Polonia Bydgoszcz is a Polish sports club based in

Bydgoszcz Bydgoszcz ( , , ; german: Bromberg) is a city in northern Poland, straddling the meeting of the River Vistula with its left-bank tributary, the Brda. With a city population of 339,053 as of December 2021 and an urban agglomeration with more ...

most known for its

speedway Speedway may refer to: Racing Race tracks *Edmonton International Speedway, also known as Speedway Park, a former motor raceway in Edmonton, Alberta *Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a motor raceway in Speedway, Indiana Types of races and race cours ...

team ŻKS Polonia Bydgoszcz which currently races in the 1. Liga. The club has won the Polish Speedway League Championship seven times, the latest in 2002, and European Team Championship three times, the latest in 2001. The club also has a

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

team that plays in the lower leagues, though it was more successful in the past.

History

BKS Polonia Bydgoszcz was founded on May 14, 1920, by Edmund Szyc, a sports enthusiast and an official of Warta Poznan. Szyc, who had come to Bydgoszcz from Poznan in the early spring of 1920, wanted to create a sports organization with a patriotic spirit, based on

Polish Army The Land Forces () are the land forces of the Polish Armed Forces. They currently contain some 62,000 active personnel and form many components of the European Union and NATO deployments around the world. Poland's recorded military history stret ...

soldiers garrisoned in the city. The color scheme of Polonia was white-red-green (to commemorate Polish flag, plus green, the traditional colour of Warta Poznan’s jerseys). In the

Second Polish Republic The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 1918 and 1939. The state was established on 6 November 1918, before the end of ...

, Polonia Bydgoszcz was one of the largest sports organizations in the nation. It had several departments, such as football, track and field, boxing, ice hockey, cycling, basketball, handball and volleyball. Among the most notable athletes of the time were: Stanislaw Zakrzewski (high jumper), Klemens Biniakowski (runner, who participated in the

1928 Summer Olympics The 1928 Summer Olympics ( nl, Olympische Zomerspelen 1928), officially known as the Games of the IX Olympiad ( nl, Spelen van de IXe Olympiade) and commonly known as Amsterdam 1928, was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated from ...

), Feliks Wiecek (cyclist, winner of the 1928

Tour de Pologne The Tour de Pologne (Polish: ''Wyścig Dookoła Polski'', English: ''Tour of Poland'', official abbreviation TdP,) is an annual, professional men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in Poland. It consists of seven or eight stages ...

). Polonia’s football team were four times champions of Polish

Pomerania Pomerania ( pl, Pomorze; german: Pommern; Kashubian: ''Pòmòrskô''; sv, Pommern) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The western part of Pomerania belongs to ...

, but failed to win promotion to 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 cl ...

. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Polonia was reactivated on October 21, 1945. In 1947, its football team once again won local championships. On May 22, 1946, the speedway department was formed, but in 1949, the so-called First Polonia was dissolved by the Communist authorities, who disliked its prewar, bourgeoisie roots. In 1949-57, Polonia Bydgoszcz did not exist. On May 24, 1957, BKS Polonia and ''ZS Gwardia'' (sports organization supported by

Milicja Obywatelska Milicja Obywatelska (), in English known as the Citizens' Militia and commonly abbreviated to MO, was the national police organization of the Polish People's Republic. It was established on 7 October 1944 by the Polish Committee of National Libera ...

) merged into ''Milicyjny KS Polonia''. The new club took over the traditions of the 1920 organization and quickly emerged as one of the most important sports clubs of the country. Former Gwardia Bydgoszcz was a powerful organization, with a top class football team (promoted to

in 1953), while its speedway team was the 1955 Champion of Poland. Furthermore, several Gwardia’s track and fielders took part in the 1952 Olympic Games in

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

. In the early 1950s, Gwardia had as many as 17 departments. Its most famous sports personality of that time was tennis player Jadwiga Jedrzejowska. The newly established ''Militia Sports Club Polonia Bydgoszcz'' took over Gwardia’s hues (red - white - blue), to commemorate the colors of the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

, and to symbolize the new, Communist regime of Poland. In 1962, the name of the club was changed into ''Bydgoszcz Sports Club (BKS) Polonia'', to be changed into ''Guards Sports Club (GKS) Polonia'' in 1974. Finally, in 1990, the name ''Bydgoszcz Sports Club Polonia'' was returned. In the late 1980s, GKS Polonia had over 1500 members, including 700 athletes. In 1990, the police authority (former

) withdrew its financial support of the club. As a result, the club was supported by the city government. In 1992, the football team was closed to return in 1994, and the ice hockey department was separated from the organization. In the same year, the speedway team of Polonia won Polish Championship. By the late 1990s, Polonia had returned to its former glory. Speedway team, with

Tomasz Gollob Tomasz Robert Gollob (; born 11 April 1971 in Bydgoszcz, Poland) is a former Polish motorcycle speedway rider. He appeared in every Speedway Grand Prix series between its inaugural season in 1995 and 2013. His brother Jacek is also a speedway r ...

, was three times Polish champion (1998, 2000, 2002), table tennis team was among the best in the country, and football team won promotion to the third level. In 2003, local authorities dissolved Polonia Bydgoszcz. The departments of the former organization created their own teams, such as ''Zuzlowy Klub Sportowy (Speedway Sports Club) Polonia'', and the traditions of BKS Polonia are continued by the football team, called ''Klub Pilkarski (Football Club) Polonia''.

Names

* 1993-1998: Jutrzenka Polonia Bydgoszcz * 2001: Bractwo Polonia Bydgoszcz * 2002: PointS Polonia Bydgoszcz * 2003: Plusssz Polonia Bydgoszcz * 2004-2006: Budlex Polonia Bydgoszcz * 2013: Składywęgla.pl Polonia Bydgoszcz * 2019: Zooleszcz Polonia Bydgoszcz * 2020-:Abramczyk Polonia Bydgoszcz

Management

Polonia Bydgoszcz since 27 October 2006 is

Joint stock company A joint-stock company is a business entity in which shares of the company's stock can be bought and sold by shareholders. Each shareholder owns company stock in proportion, evidenced by their shares (certificates of ownership). Shareholders are ...

(pl: ''spółka akcyjna'' or ''S.A.''). *

board of directors A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...

: **''President:'' Leszek Tillinger *

supervisory board In corporate governance, a governance board also known as council of delegates are chosen by the stockholders of a company to promote their interests through the governance of the company and to hire and fire the board of directors. In civil s ...

: **''President:'' Bartosz Rakoczy **''Members:'' Bogdan Sawarski and Roman Woźniak * annual general meeting: **80 % - BTŻ Polonia Bydgoszcz (''

Voluntary association A voluntary group or union (also sometimes called a voluntary organization, common-interest association, association, or society) is a group of individuals who enter into an agreement, usually as volunteering, volunteers, to form a body (or organ ...

'') **20 % - City

Speedway section

Timeline

* 1920 - Creation of Klub Sportowy "Polonia" (''Sport's Club "Polonia"'') * 1946 - Creation of

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...

section in Polonia * 1948 - First start in

Team Speedway Polish Championship The Team Speedway Polish Championship (Polish: ''Drużynowe Mistrzostwa Polski, DMP'') is an annual speedway event held each year in different Polish clubs organized by the Polish Motor Union (PZM) since 1948. The team winning the league is awarded ...

* 1951 ** First start in the top division (First League) ** First medal in Polish Championship:

Zbigniew Raniszewski Zbigniew () is a Polish masculine given name, originally Zbygniew . This West Slavic name is derived from the Polish elements ''Zby-'' (from ''zbyć, zbyć się, or pozbyć się'', meaning "to dispel", "to get rid of") and ''gniew'', meaning "ang ...

- bronze in

IMP IMP or imp may refer to: * Imp, a fantasy creature Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Imp (She-Ra), a character in ''She-Ra: Princess of Power'' * Imp a character in '' Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony'' * Imp, a character in the '' Cl ...

* 1955 - First Team Polish Champion title * 1959 - Rider

Mieczysław Połukard Mieczysław Połukard (1930 in Warsaw, Poland – 26 October 1985 in Bydgoszcz, Poland) was a Polish motorcycle speedway rider and coach, the first Polish rider to ride in the Individual World Championship Final in 1959 and won the World Team Cu ...

- first Polish rider to ride in the Individual World Championship Final * 1968 - First ride in Relegation playoffs * 1982 - First Criterium of Polish Speedway Leagues Aces * 1985 -

death on

track Track or Tracks may refer to: Routes or imprints * Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity * Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across * Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...

* 1991 -

Tony Rickardsson Tony Rickardsson (born on 17 August 1970) is a Swedish former professional motorcycle speedway rider. He competed in the Speedway World Championships from 1989 to 2006. Rickardsson is notable for winning six Speedway World Championship titles in 1 ...

and Peter Karlsson - first foreigners in Team * 2007 - Team was relegated from the top division first time in history

Current team

Kenneth Bjerre Kenneth Bjerre Jensen (born 24 May 1984 in Esbjerg, Denmark) is a Danish international motorcycle speedway rider who races using the name Kenneth Bjerre. He rode in the UK for Peterborough Panthers and King's Lynn Stars in the E ...

* Benjamin Basso *

Matej Žagar Matej Žagar (born 3 April 1983 in Ljubljana, Slovenia) is a Slovenian motorcycle speedway rider who was won two Individual Speedway European Champion titles in 2004 and 2008. Career In 2002, he won the 2002 Individual Speedway Junior European ...

Oļegs Mihailovs Oļegs Mihailovs (born 23 August 1999) is an international speedway rider from Latvia. Speedway career Mihailovs won two bronze and one silver medal at the Latvian Individual Speedway Championship in 2017, 2018 and 2020 respectively. He quali ...

Daniel Jeleniewski Daniel Sebastian Jeleniewski (born 27 January 1983 in Lublin, Poland) is a motorcycle speedway rider from Poland. Career Jeleniewski gained his speedway licence in May 1999. He was a member of Poland national team. Honours * Individual Eu ...

Adrian Miedziński Adrian Miedziński (born 20 August 1985 in Toruń, Poland) is a Polish motorcycle speedway rider. Career He has won the Team Under-21 World Champion and Individual Under-21 Polish Champion titles. In 2022, while riding for Bydgoszcz he suffe ...

* Wiktor Przyjemski * Przemyslaw Konieczny * Bartosz Glogowski

Previous riders

2007 Team * Statistics in

2007 Speedway Ekstraliga The 2007 Polish Speedway season was the 2007 season of motorcycle speedway in Poland. Individual Polish Individual Speedway Championship The 2007 Individual Speedway Polish Championship final was held on 15 August at Wrocław. Golden Helm ...

2008 Team 2012 Team

Competitions in Bydgoszcz

Speedway Grand Prix

Polonia Bydgoszcz hosted the

Speedway Grand Prix of Poland The Speedway Grand Prix of Poland is a speedway event that is a part of the Speedway Grand Prix Series. Winners Most wins Tomasz Gollob 8 times Bartosz Zmarzlik 8 times References {{DEFAULTSORT:Speedway Grand Prix Of Poland Grand ...

in the Polonia Bydgoszcz Stadium (1998–99, since 2001). In 2000 Polonia hosted

Speedway Grand Prix of Europe The Speedway Grand Prix of Europe was a speedway event that was a part of the Speedway Grand Prix Series. Winners Most wins Jason Crump and Nicki Pedersen 3 times References See also * List of Speedway Grand Prix riders Grand ...

won in Bydgoszcz SGP 6 times.

Pomeranian-Kuyavian Derby

The

Pomeranian-Kuyavian Derby The Pomeranian-Kuyavian Derby ( pl, Derby Pomorza i Kujaw), also known as the Pomeranian Derby (''Derby Pomorza'') is a motorcycle speedway match between rivals Polonia Bydgoszcz and KS Toruń. The rivalry comes about as Bydgoszcz and Toruń are t ...

is the name given to

matches between Polonia Bydgoszcz and Unibax Toruń.

Criterium of Aces

The Mieczysław Połukard Criterium of Polish Speedway League Aces ( pl, Kryterium Asów Polskich Lig Żużlowych im. Mieczysława Połukarda) usually referred to as the Criterium of Aces (''Kryterium Asów'') is an annual speedway event held each year, which is organized by the Polonia Bydgoszcz. The Criterium of Aces is held in the Polonia Stadium in

. It is seen by riders and fans as the official opening of the new season. It was first staged in 1982, although a similar meeting was held in the 1951 as Criterium of Aces (''Criterium Asów''). The most successful rider in Criterium history is

(former Polonia's rider). He won Criterium 14 times between 1990 and 2008.

Honours

Stadium

The stadium is located on ''ulica Sportowa 2'' (''Sports Street''). It contains 20,000 seats. The track is 348 metres long and has a granite surface. The track record was made by

(60.11 sec on June 20, 1999).

Football section

Polonia Bydgoszcz's football section competes in the regional league. Their home ground is Stadion Miejski im. Józefa Piłsudskiego.Skarb - Polonia Bydgoszcz
''90minut.pl''.

Notes

History of Polonia Bydgoszcz (in Polish)

External links

*
Official website
*
Official website of voluntary association Polonia
{{Polukard Criterium of Aces seasons

Sport in Bydgoszcz