Bałtyk Gdynia is a Polish football club from
Gdynia
Gdynia ( ; ; german: Gdingen (currently), (1939–1945); csb, Gdiniô, , , ) is a city in northern Poland and a seaport on the Baltic Sea coast. With a population of 243,918, it is the List of cities in Poland, 12th-largest city in Poland and ...
. The club is named after the
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain.
The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...
.
History
The club was established in 1930 by football enthusiasts from the developing city. Bałtyk is the oldest football club from Gdynia, which still plays with its original name.
Bałtyk played 7 seasons in the Polish first league and 19 in Polish second league. They also appeared once in the
Intertoto Cup
The UEFA Intertoto Cup (from la, Inter, 'between' + german: toto, 'betting pool'),Most precisely, from (football pool); cf. often abbreviated and more known in the German-speaking world as UI Cup and originally called the International Foot ...
, in 1983. In 1977, Baltyk's U-19 team won bronze in the Polish Championship, and in 1982, Baltyk won silver in the U-19 championship of Poland.
In 2019 and 2020 the club fell victim to a career fraudster causing the club to sign player contracts promising money that did not exist. The perpetrator was never caught however the club managed to negotiate a recovery plan and by 2021 the club was solvent again.
Fans
The fans are known as "Kadłuby" ''(The Hulls)''. Once one of the strongest fan groups in the 80's, as the team started to fall down the leagues only a handful of loyal supporters now remain in Gdynia and several smaller towns in the region.
In the past the fast used to have short-lived friendly relations with fans of
Lech Poznań
Kolejowy Klub Sportowy Lech Poznań S.A., commonly referred to as KKS Lech Poznań or simply Lech Poznań (), is a Polish professional association football, football club based in Poznań and currently competing in the Ekstraklasa, the nation' ...
,
Pogoń Lębork and
Ferencváros
Ferencváros () is the 9th district of Budapest ( hu, Budapest IX. kerülete), Hungary.
Name
The southern suburb of Pest was named after King Francis I on 4 December 1792 when he was crowned king of Hungary.
History
The development of Fe ...
at various points in their history. Currently they have good relations with fans of
Kotwica Kołobrzeg
The ''Kotwica'' (; Polish for "Anchor") was a World War II emblem of the Polish Underground State and ''Armia Krajowa'' (Home Army, or ''AK''). It was created in 1942 by members of the ''AK'' Wawer Minor sabotage unit, as an easily usable emb ...
and
Cartusia Kartuzy
Cartusia Kartuzy is a Polish football club based in Kartuzy, Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . ...
.
The two
Tricity derby rivals
Lechia Gdańsk
Lechia Gdańsk () is a Polish football club based in Gdańsk. The club was founded in 1945 by people expelled from Lwów, who were supporters of Poland's oldest football team Lechia Lwów, founded in 1903. The club's name comes from Lechia, a ...
and
Arka Gdynia
Morski Związkowy Klub Sportowy Arka Gdynia () is a Polish professional football club, based in Gdynia, Poland, that plays in the Polish I liga. The club was founded as Klub Sportowy Gdynia in 1929.
History
The history of Arka dates back to ...
are considered the most fierce. The games against Arka, also known as the
Gdynia derby have a long history and the fans often contend for dominance in the city. The controversy surrounding the two club's stadium use is also a serious cause of tension between the two.
Due to Bałtyk languishing in the lower leagues for several years, the club has developed rivalries with other clubs, mainly
Gryf Słupsk.
Bałtyk in Europe
Current squad
Former players
*
Lawrence Papaleo
References
External links
Official websiteUnofficial website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baltyk Gdynia
Association football clubs established in 1930
1930 establishments in Poland
Sport in Gdynia
Football clubs in Pomeranian Voivodeship