Korona Kielce, , (Korona – ''Crown'' – symbol of club and city,

Kielce Kielce (, yi, קעלץ, Keltz) is a city in southern Poland, and the capital of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship. In 2021, it had 192,468 inhabitants. The city is in the middle of the Świętokrzyskie Mountains (Holy Cross Mountains), on the bank ...

– name of city where club is based) is a Polish football club, which will compete in

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 cl ...

in the 2022–23 season. In the years 2002–08 the club belonged to Polish

holding company A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself. Its purpose is to own shares of other companies ...

Kolporter Holding and achieved its greatest success – in 2005, winning promotion to the first division (

). Since then Korona has spent five seasons in the Polish soccer top level. In the 2006–07 season Korona played in the final of the

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. ...

. Convicted of match-fixing in previous years, the club was relegated to

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 vi ...

after the 2007–08 season. After a one-year banishment, Korona returned to the

. In the 2019–20 season, Korona finished in 14th place and were relegated to I liga. On 29 May 2022 Korona returned to the

following a 3–2 win over

Chrobry Głogów Chrobry Głogów is a Polish football club based in Głogów, Poland. It was founded in 1946. The team's official colors are orange and black. Chrobry currently competes in I liga, the second tier of Polish league football. The club's name commem ...

in the promotion play-off final.

Biggest achievements

: **5th place (3): 2006–07, 2012–13, 2017–18 *

: **Finalist (1): 2007–08 **Semi-finalist (2): 2006–07, 2018–19 * Polish League Cup: **Quarterfinal (1): 2007–08 * Youth Teams: ** Polish U-19 Champion: 2008–09 ** Polish U-19 runners-up: 1997

History

The club was founded in 1973 after the union of two clubs from Kielce – Iskra and SHL. The new club got its first promotion to the Polish 2nd league in 1975. Unfortunately, the team did not play very well and was soon relegated. The next promotion was in 1982. Korona played in the 2nd league until 1990 when it was once again relegated. 1996 brought several changes. Nida Gips from Gacki became the new sponsor and the club's name changed to Miejski Klub Sportowy Sekcja Futbolowa Korona. During the 1998–99 season, Korona again played in the 2nd league but dropped down at the end of the season. In 2000 Korona merged with another club from

– Błękitni Kielce and was renamed to Kielecki Klub Piłkarski Korona. In 2002, the golden era for Korona had begun.

Kolporter Kolporter sp. z o.o. is a Polish company. It was established in the 1990s by Krzysztof Klicki and has its headquarters in Kielce. It has made the Top 500 Polish Companies rankings in ''Polityka'' and ''Rzeczpospolita'' several times. Its name c ...

became the new sponsor,

Krzysztof Klicki Krzysztof Klicki (born 1962) is the President of Kolporter Holding S.A. He owns all of Kolporter's shares, the largest private distributor of the press (with more than 44 percent of the media market). He started Kolporter after the free market ...

the new chairman, and the club's name changed to Kielecki Klub Piłkarski Kolporter Korona. In 2003, the team was again renamed, this time to Sportowa Spólka Akcyjna Kolporter Korona. The goal was simple – to be the best Polish football team. The dream started to become reality in 2005 when Korona won the 2nd league and for the first time in the club's history was promoted to the Polish premier league. Korona's first match in the

was against

Cracovia Cracovia is the Latin name for the Polish city of Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh cen ...

and the final score was 0–0. Korona ended the 2005–06 season fifth in the league table. Prior to the 2006–07 season, at a meeting with supporters, the chairman announced that club would revert to its historical coat of arms. Korona's second season in the Ekstraklasa started off strongly with an away win against

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 ...

(3–0). 20 September 2006 was a significant one in Korona's history. After an away victory against

Odra Wodzisław Śląski Odra Wodzisław Śląski Spółka z o.o. (), is a Polish football club based in Wodzisław Śląski, Poland. History The club was established in 1922 as Odra Wodzisław, then changed its name several times. After the Second World War and until ...

, the club climbed to the top of the league table for the first time in its history although it ended the 2006–07 season in 7th place. Its third and final season in the top division was 2007–08, placing 6th but being relegated for its involvement in match-fixing in the 2003–04 season. In August 2008, Klicki sold the club to the city of

for a nominal fee. On 14 July 2009, Korona Kielce was promoted to the Ekstraklasa. In 2020, they were relegated back to

. In 2022, they were once again promoted to the

Stadium

In response to Korona's successes and the club owner,

's, affirmation that the club would play in the premier league and battle for European cups, Kielce municipal authorities approved the construction of a new stadium. Unfortunately, the stadium turned out to be much too small. Because of this the club played its first round in the highest division at its old stadium (currently used by reserves and youth teams) to permit further work on the new facility. Only eighteen months after the start of the building project, the keys of the new stadium were officially handed to the club. The first premier league match was played on 1 April 2006 against

Zagłębie Lubin Zagłębie Lubin S.A. () is a Polish professional football club based in Lubin. Founded in 1945 as ''OMTUR Lubin'', the club competes in the Ekstraklasa. History The football team was founded in 1945 as OMTUR Lubin by local members of the ''Yo ...

. The Korona stadium, although it stands on the same site as an earlier stadium, is an entirely new facility, built according to UEFA recommendations and modern design ideas. In this way it differs from most other football stadiums in Poland which were built during the communist era or earlier and only slightly modernized to meet basic

UEFA Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...

standards.

stadium can seat 15,550 fans, however, due to Polish regulations, which require a buffer zone between local fans and the visitors section, league matches can only accommodate 13,823 Korona fans and 777 visiting fans. However, on one occasion the stadium was full to capacity during a league match. This occurred during the 2006–07 season when fans of visiting club

Legia Warszawa Legia Warszawa (), commonly referred to as Legia Warsaw or simply Legia, is a professional football club based in Warsaw, Poland. Legia is the most successful Polish football club in history, winning record 15 Ekstraklasa champions titles, a ...

were prohibited from entering due to the vast number of their 'red brigade' supporters who made the trip down to watch their club in

. Pitch dimensions are 105 x 68 m, and the entire surface is heated. Automatic sprinklers water the pitch in between match days.

stadium has a complete system of monitoring, which could serve as a model for other Polish stadiums. Korona's stadium is also considered by the

Polish Football Association The Polish Football Association ( pl, Polski Związek Piłki Nożnej; PZPN) is the governing body of association football in Poland. It organizes the Polish football leagues (without the Ekstraklasa), the Polish Cup and the Polish national footb ...

for international games. Since 2006, when the club moved to the most modern stadium in Poland, it often had among the best attendance statistics in the Polish league, although these numbers have declined since the club's relegation at the end of the 2007–08 season.

Club crest

A new club crest was introduced in 2002, featuring a redesigned coat of arms. However, many fans were disappointed by the removal of the beloved black crown from the emblem. Before season 2006–07 in a team meeting with supporters the chairman announced that the club would return to the historical coat of arms. Thanks to the fans and good will of the chairman Korona again has the crown in her coat of arms.

Supporters

Supporters of Korona are some of the most enthusiastic in the

and have received many awards for their artistic match 'frames'. In the spring round of 2006–07, Korona Kielce fans were awarded 5 times in 8 matches for their superb 'frames'. Korona supporters' tireless cheering for their team often helps their team to victories. The most faithful fans are seated in the "Młyn" – ''"the Mill"'' – which contains 500 – 2,000 people. On 14 June 2006, the Stowarzyszenie Kibiców Korony Kielce "Złocisto-Krwiści" (Korona Kielce Supporters Association "Golden-Blooded") was officially registered at a

court. Official appointing of Korona Kielce fans had become a fact. This association brings together representatives of various Korona supporters groups. The association is a partner for the club and many institutions, which it wants to cooperate with. The fans are invaluable in the creation of memorable football events, and the association has an important role in increasing fan input on football life in Korona. The most important role of the association however is to improve the quality of support. The association also organizes special trains and coaches for fans for away matches. It also organizes events promoting the Club such as "Golden-bloody stadium in

", "Small toy – children's benefit" (fans donated toys to an orphanage), "Action Banner" (a lot of flags and banners were sewed). In short, the association has introduced a new supporting style at Korona matches which will attract even more fans to the stadium on Ściegiennego street. Korona Kielce fans have a friendship with fans of

Stal Mielec Stal Mielec () is a Polish football club based in Mielec, Poland. The club was established on April 10, 1939. Historically, the club has enjoyed great successes within Poland's Ekstraklasa, winning the title twice (in 1973 and 1976) but had under ...

and

Sandecja Nowy Sącz Sandecja Nowy Sącz is a Polish football club formed in 1910. In the 2016–17 season, Sandecja won I liga, which promoted the club to the Polish Ekstraklasa, Poland's highest professional football league, for the first time in the club's histor ...

. Their biggest rivals are

KSZO Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski KSZO Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski () is a Polish football club based in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, Poland. It was founded on August 11, 1929. History Initially, a club called ''Ostrovia'' existed in the city. It was established between 1922 and 1 ...

with whom they contest the

Holy Cross Province Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ...

derby. Other fierce rivals are

Radomiak Radom Radomiak Spółka Akcyjna (''Radomiak S.A.''), commonly known as Radomiak Radom, is a Polish football (soccer), football club based in Radom, Poland. The club was founded in 1910 and competes in the Ekstraklasa, the top level of Football in Poland ...

and

Wisła Kraków Towarzystwo Sportowe Wisła Kraków Spółka Akcyjna, commonly referred to as Wisła Kraków (), is a Polish professional football club based in Kraków. It currently competes in the I liga, the second level of Polish football league system. It ...

Korona Kielce II

The club operates a reserve team.

Ownership

Majority shareholder of the club is former German international footballer

Dieter Burdenski Dieter Burdenski (born 26 November 1950) is a German former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Early and family life Born in Bremen, Germany, Dieter Burdenski is the father of Fabian Burdenski (1991–) and the son of Herbert ...

. In April 2017, he acquired 72% of the club shares while the remaining 28% are in hands of the city of

. Burdenski's son Fabian was subsequently signed by the club in June 2017.

Current squad

Out on loan

Other players under contract

Notable players

The following players received international caps for their respective countries. Players whose name is listed in bold represented their countries while playing for Korona Kielce. ; Poland *

Grzegorz Bonin Grzegorz Bonin (born 2 December 1983) is a Polish football manager and former player who played as a winger, currently in charge of III liga club Chełmianka Chełm. Career In January 2013, he joined Górnik Zabrze. On 18 July 2018, he signed ...

(2005–08) *

Piotr Celeban Piotr Oliver Celeban (born June 25, 1985 in Szczecin) is a Polish former professional footballer who currently serves as a fitness coach for Śląsk Wrocław II. Although primarily a central defender, when needed he operated as a right-back. He i ...

(2007–08) *

Radosław Cierzniak Radosław Cierzniak (; born 24 April 1983) is a Polish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper for a number of teams in both Poland and Ukraine, such as Obra Kościan, Sparta Oborniki, Volyn Lutsk, Karpaty Lviv, Amica Wronk ...

(2007–10) * Paweł Golański (2005–07) (2010–15) *

Artur Jędrzejczyk Artur Marcin Jędrzejczyk (; born 4 November 1987) is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a defender for Ekstraklasa club Legia Warsaw. Club career Jędrzejczyk joined Legia Warsaw in August 2006 from Igloopol Dębica. He spent two s ...

(2010) * Marcin Kaczmarek (2005–08) *

Arkadiusz Kaliszan Arkadiusz Kaliszan (born 13 November 1972 in Poznań) is a retired Polish professional footballer who played for Hutnik Kraków and Polonia Warsaw in the Polish Ekstraklasa Poland Ekstraklasa (), meaning "Extra Class" in Polish, named PKO E ...

(2004–06) * Jacek Kiełb (2006–10) (2011–12) (2013–15) (2016–2018) (2020–) * Wojciech Kowalewski (2007–08) * Marcin Kuś (2007–08) *

Andrzej Niedzielan Andrzej Niedzielan (; born 27 February 1979) is a Polish former professional association football, footballer who played as a Striker (association football), striker. Club career Born in Żary, Niedzielan began his career began in 1997, when h ...

(2010–11) * Grzegorz Piechna (2004–06) * Piotr Świerczewski (2007–08) * Maciej Wilusz (2015) *

Łukasz Załuska Łukasz Załuska (; born 16 June 1982) is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper. After playing for Stomil Olsztyn, Legia Warsaw, Jagiellonia Białystok (on loan) and Korona Kielce in Poland, Załuska continued his career ...

(2004–07) *

Marcin Żewłakow Marcin Żewłakow () (born 22 April 1976) is a Polish football player. Career Żewłakow was born, in Warsaw. He played for clubs such as Polonia Warsaw, Beveren (Belgium), Excelsior Mouscron (Belgium), FC Metz (France) and AA Gent (Belgium) an ...

(2012–13) *

Michał Żyro Michał Żyro (Polish pronunciation: ; born 20 September 1992) is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a forward for Polish I liga side Wisła Kraków. Żyro has previously played for Legia Warsaw, Korona Kielce, Pogoń Szczecin, Stal M ...

(2019–2020) ; Belarus * Yevgeniy Shikavka (2022–) *

Dzmitry Verkhawtsow Dzmitry Mikalayevich Verkhawtsow ( be, Дзмiтрый Мікалаевіч Верхаўцоў, russian: Дмитрий Николаевич Верховцов; born 10 October 1986) is a Belarusian football coach and a former international. He p ...

(2016) ; Bosnia and Herzegovina *

Vlastimir Jovanović Vlastimir Jovanović (Serbian Cyrillic: Властимир Јовановић; born 3 April 1985) is a Bosnian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Polish club Bruk-Bet Termalica Nieciecza. Club career Jovanović sign ...

(2010–16) * Adnan Kovačević (2017–20) ; Bulgaria * Iliyan Mitsanski (2007) (2017) ; Canada *

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(2017) * Charlie Trafford (2015–17) ; Costa Rica *

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(2018–19) ; Czech Republic * Michal Papadopoulos (2019–2020) ; Estonia *

Ken Kallaste Ken Kallaste (''né'' Akerta; born 31 August 1988) is an Estonian professional footballer who plays as a left back for Meistriliiga club Flora and the Estonia national team. Club career Flora Kallaste came through the Flora youth system. He ma ...

(2016–19) *

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(2011) ; Finland *

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(2020) ; France *

Olivier Kapo Obou Narcisse Olivier Kapo (born 27 September 1980), known as Olivier Kapo, is a French former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder or left winger. Early life Born in Marcory, Ivory Coast, Kapo acquired French national ...

(2014–15) ; Georgia * Vato Arveladze (2018–20) *

Nika Kacharava Nikoloz "Nika" Kacharava ( ka, ნიკოლოზ "ნიკა" კაჭარავა, tr, ; born 13 January 1994) is a Georgian professional footballer who plays as a forward for South Korean club Jeonnam Dragons. Born in Cyprus, he repres ...

(2017–18) ; Kazakhstan * Sergei Khizhnichenko (2014) ; Latvia *

Aleksandrs Fertovs Aleksandrs Fertovs (born 16 June 1987) is a Latvian footballer who plays as a midfielder for FK RFS and the Latvia national football team. Fertovs's nickname in Latvia is Kaķis (Cat). Club career Early career Aleksandrs Fertovs started playi ...

(2015–16) * Vladislavs Gabovs (2015–17) ; Lithuania * Vytautas Černiauskas (2014–15) *

Andrius Skerla Andrius Skerla (born 29 April 1977) is a Lithuanian former professional footballer who played as a defender. He began his career in Lithuania with Žalgiris Vilnius, where his performances drew the attention of Dutch club PSV. After making on ...

(2007–08) ; Moldova *

Anatolie Doroș Anatolie Doroș (born 21 March 1983) is a Moldova Moldova ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Moldova ( ro, Republica Moldova), is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, ...

(2005–06) ; New Zealand * Themistoklis Tzimopoulos (2019–2021) ; Senegal * Elhadji Pape Diaw (2016–19) ; Serbia * Nemanja Miletić (2019–2020) ; Slovakia * Erik Pačinda (2019–2020) ; Slovenia *

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(2017–18)

Managers

* Zbigniew Pawlak (1973) * Bogumił Gozdur (1973–77) * Zbigniew Lepczyk (1978) * Marian Szczechowicz (1979) *

Wojciech Niedźwiedzki Wojciech () is a Polish name, equivalent to Czech Vojtěch , Slovak Vojtech, and German Woitke. The name is formed from two components in archaic Polish: * ''wój'' (Slavic: ''voj''), a root pertaining to war. It also forms words like ''wojownik ...

(1979–80) * Antoni Hermanowicz (1980–83) * Józef Golla (1983–84) *

Czesław Palik Czesław, ( cz, Česlav, be, italic=yes, Časłaŭ; Česłaŭ, lt, Česlovas) is an old given name derived from the Slavic elements ''ča'' (to await) and ''slava'' (glory). Feminine form: Czesława/Česlava. The name may refer to: * Ceslaus, ...

(July 1, 1984 – June 30, 1985) *

Czesław Fudalej Czesław, ( cz, Česlav, be, italic=yes, Časłaŭ; Česłaŭ, lt, Česlovas) is an old given name derived from the Slavic elements ''ča'' (to await) and ''slava'' (glory). Feminine form: Czesława/Česlava. The name may refer to: * Ceslaus, ...

(1985) * Witold Sokołowski (1986) * Antoni Hermanowicz (1986) * Bogumił Gozdur (1986) * Antoni Hermanowicz (1987–88) *

(July 1, 1988 – Dec 31, 1991) * Volodymyr Bulhakov (1992) * Marian Puchalski (1993) * Antoni Hermanowicz (1993) * Marek Parzyszek (1994) *

(July 1, 1994 – June 30, 1996) * Włodzimierz Gąsior (July 1, 1996 – June 30, 1999) * Stanisław Gielarek (1999) * Antoni Hermanowicz (2000) * Jacek Zieliński I (July 1, 2000 – Dec 20, 2000) *

(Jan 1, 2001 – June 30, 2001) * Robert Orłowski (July 1, 2001–02) * Tomasz Muchiński (2002 – Sept 23, 2002) *

Dariusz Wdowczyk Dariusz Wdowczyk (born 25 September 1962) is a Polish football player and coach, who was previously the manager of Piast Gliwice. He played for Gwardia Warszawa, Legia Warsaw, Celtic, Reading, and Polonia Warsaw. He has subsequently carved out a ...

(Sept 23, 2002 – Dec 12, 2004) *

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(Dec 13, 2004 – May 7, 2007) * Jacek Zieliński II (July 1, 2007 – May 17, 2008) * Włodzimierz Gąsior (June 3, 2008 – May 4, 2009) * Marek Motyka (May 18, 2009 – Nov 23, 2009) *

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''(interim)'' (Nov 24, 2009 – Nov 29, 2009) * Marcin Sasal (Nov 29, 2009 – May 12, 2011) * Włodzimierz Gąsior ''(interim)'' (May 12, 2011 – June 9, 2011) * Leszek Ojrzyński (July 1, 2011 – Aug 5, 2013) * Sławomir Grzesik ''(interim)'' (Aug 5, 2013 – Aug 13, 2013) *

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(Aug 13, 2013 – June 2014) *

Ryszard Tarasiewicz Ryszard Jerzy Tarasiewicz (born 27 April 1962 in Wrocław) is a Polish football manager and former player. Career Club After playing 10 years for Śląsk Wrocław, he left Poland in 1989 and played for Neuchâtel Xamax (Switzerland) and AS Nanc ...

(June 17, 2014 – June 10, 2015) *

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(June 25, 2015 – June 30, 2016) * Tomasz Wilman (June 30, 2016 – November 10, 2016) *

Maciej Bartoszek Maciej Bartoszek (born 12 April 1977) is a Polish professional football manager who was most recently in charge of II liga club Kotwica Kołobrzeg. Honours Individual *Ekstraklasa Poland Ekstraklasa (), meaning "Extra Class" in Polish, named ...

(November 10, 2016 – June 30, 2017) *

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(July 1, 2017 – August 31, 2019) * Mirosław Smyła (September 16, 2019 - March 6, 2020) *

(March 6, 2020 - April 15, 2021) * Dominik Nowak (April 16, 2021 – November 29, 2021) * Leszek Ojrzyński (December 17, 2021 – October 29, 2022) * Kamil Kuzera (October 29, 2022 – ''present'')