GKS Katowice (; GKS stands for , "Miners Sporting Club") is a Polish football club based in Katowice,

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 . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

. The club currently plays in the

I liga I liga ( pl, Pierwsza liga, ), currently named Fortuna I liga due to its sponsorship by Fortuna, is the men's second professional association football division of the Polish football league system, below the Ekstraklasa and above the II liga v ...

, after having won promotion in 2021.

History

In 1963 in Katowice a special organizational committee was called with the purpose of uniting all the clubs and sporting organizations of the city into one large club which would encompass many disciplines. In mid-1963 Rapid Welnowiec and Orzeł Welnowiec merged, creating Rapid/Orzeł. In 1964 Rapid/Orzeł, Górnik Katowice, Koszutka Katowice, Katowicki Klub Łyżwiarski (Katowice Skating Club), Katowicki Klub Sportowy Górnik, Górniczy Klub Żeglarski Szkwał (a sailing club) amongst other clubs from Katowice merged creating GKS Katowice. Four years later on the 9 August 1968, Dąb Katowice also amalgamated with GKS Katowice. GKS Katowice made its debut in Polish football's top league (now call the

Ekstraklasa Poland Ekstraklasa (), meaning "Extra Class" in Polish, named PKO Ekstraklasa since the 2019–20 season due to its sponsorship by PKO Bank Polski, is the top Polish professional league for men's association football teams. Contested by 18 ...

) on 8 August 1965 when GKS Katowice took on local rivals

Górnik Zabrze Górnik Zabrze Spółka Akcyjna, commonly referred to as Górnik Zabrze S.A. or simply Górnik Zabrze (), is a Polish football club from Zabrze. Górnik is one of the most successful Polish football clubs in history, winning the second-most Po ...

. GKS Katowice's debut season in the top flight was in the season of 1965–66. The new team quickly gained experience and ability. A bad patch for the club came in 1971 when Katowice was relegated to the 2nd Division. The club's problems were quickly overcome, and GKS returned to the top flight where they played with pride and passion. From 1982 the club consistently found itself up the top end of the ladder, as well as playing off in several

Polish Cup The Polish Cup in football ( pl, Puchar Polski w piłce nożnej ) is an elimination tournament for Polish football clubs, held continuously from 1950, and is the second most important national title in Polish football after the Ekstraklasa title. ...

finals. In 1985 GKS Katowice played in its first Polish Cup final but lost in a penalty shootout to

Widzew Łódź RTS Widzew Łódź () is a Polish football club based in Łódź. The club was founded in 1910. Its official colours are red and white, hence their nicknames ''Czerwona Armia'' (Red Army) and ''Czerwono-biało-czerwoni'' (Red-white-reds). Histor ...

. The following year GKS played off in a memorable final at

Stadion Śląski The Stadion Śląski ( en, Silesian Stadium) is a sport stadium located on the premises of Silesian Park in Chorzów, Poland. The stadium has a fully covered capacity of 55,211, after a recent refurbishment completed in October 2017. The stadium ...

against Górnik Zabrze; GKS triumphed 4–1. From that moment the city of Katowice began to live and breathe football. The next year GKS finished third and the two following years they were runners-up. In 1989 GKS again came third, and in 1991 GKS were runners-up. From 1986 to 1995 to GKS Katowice were four times runners-up in the league, twice the winners of the Polish Supercup and three-time Polish Cup winners. The biggest moments for the club and fans were always when the team took part in European cups. The first time GKS faced European opposition was in 1970, in the now defunct

Inter-Cities Fairs Cup The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, sometimes referred to as the European Fairs Cup, Fairs Cities' Cup, or simply as the Fairs Cup, was a European Association football, football competition played between 1955 and 1971. It is often considered the predecess ...

, GKS took on the might of Barcelona in a two-legged tie. Katowice didn't lose by much (2-4 on aggregate), the fans were proud of their club. The second time GKS took part in European football they showed more and played better football. In the first round of the 1986–1987

UEFA Cup Winners Cup The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The cup was, chronologically, the second seasonal inter-European club competition organised by UEFA. The tourna ...

GKS defeated Iceland's Fram Reykjavík but in the second round, they lost to Switzerland's

Sion Sion may refer to * an alternative transliteration of Zion People * Sion (name) or Siôn, a Welsh and other given name and surname, including a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Shion or Sion, a Japanese given name Pl ...

. For the next 10 years, GKS Katowice took part in European football. Over the years fans of GKS got to witness their team take on the likes of Sportul Studentsc Bucharest, Rangers, Club Brugge,

Galatasaray Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club'') is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul in Turkey. Most notable for its association football department, the club also consists of various other de ...

, Benfica,

Aris Aris or ARIS may refer to: People * Aris (surname) Given name * Aris Alexandrou, Greek writer * Aris Brimanis, ice hockey player * Aris Christofellis, Greek male soprano * Aris Gavelas, Greek sprinter * Aris Howard, Former President of the Jama ...

Girondins Bordeaux Football Club des Girondins de Bordeaux (), commonly referred to as Girondins de Bordeaux ( oc, Girondins de Bordèu) or simply Bordeaux, is a French professional football club based in the city of Bordeaux in Gironde, Nouvelle-Aquitaine. The ...

and twice

Bayer Leverkusen Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH, also known as Bayer 04 Leverkusen (), Bayer Leverkusen, or simply Leverkusen, is a professional football club based in Leverkusen in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The club competes in the Bundesliga, t ...

. GKS's record in European football stands at 10 wins, 7 draws, and 19 losses. GKS Katowice again fell on hard times during the mining crisis. In 1999 the team was relegated from the Ekstraklasa, but was back in the topflight only a year later. Piotr Dziurowicz became president who, despite growing debts and financial troubles, kept the team in the top flight. In 2003 the team even managed to qualify for the

UEFA Cup A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay ...

by finishing third in the league under coach

Jan Żurek Jan Żurek (born 14 July 1956) is a Polish football manager. On October 20, 2009, Żurek returned to Górnik Zabrze as a scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the ...

. This was hailed as one of the biggest surprises ever in the history of the Ekstraklasa. Despite the success, the debts under Piotr Dziurowicz began to grow to a significant sum. From March 27, 2003 to June 11, 2004, the club played under the name of its main sponsor Dospel Katowice; this was not taken well by the fans of the club. GKS Katowice Sportowa Spółka Akcyjna finished its reins at the helm of the club in the summer of 2005 after the disastrous 2004–2005 season where GKS finished 14th (and last) in the Ekstraklasa and was relegated to the second Division. Then to make matters worse the team had to drop to the 4th Division due to legal and financial problems. After the drop to the 4th division, a group of dedicated fans known as the "Stowarzyszenie Sympatyków Klubu GKS Katowice" (which loosely translates into Society of Well Wishers Club of GKS Katowice) took over the helm at the club. In June 2006 the club was promoted to the 3rd division, and in June 2007 the team again won promotion this time to the 2nd Division, which in 2008 was renamed the 1st Division (

I Liga I liga ( pl, Pierwsza liga, ), currently named Fortuna I liga due to its sponsorship by Fortuna, is the men's second professional association football division of the Polish football league system, below the Ekstraklasa and above the II liga v ...

). The team continues to play, balancing between the

(2nd tier) and

II liga II liga (Druga Liga, ), currently named eWinner II liga due to sponsorship reasons by eWinner, is a Polish football league that sits at the third tier of the Polish football league system. Until the end of the 2007–08 season ''II Liga'' refer ...

(3rd tier).

Major achievements

National

titles (3): 1986, 1991, 1993 :Polish Cup final: 1985, 1987, 1990, 1995, 1997 :

Polish Supercup The Polish Super Cup (, ) is an annually held match between the champions of the Ekstraklasa and the Polish Cup winners or, if the Ekstraklasa champions also win the Polish Cup, the Cup's runners-up. As of 2021, the Polish Super Cup has been ...

titles (2): 1991, 1995 :Polish

Runner Up: 1988, 1989, 1992, 1994 :Polish Ekstraklasa Third Team: 1987, 1990, 1995, 2003

International

:Round of 16 –

Cup Winners' Cup The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The cup was, chronologically, the second seasonal inter-European club competition organised by UEFA. The tournam ...

(2x) – 1986/87, 1991/92 :Round of 16 –

(1x) – 1994/95

Youth Team

*Polish U-19 Bronze Medal: 1995, 2002

GKS in Europe

Current team

Notable players

* Jan Furtok * Piotr Piekarczyk *

Roman Szewczyk Roman Szewczyk (born 18 March 1965) is a Polish former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Defender (association football), defender. He played 37 times for Poland national football team, Poland, scoring 3 goals.< ...

Moussa Yahaya Moussa Yahaya (born 4 January 1975) is a Nigerien retired footballer who played as a striker. He represented the Niger national team on sixteen occasions. Football career Born in Agadez, Yahaya began playing with JS du Ténéré. In 1995, he st ...

Andrzej Rudy Andrzej Rudy (born 15 October 1965) is a Polish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Playing career Born in Ścinawa, Rudy started his career in football with Odra Ścinawa (1981–83). He debuted professionally with Ślą ...

* Piotr Świerczewski * Janusz Jojko * Marek Koniarek *

Mirosław Kubisztal Mirosław Kubisztal (born 12 February 1962) is a Polish former professional footballer who played as a forward for Unia Tarnów, Cracovia, GKS Katowice, and Swedish club Örebro SK , where he played 161 matches and scored 68 goals. During his s ...

* Marek Świerczewski *

Mirosław Sznaucner Mirosław Sznaucner (born 9 May 1979 in Będzin) is a Polish former professional footballer who played as a defender. He is currently the assistant coach for the Greek club Panserraikos. Career Club His playing career began in 1996, at the age ...

* Sławomir Wojciechowski * Adam Ledwoń * Admir Adžem *

Gija Guruli Gia Guruli (born 20 May 1964 in Chiatura) is a former Georgian professional football player. He is the father of Alexander Guruli. He made his debut on 22 February 1994. against Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إ� ...

Bartosz Karwan Bartosz Karwan (born 13 January 1976) is a Polish former footballer who played as a midfielder. Club career Karwan was born in Tychy. He spent two seasons in the Bundesliga with Hertha BSC. In September 2010, he joined GKS Katowice. He was r ...

* Paweł Brożek * Kazimierz Węgrzyn * Mirosław Widuch * Dariusz Rzeźniczek

Managers

Antoni Brzeżańczyk Antoni Brzeżańczyk (19 January 1919 – 26 May 1987) was a Polish footballer and football manager. He played for Podgórze Kraków, Dąb Poznań, Lechia Gdańsk, Odra Opole, AKS Chorzów, Lech Poznań and Stal Mielec where he began his coa ...

(1964–65) * Jerzy Nikiel (1965–66) *

Tibor Kemény Tibor Kemeny (5 March 1913 – 25 September 1992) also referred to as Kemeny Tibor, was a Hungarian football player and coach, who played as a striker for Ferencváros and the Hungary national team (nine caps). He was part of the team in the 1 ...

(1966–67) * Tadeusz Foryś *

Augustyn Dziwisz Augustyn is both a surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include: Surname *Błażej Augustyn (born 1988), Polish footballer *Brian Augustyn (born 1954), American comic book editor and writer *Frank Augustyn (born 1953), Canadian b ...

Stanisław Oślizło Stanisław Oślizło (born 13 November 1937 in Wodzisław Śląski) is a retired Polish footballer ( defender). Oślizło began playing football in 1953 with the locals clubs Odra Wodzisław and later Górnik Radlin. He was most of the time conn ...

(1979–80) * Władysław Jan Żmuda (1980–81) *

Jerzy Nowok Jerzy is the Polish language, Polish version of the masculine given name George (given name), George. The most common nickname for Jerzy is Jurek (given name), Jurek (), which may also be used as an official first name. Occasionally the nickname Je ...

(1981–83) * Jacek Góralczyk (1983) * Zdzisław Podedworny (1984–85) * Alojzy Łysko (1985–87) * Władysław Jan Żmuda (1987–90) *

Orest Lenczyk Orest Lenczyk (; born 28 December 1942, in Sanok) is a Polish football manager and former player. Player career He also was a player, in lower divisions teams, such as Sanoczanka Sanok, Stomil Poznań, Sleza Wrocław, and Moto-Jelcz Olawa. At t ...

(1990–91) * Alojzy Łysko (1991–92) *

Adolf Blutsch Adolf (also spelt Adolph or Adolphe, Adolfo and when Latinised Adolphus) is a given name used in German-speaking countries, Scandinavia, the Netherlands and Flanders, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Latin America and to a lesser extent in vari ...

(1992–93) * Piotr Piekarczyk (1993–94) * Jacek Góralczyk (1995) *

(1995–96) * Piotr Piekarczyk (1996–98) * Marek Koniarek (1998–99) *

Paweł Kowalski Paweł Kowalski (10 February 1937 – 3 June 2016) was a Polish association football, footballer. He played in four matches for the Poland national football team in 1967. References External links

* 1937 births 2016 deaths Polish ...

(2000) *

Bogusław Kaczmarek Bogusław Kaczmarek (born 6 March 1950) is a Polish former Manager (association football), football manager and Football player, player. Personal life Kaczmarek is commemorated by a star at the MOSiR Stadium (Gdańsk), MOSiR Stadium in Gdańsk. ...

(2000–01) * Janusz Białek (2001–02) *

(2002–03) *

Edward Lorens Edward Lorens (born 28 December 1953) is a retired Polish football midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case ...

(2003) *

(2003–04) * Lechosław Olsza (2004) *

Wojciech Borecki Wojciech Borecki (born 4 April 1955) is a Polish Association football, football Manager (association football), manager. References

1955 births Living people Polish men's footballers Polish football managers Podbeskidzie Bielsko-Biała ...

(2004) *

Mieczysław Broniszewski Mieczysław Broniszewski (born 30 December 1948) is a Polish football manager. References 1948 births Living people Polish football managers Motor Lublin managers Polonia Warsaw managers Stomil Olsztyn S.A. managers Amica Wronki man ...

(2004) * Jan Furtok (2005) * Lechosław Olsza (2005) * Henryk Górnik (2005–06) * Piotr Piekarczyk (2006–08) *

Adam Nawałka Adam Nawałka (; born 23 October 1957) is a retired Poland, Polish Association football, football player and former manager of Poland national football team, Poland. Player career Club Nawałka comes from a footballing family. His father, Adam, ...

(2008–09) *

Robert Moskal The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory ...

(2010) *

Dariusz Fornalak Dariusz Fornalak (born 15 October 1965) is a Polish football midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known ...

(2010) *

Wojciech Stawowy Wojciech Stawowy (born 28 January 1966) is a Polish football manager. From 2020 to 2021 he served as the manager of ŁKS Łódź. References 1966 births Living people Polish football managers MKS Cracovia managers Arka Gdynia managers GKS ...

(2010–11) * Rafał Górak (2011–13) * Kazimierz Moskal (2013–14) * Artur Skowronek (2014–15) * Piotr Piekarczyk (2015) *

Jerzy Brzęczek Jerzy Józef Brzęczek (; born 18 March 1971) is a Polish professional football manager and former player. In a professional career which spanned nearly 20 years and brought 42 caps with the Poland national team, Brzęczek played for clubs in ...

(2015–17) * Janusz Jojko (2017) * Piotr Mandrysz (2017–18) *

Jacek Paszulewicz Jacek Paszulewicz (born 15 January 1977) is a Polish professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who is currently the director of Jaguar Gdańsk's academy. He was the chairman of Polish side Ba ...

(2018) * Jakub Dziółka (2018) *

Dariusz Dudek Dariusz Dudek (born 8 April 1975 in Knurów) is a Polish football manager and former player, currently in charge of I liga club Zagłębie Sosnowiec. Career Dudek is a former player of such a teams like GKS Katowice, Widzew Łódź, Odra Wodzis ...

(2018–2019) * Rafał Górak (2019-)

References

External links

GKS Katowice – Official website

GKS Katowice
at 90minut.pl
Official facebookTwitterInstagram
{{Authority control Football clubs in Katowice Association football clubs established in 1964 1964 establishments in Poland Organisations based in Katowice Katowice