Stal Mielec facts for kids
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| Full name | FKS Stal Mielec | |||
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| Nickname(s) | Biało-niebiescy (White-blues) | |||
| Founded | 10 April 1939 | |||
| Ground | Grzegorz Lato Municipal Stadium | |||
| Capacity | 7,000 | |||
| Chairman | Jacek Klimek | |||
| Manager | Janusz Niedźwiedź | |||
| League | Ekstraklasa | |||
| 2023–24 | Ekstraklasa, 11th of 18 | |||
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FKS Stal Mielec, often called Stal Mielec, is a professional football club from Mielec, Poland. The team plays in the Ekstraklasa, which is the top football league in Poland.
The club started on April 10, 1939. Stal Mielec has had great success in Poland's top league, winning titles in 1973 and 1976. After some tough times, the club worked its way back up. They won the third-tier II liga in 2016 and then the I liga in 2020. This brought them back to the Ekstraklasa for the first time since the 1995–96 season!
Contents
Club History
How the Club Got Its Name
Over the years, the club has changed its name several times. Here are some of them:
- 1939 – Klub Sportowy PZL Mielec
- 1949 – Związkowy Klub Sportowy Stal Mielec
- 1957 – Fabryczny Klub Sportowy Stal Mielec
- 2003 – FKS Stal Mielec
- 2018 – PGE FKS Stal Mielec
- 2024 – FKS Stal Mielec
The Early Days (1939–1945)
Stal Mielec was one of the first sports clubs at the PZL Mielec factory in 1939. The team was made up of factory workers and local players. In their very first match, they won 4–1 against "Sokół" Mielec. They played a few more friendly games, winning most of them.
A match planned for September 1939 did not happen because World War II started. During the war, sports games were not allowed. However, the team still played some secret matches in fields and other towns. They even played one official game against a German military team, losing 1–2.
Club Achievements
Stal Mielec has won many awards and titles over the years.
League Titles
- Ekstraklasa (Poland's Top League)
- Champions: 1972–73, 1975–76
- Second Place: 1974–75
- I liga (Second Tier League)
- Champions: 1960, 1984–85, 1987–88
- II liga (Third Tier League)
- Champions: 1955, 1968–69, 2015–16
- III liga (Fourth Tier League)
- Champions: 2012–13
- V liga (Sixth Tier League)
- Champions: 1998–99
- Klasa A (Seventh Tier League)
- Champions: 1950, 1954
- Klasa B (Eighth Tier League)
- Champions: 1949
Cup Competitions
- Polish Cup
- Second Place: 1975–76
European Competitions
- European Cup (Now UEFA Champions League)
- First Round: 1973–74, 1976–77
- UEFA Cup (Now UEFA Europa League)
- Quarter-finalists: 1975–76
- First Round: 1979–80, 1982–83
Youth Team Success
- Polish U-19 Championship
- Second Place: 1964, 2007
- Polish U-17 Championship
- Champions: 2007
- Second Place: 1996, 2012
The Stadium
The club plays its home games at the Grzegorz Lato Municipal Stadium. This stadium was finished in 1953. It had a big renovation in 2013 and can now hold 7,000 fans. Before the renovation, it could hold 30,000 people! It used to host many important matches, including European Cup games and games for the Polish national team.
Top Players and Awards
Some players from Stal Mielec have won special awards for their skills.
- Ekstraklasa Top Goalscorer (Player who scored the most goals in the top league)
- 1973 - Grzegorz Lato - 13 goals
- 1975 - Grzegorz Lato - 19 goals
- 1995 - Bogusław Cygan - 16 goals
- Piłka nożna magazine plebiscite (Awards from a football magazine)
- Player of the Year
- 1976 - Henryk Kasperczak
- 1977 - Grzegorz Lato
- Newcomer of the Year
- 1975 - Zbigniew Hnatio
- 1978 - Włodzimierz Ciołek
- Player of the Year
- Przegląd Sportowy Polish Athlete of the Year (A big sports award in Poland)
- 1974 - 4th place - Grzegorz Lato
- 1977 - 5th place - Grzegorz Lato
- Sport Player of the Year (Another sports award)
- 1974 - Grzegorz Lato
- 1976 - Henryk Kasperczak
- 1977 - Grzegorz Lato
- Tempo Goalkeeper of the Year
- 1979 - Zygmunt Kukla
Reserve Team
| League | IV liga Subcarpathia |
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| 2023–24 | Regional league Dębica, 1st of 16 (promoted) |
Stal Mielec also has a reserve team, called Stal Mielec II. This team helps younger players develop their skills. They currently play in the IV liga Subcarpathia, which is the fifth level of Polish football.
Current Players
Here are the players who are currently on the main team.
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Famous Players
Many talented players have played for Stal Mielec. Some of them have even played for their national teams!
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Club Managers
Many different managers have led the Stal Mielec team over the years. Here are some of them:
Stanisław Maurer (1947–1948)- Rudolf Pirych (1948–1952)
- Eustachy Poticha (1952–1953)
- Antoni Brzeżańczyk (1954–1956)
- Michał Matyas (1957–1958)
- Antoni Brzeżańczyk (1959–1960)
- Henryk Skromny (1961)
- Czesław Suszczyk (1962)
- Michał Matyas (1962–1963)
- Stanisław Malczyk (1963–1964)
- Otton Opiełka (1964)
- Władysław Lemiszko (1964–1965)
- Konrad Jędryka (1966–1967)
- Andrzej Gajewski (1968–1972)
Károly Kontha (1973)- Aleksander Brożyniak (1973–1974)
- Zenon Książek (1974–1975)
- Edmund Zientara (1975–1977)
- Alfred Gazda (1977)
- Konstanty Pawlikaniec (1977–1978)
- Zenon Książek (1978–1980)
- Mieczysław Kruk (1980–1981)
- Józef Walczak (1981–1982)
- Witold Karaś (1982)
- Jacek Machciński and Marian Kosiński (1982–1983)
- Henryk Stroniarz (1983–1984)
- Włodzimierz Gąsior (1984–1985)
- Ryszard Latawiec (1985–1986)
- Zenon Książek (1986–1987)
- Włodzimierz Gąsior (1987–1990)
- Marian Kosiński (1990)
- Włodzimierz Gąsior (1990–1991)
- Grzegorz Lato (1991–1993)
- Witold Karaś (1993)
- Franciszek Smuda (1993–1995)
- Jan Złomańczuk (1995)
- Grzegorz Lato (1996–1997)
- Jerzy Płaneta (1998)
- Marek Chamielec (1999)
- Jerzy Płaneta (1999–2000)
- Witold Karaś (2000)
- Roman Gruszecki (2000–2001)
- Włodzimierz Gąsior (2001)
- Marek Lorenc (2001)
- Krzysztof Łętocha (2001–2002)
- Jacek Klisiewicz (2002)
- Włodzimierz Gąsior (2003–2006)
- Tomasz Tułacz (2006)
- Włodzimierz Gąsior (2006–2007)
- Janusz Białek (2007)
- Zbigniew Hariasz (2007)
- Andrzej Jaskot (2008)
- Grzegorz Wcisło (2008–2009)
- Zbigniew Hariasz (2009)
- Janusz Białek (2009)
- Zbigniew Hariasz (2009–2010)
- Grzegorz Wcisło (2010)
- Mariusz Łuc (2010)
- Tomasz Tułacz (2011–2012)
- Roman Gruszecki (2012)
- Włodzimierz Gąsior (2012–2014)
- Rafał Wójcik (2014)
- Janusz Białek (2014)
- Rafał Wójcik (2014)
- Janusz Białek (2014–2016)
- Maciej Serafiński (2016)
- Zbigniew Smółka (2016–2018)
- Artur Skowronek (2018–2019)
- Dariusz Marzec (2019–2020)
- Dariusz Skrzypczak (2020)
- Leszek Ojrzyński (2020–2021)
- Włodzimierz Gąsior (2021)
- Adam Majewski (2021–2023)
- Kamil Kiereś (2023–2024)
- Janusz Niedźwiedź (2024–present)
More About Football
In Spanish: Stal Mielec para niños
- Football in Poland
- List of football teams
- Champions' Cup/League
- UEFA Cup
