Skra Bełchatów facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
PGE GiEK Skra Bełchatów

PGESkra Logo.png
Full name	Klub Piłki Siatkowej Skra Bełchatów Spółka Akcyjna
Nickname	Pszczoły (The Bees)
Founded	1930 (club) 1957 (volleyball team)
Ground	Hala Energia (Capacity: 2,700)
Chairman	Wiesław Deryło
Manager	Gheorghe Crețu
Captain	Grzegorz Łomacz
League	PlusLiga
2023–24	9th place
Website	Club home page
Uniforms
Home 　 Away

Skra Bełchatów, also known as PGE GiEK Skra Bełchatów, is a professional men's volleyball team. They are based in Bełchatów, a city in central Poland. The club was started in 1930, and the volleyball team began in 1957.

Skra Bełchatów plays in the PlusLiga, which is the top volleyball league in Poland. They are known as one of the most successful clubs in the PlusLiga. They have won the league championship 9 times, more than any other team! Their nickname is Pszczoły, which means The Bees in Polish.

Club Achievements

Polish Titles

• Polish Championship

  Winners (9 times): 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2018

• Polish Cup

  Winners (7 times): 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2016

• Polish SuperCup

  Winners (4 times): 2013, 2015, 2018, 2019

International Achievements

• CEV Champions League

  Silver Medal (1 time): 2012 (this means they came in second place)

  Semifinalists (1 time): 2019 (they reached the top four teams)

  Final Four (3 times): 2008, 2010, 2015 (they were among the last four teams in the tournament)

• FIVB Club World Championship

  Silver Medal (2 times): 2009, 2010

Club History

Winiarski, Zatorski and Kurek playing for Skra.

Setter Falasca and longtime captain Wlazły.

Skra players during a medal ceremony in 2012.

Daniel Pliński and Paweł Woicki playing for Skra.

Aleksandar Atanasijević during a match.

Coach Miguel Ángel Falasca and Andrzej Wrona.

How it Started (1930–2000)

The Skra sports club began in 1930 in Bełchatów. It first started as a football (soccer) club. In 1957, a volleyball section was added. The volleyball team became very successful later, in the 21st century.

In 1991, the Bełchatów Power Station became the main sponsor. The club then changed its name to Energetic Sports Club Skra. By 1994, the club moved up to the 2nd Polish Volleyball League. In 1999, they reached the top "A" series league.

Years of Success (2001–2010)

In 2001, the team, led by coach Wiesław Czaja, was promoted to the highest Polish Volleyball League, the PlusLiga. In their first season (2001-2002), they won a bronze medal in the Polish Championship.

In 2003, Ireneusz Mazur became the new head coach. The team started their winning streak in the 2004-2005 season. They won their first Polish Championship title and their first Polish Cup. They repeated this success the next season, winning both titles again.

In 2006, Daniel Castellani became the first foreign coach for Skra. Under his leadership, PGE Skra won three more Polish Championship titles (2007, 2008, 2009) and two Polish Cups (2007, 2009). In 2008, PGE Skra hosted the 2007–08 CEV Champions League Final Four. They won a bronze medal in this important European tournament.

In 2009, Jacek Nawrocki became the new head coach. The team won a silver medal at the 2009 FIVB Volleyball Men's Club World Championship. This was a big achievement on the world stage. Two Skra players, Bartosz Kurek and Marcin Możdżonek, won individual awards at this event. In 2010, PGE Skra again hosted the 2009–10 CEV Champions League Final Four and won another bronze medal. They also won their sixth Polish Championship title in the 2009-2010 season.

PGE Skra won another silver medal at the 2010 FIVB Volleyball Men's Club World Championship in 2010. In the 2010-2011 season, the club won its seventh Polish Championship title and fifth Polish Cup.

Recent Years (2011–Present)

In 2012, Skra won its sixth Polish Cup. On March 18, 2012, PGE Skra earned a silver medal in the 2011–12 CEV Champions League. This was a big moment for the club. Three Skra players, Michał Winiarski, Bartosz Kurek, and Mariusz Wlazły, received individual awards. In the 2011-2012 PlusLiga season, the club finished second, ending their seven-year winning streak in the league.

In 2013, Miguel Ángel Falasca, a former player, returned to the club as the new head coach. In the 2013-2014 season, PGE Skra won its eighth Polish Championship title.

On October 8, 2014, PGE Skra won the Polish Men's Volleyball SuperCup. In the 2014-2015 season, PGE Skra did very well in the 2014–15 CEV Champions League. They reached the Final Four in Berlin. They won a bronze medal in the Polish Championship that season.

On February 7, 2016, PGE Skra won the Polish Cup. Several players received individual awards, including Mariusz Wlazły who was named the Most valuable player. After some changes, Philippe Blain became the new head coach. In April 2016, the team won a bronze medal in the 2015–16 PlusLiga.

Before the 2016-2017 season, new players like Bartosz Bednorz and Artur Szalpuk joined the team. Skra finished the season in 2nd place in the league.

With Roberto Piazza as head coach and Michał Winiarski as assistant, Skra won its ninth Polish Championship in 2018. The club also took 4th place in the 2017 FIVB Volleyball Men's Club World Championship.

The 2018-2019 season saw the team finish 6th in the league. However, they won the Polish Men's Volleyball SuperCup again. After this season, Michał Mieszko Gogol became the new coach.

In the 2019-2020 PlusLiga season, which ended early due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bełchatów finished in 3rd place. The club's legendary player, Mariusz Wlazły, left the team after 17 years. New players joined, including American player Taylor Sander and Mateusz Bieniek.

Team

Bee, the official mascot of Skra.

As of the 2024–25 season

Coaching Staff

Job	Name
Head coach	Gheorghe Crețu
Assistant coach	Jakub Nalepka	Mateusz Nykiel

Players

No.	Name	Birth Date	Position
3	Wiktor Nowak	(1999-05-21) 21 May 1999 (age 26)	setter
4	Rafał Buszek	(1987-04-28) 28 April 1987 (age 38)	libero
7	Bartłomiej Lemański	(1996-03-19) 19 March 1996 (age 29)	middle blocker
9	Łukasz Wiśniewski	(1989-02-03) 3 February 1989 (age 36)	middle blocker
11	Miran Kujundžić	(1997-06-19) 19 June 1997 (age 28)	outside hitter
12	Grzegorz Łomacz	(1987-10-01) 1 October 1987 (age 37)	setter
13	Mateusz Nowak	(2004-02-29) 29 February 2004 (age 21)	middle blocker
14	Žiga Štern	(1994-01-02) 2 January 1994 (age 31)	outside hitter
15	Michał Szalacha	(1994-01-15) 15 January 1994 (age 31)	middle blocker
16	David Dinculescu	(2004-08-30) 30 August 2004 (age 20)	outside hitter
17	Amin Esmaeilnezhad	(1996-12-17) 17 December 1996 (age 28)	opposite
18	Pavle Perić	(1998-08-07) 7 August 1998 (age 26)	outside hitter
59	Kajetan Marek	(1994-01-06) 6 January 1994 (age 31)	libero

Retired Numbers

Mariusz Wlazły's number 2 is retired.

Karol Kłos's number 6 is retired.

Miguel Ángel Falasca's number 10 is retired.

Some jersey numbers are so special that no other player will wear them again. This is to honor players who were very important to the club.

No.	Name	Position
2	Mariusz Wlazły	opposite
6	Karol Kłos	middle blocker
10	Miguel Ángel Falasca	setter

Season by Season Results

Season League Position 2008–09 PlusLiga 2009–10 PlusLiga 2010–11 PlusLiga 2011–12 PlusLiga 2nd 2012–13 PlusLiga 5th 2013–14 PlusLiga 2014–15 PlusLiga 3rd 2015–16 PlusLiga 3rd

Season League Position 2016–17 PlusLiga 2nd 2017–18 PlusLiga 2018–19 PlusLiga 6th 2019–20 PlusLiga 3rd 2020–21 PlusLiga 4th 2021–22 PlusLiga 4th 2022–23 PlusLiga 12th 2023–24 PlusLiga 9th

Club Names Over Time

See also

• Skra Bełchatów players
• Skra Bełchatów coaches