kids encyclopedia robot

Stal Mielec facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
This page is about the Polish football club. For the handball team, see SPR Stal Mielec.
Quick facts for kids
Stal Mielec
FKS-HerbGwiazda-1.svg
Full name FKS Stal Mielec
Nickname(s) Biało-niebiescy (White-blues)
Founded 10 April 1939; 86 years ago (1939-04-10)
Ground Stal Mielec Stadium
Ground Capacity 7,000
Chairman Jacek Klimek
Manager Ivan Đurđević
League I liga
2024–25 Ekstraklasa, 16th of 18 (relegated)
Third colours

FKS Stal Mielec, often called Stal Mielec, is a professional football club from Mielec, Poland. The team plays in the I liga, which is the second-highest 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 facing some challenges, the club was promoted back to the Ekstraklasa (the top league) in 2020. They played there until 2025.

Club History and Achievements

How Stal Mielec Got Its Name

Over the years, the club's name has changed several times. It started as Klub Sportowy PZL Mielec in 1939. Later, it was known as Związkowy Klub Sportowy Stal Mielec.

The name Stal means "steel" in Polish. This name was often used for sports clubs connected to factories. The club's current name is FKS Stal Mielec.

The Early Years (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 Gymnastic Society "Sokół" Mielec.

They played a few more friendly matches, winning them all. However, World War II began, and official sports games were stopped. Despite this, the team continued to play matches secretly.

Major Trophies and Wins

Stal Mielec has won many important titles throughout its history.

  • Top Polish League (Ekstraklasa)
    • Champions: 1972–73, 1975–76 (This means they finished first in the league!)
    • Runners-up: 1974–75 (This means they finished second)
  • Second Polish League (I liga)
    • Champions: 1960, 1984–85, 1987–88
  • Polish Cup
    • Runners-up: 1975–76 (They reached the final but didn't win)

Playing in Europe

Stal Mielec has also played in big European competitions.

  • European Cup (now UEFA Champions League)
    • First round: 1973–74, 1976–77
  • UEFA Cup (now UEFA Europa League)
    • Quarter-finalists: 1975–76 (They made it to the final eight teams!)

Youth Team Success

The club's youth teams have also achieved success.

  • Polish Under-19 Championship
    • Runners-up: 1964, 2007
  • Polish Under-17 Championship
    • Champions: 2007

Stal Mielec Stadium

StadionStaliMielec-TrybunaSolskiego1
Stadion Stali Mielec
Stal Mielec stadion 1
The renovated Stadion Stali Mielec

The home stadium for Stal Mielec is the Stadion Stali Mielec. It was built in 1953. The stadium had a big renovation that finished in 2013.

Today, it can hold 7,000 fans. Before the renovation, it could hold 30,000 people. The stadium has hosted many important matches, including European club games and matches for the Polish national team.

Star Players and Awards

Many talented players have played for Stal Mielec. Some have won special awards.

  • Top Goalscorer in Ekstraklasa
    • 1973 - Grzegorz Lato - 13 goals
    • 1975 - Grzegorz Lato - 19 goals
    • 1995 - Bogusław Cygan - 16 goals
  • Player of the Year (Piłka nożna magazine)
    • 1976 - Henryk Kasperczak
    • 1977 - Grzegorz Lato
  • Newcomer of the Year (Piłka nożna magazine)
    • 1975 - Zbigniew Hnatio
    • 1978 - Włodzimierz Ciołek
  • Player of the Year (Sport magazine)
    • 1974 - Grzegorz Lato
    • 1976 - Henryk Kasperczak
    • 1977 - Grzegorz Lato

Reserve Team

Stal Mielec II
League Regional league Dębica
2024–25 IV liga Subcarpathia, 17th of 18 (relegated)

Stal Mielec also has a reserve team, called Stal Mielec II. This team helps younger players develop their skills. They currently play in a regional league.

Current Players

Team Roster

No. Position Player
1 Poland GK Michał Matys (on loan from Zagłębie Lubin)
3 Poland DF Piotr Kowalik
6 Slovenia MF Jošt Pišek (on loan from Mura)
7 Poland MF David Zięba
8 Poland MF Natan Niedźwiedź
9 Spain FW Mario Losada
10 Poland MF Maciej Domański
11 Poland FW Kamil Odolak
13 Poland GK Konrad Jałocha
15 Germany DF Marvin Senger
16 Poland MF Nikodem Szary
17 Poland DF Dawid Mazurek (on loan from Górnik Zabrze)
No. Position Player
18 Poland DF Piotr Wlazło
19 Ukraine MF Matvii Yanchuk
20 Poland DF Bartosz Szeliga
21 Poland DF Paweł Kwiatkowski (on loan from Widzew Łódź)
23 Poland MF Kacper Sommerfeld
27 Spain DF Álex Díez
32 Poland MF Fryderyk Gerbowski
33 Poland MF Adrian Bukowski
41 Poland GK Piotr Chrapusta
77 Poland FW Kacper Sadłocha
90 Poland MF Paweł Kruszelnicki

Famous Players

Many players who have played for Stal Mielec have also played for their national teams.

Notable Polish players
  • Poland Jan Domarski
  • Poland Michał Gliwa
  • Poland Witold Karaś
  • Poland Henryk Kasperczak
  • Poland Damian Kądzior
  • Poland Dariusz Kubicki
  • Poland Zygmunt Kukla
  • Poland Grzegorz Lato, a top goal scorer in the 1974 World Cup
  • Poland Radosław Majecki
  • Poland Andrzej Szarmach
  • Poland Bogusław Wyparło
  • Poland Michał Żyro
Notable foreign players
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina Said Hamulić
  • Bulgaria Bozhidar Chorbadzhiyski
  • Estonia Bogdan Vaštšuk
  • Finland Petteri Forsell
  • Finland Albin Granlund
  • Finland Kai Meriluoto
  • Estonia Rauno Sappinen
  • Kyrgyzstan Edgar Bernhardt
  • Latvia Alvis Jaunzems
  • Lithuania Dominykas Barauskas
  • Malta Matthew Guillaumier
  • Portugal Ivan Cavaleiro
  • Slovakia Martin Dobrotka

Club Managers

  • Poland Stanisław Maurer (1947–1948)
  • Poland Rudolf Pirych (1948–1952)
  • Poland Eustachy Poticha (1952–1953)
  • Poland Antoni Brzeżańczyk (1954–1956)
  • Poland Michał Matyas (1957–1958)
  • Poland Antoni Brzeżańczyk (1959–1960)
  • Poland Henryk Skromny (1961)
  • Poland Czesław Suszczyk (1962)
  • Poland Michał Matyas (1962–1963)
  • Poland Stanisław Malczyk (1963–1964)
  • Poland Otton Opiełka (1964)
  • Poland Władysław Lemiszko (1964–1965)
  • Poland Konrad Jędryka (1966–1967)
  • Poland Andrzej Gajewski (1968–1972)
  • Hungary Károly Kontha (1973)
  • Poland Aleksander Brożyniak (1973–1974)
  • Poland Zenon Książek (1974–1975)
  • Poland Edmund Zientara (1975–1977)
  • Poland Alfred Gazda (1977)
  • Poland Konstanty Pawlikaniec (1977–1978)
  • Poland Zenon Książek (1978–1980)
  • Poland Mieczysław Kruk (1980–1981)
  • Poland Józef Walczak (1981–1982)
  • Poland Witold Karaś (1982)
  • Poland Jacek Machciński and Marian Kosiński (1982–1983)
  • Poland Henryk Stroniarz (1983–1984)
  • Poland Włodzimierz Gąsior (1984–1985)
  • Poland Ryszard Latawiec (1985–1986)
  • Poland Zenon Książek (1986–1987)
  • Poland Włodzimierz Gąsior (1987–1990)
  • Poland Marian Kosiński (1990)
  • Poland Włodzimierz Gąsior (1990–1991)
  • Poland Grzegorz Lato (1991–1993)
  • Poland Witold Karaś (1993)
  • Poland Franciszek Smuda (1993–1995)
  • Poland Jan Złomańczuk (1995)
  • Poland Grzegorz Lato (1996–1997)
  • Poland Jerzy Płaneta (1998)
  • Poland Marek Chamielec (1999)
  • Poland Jerzy Płaneta (1999–2000)
  • Poland Witold Karaś (2000)
  • Poland Roman Gruszecki (2000–2001)
  • Poland Włodzimierz Gąsior (2001)
  • Poland Marek Lorenc (2001)
  • Poland Krzysztof Łętocha (2001–2002)
  • Poland Jacek Klisiewicz (2002)
  • Poland Włodzimierz Gąsior (2003–2006)
  • Poland Tomasz Tułacz (2006)
  • Poland Włodzimierz Gąsior (2006–2007)
  • Poland Janusz Białek (2007)
  • Poland Zbigniew Hariasz (2007)
  • Poland Andrzej Jaskot (2008)
  • Poland Grzegorz Wcisło (2008–2009)
  • Poland Zbigniew Hariasz (2009)
  • Poland Janusz Białek (2009)
  • Poland Zbigniew Hariasz (2009–2010)
  • Poland Grzegorz Wcisło (2010)
  • Poland Mariusz Łuc (2010)
  • Poland Tomasz Tułacz (2011–2012)
  • Poland Roman Gruszecki (2012)
  • Poland Włodzimierz Gąsior (2012–2014)
  • Poland Rafał Wójcik (2014)
  • Poland Janusz Białek (2014)
  • Poland Rafał Wójcik (2014)
  • Poland Janusz Białek (2014–2016)
  • Poland Maciej Serafiński (2016)
  • Poland Zbigniew Smółka (2016–2018)
  • Poland Artur Skowronek (2018–2019)
  • Poland Dariusz Marzec (2019–2020)
  • Poland Dariusz Skrzypczak (2020)
  • Poland Leszek Ojrzyński (2020–2021)
  • Poland Włodzimierz Gąsior (2021)
  • Poland Adam Majewski (2021–2023)
  • Poland Kamil Kiereś (2023–2024)
  • Poland Janusz Niedźwiedź (2024–2025)
  • Serbia Ivan Đurđević (2025–present)

Images for kids

  • StalMielec-Mecz3

    Stadion Stali Mielec old ground

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Stal Mielec para niños

kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Stal Mielec Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.