk (2017)
- Waldemar Fornalik (2017 – 2022)
Aleksandar Vuković (2022 – present)
See also
In Spanish: Piast Gliwice para niños
- Football in Poland
