Zagłębie Sosnowiec (basketball)
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Zagłębie Sosnowiec () is a Polish professional
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
club based in
Sosnowiec Sosnowiec is an industrial city county in the Dąbrowa Basin of southern Poland, in the Silesian Voivodeship, which is also part of the Metropolis GZM municipal association.—— Located in the eastern part of the Upper Silesian Industrial Re ...
. They compete in
II liga II liga (Druga liga, ), currently named Betclic II liga due to its sponsorship by Betclic, 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'' referre ...
in the 2025–26 season, following relegation from the
2023–24 I liga The 2023–24 I liga (also known as Fortuna I liga due to sponsorship reasons) was the 76th season of the second tier domestic division in the Polish football league system since its establishment in 1949 and the 16th season of the Polish I liga ...
. The club was established in 1906. It has won
Polish Cup The Polish Cup in Association football, football ( ) is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout football competition for Polish football club (association football), football clubs, held continuously since 1950, and is the second most i ...
four times (1962, 1963, 1977, 1978), and has finished as runner-up in the Polish championship four times (1955, 1964, 1967, 1972). Apart from football, the organization of Zagłębie has other departments, such as ice-hockey (
KH Zagłębie Sosnowiec KH Zagłębie Sosnowiec is a professional ice hockey team from Sosnowiec, Poland. They play in the Polska Hokej Liga The Polska Hokej Liga (''PHL'') is the premier ice hockey league in Poland. The highest professional level of ice hockey in Po ...
; five times Polish champion: 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985) and men's basketball (twice Polish champion: 1985, 1986).


History

The history of Zagłębie Sosnowiec dates back to 1906, when the city of Sosnowiec belonged to
Congress Poland Congress Poland or Congress Kingdom of Poland, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland, was a polity created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna as a semi-autonomous Polish state, a successor to Napoleon's Duchy of Warsaw. It was established w ...
,
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
. In that year, a group of young workers of the Milowice Steelworks formed a sports organization. Their activities were mostly concentrated on playing football at suburban meadows. In 1908, local activist Aleksander Rene was arrested by the
Okhrana The Department for the Protection of Public Safety and Order (), usually called the Guard Department () and commonly abbreviated in modern English sources as the Okhrana ( rus , Охрана, p=ɐˈxranə, a=Ru-охрана.ogg, t= The Guard) w ...
, and accused of forming an illegal Polish sports organization. Imprisoned in
Łódź Łódź is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located south-west of Warsaw. Łódź has a population of 655,279, making it the country's List of cities and towns in Polan ...
, he sent a letter to a Russian Governor, who resided in
Piotrków Trybunalski Piotrków Trybunalski (; also known by #Etymology, alternative names), often simplified to Piotrków, is a city in central Poland with 71,252 inhabitants (2021). It is the capital of Piotrków County and the second-largest city in the Łódź Voi ...
, asking for permission to form a Sosnowiec branch of the Union Sports Club from
Sankt Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601,9 ...
. He was denied, so he wrote again, to the Union headquarters. With the permission of the Sankt Petersburg club, Rene, after leaving prison, formed the team of Union Sosnowiec, which in the first half of the 1910s played several friendly games against local teams. During World War I, sports activities were cancelled in Sosnowiec. In 1918, Sports Association Victoria was formed. Among its players was famous singer
Jan Kiepura Jan Wiktor Kiepura (Polish: ; May 16, 1902 – August 15, 1966) was a Polish opera singer (lyric tenor / lirico spinto, Heldentenor) and actor. He enjoyed a successful international career and performed at leading concert halls around the w ...
. In 1919, Sports Association Sosnowiec was formed by Aleksander Reine. After 12 years, in 1931, both clubs merged to create the team called Unia Sosnowiec. The new team was among the best sides in the region of
Zagłębie Dąbrowskie Zagłębie in Polish means coalfield. It can refer to: * Górnośląskie Zagłębie Węglowe, a mining region * Zagłębie Dąbrowskie, a mining region * Zagłębie Sosnowiec, an association football club * Zagłębie Lubin, an association footbal ...
, which in the 1930s had its own regional league, the Zagłębie A-Class. In 1933, Unia Sosnowiec won the league, qualifying to the
Ekstraklasa (; meaning "Extra Class" in Polish), officially known as PKO Bank Polski Ekstraklasa due to its Sponsor (commercial), sponsorship by PKO Bank Polski, is a professional association football league in Poland and the highest level of the Polish foo ...
playoffs, where it lost to
Naprzód Lipiny ŚKS Naprzód Lipiny is a sports club from Świętochłowice's district of Lipiny (Upper Silesia, Poland), founded in 1920 by Alfons Maniura, who became Naprzód's first chairman. Throughout the years, the club changed its name many times. Fro ...
. In 1934, Unia again turned out to be the regional winner, and again it lost the playoffs, this time to
Śląsk Świętochłowice Śląsk Świętochłowice (full name: Miejski Klub Sportowy Śląsk Świętochłowice) is a Polish sports club based in Świętochłowice, Upper Silesia, known for its motorcycle speedway and Association football, football teams. Name Its name c ...
. Third attempt at the Ekstraklasa promotion came in 1939. Again Unia, the regional champion, lost the playoffs to both Śląsk Świętochłowice and
Fablok Chrzanów Fablok Chrzanów is a Polish sports club, founded in 1926 in Chrzanów. Its name reflects the name of club's sponsor - Fablok, the biggest and most important company in town. Fablok's most famous association football player is Paweł Cyganek ...
. Among the players of Unia's youth teams was Wieslaw Ociepka, who later became chairman of the
Polish Football Association The Polish Football Association ( PZPN) is the governing body of association football in Poland. It organizes the Polish football leagues (without the ), the national cups, and manages the men's and women's national teams. It also runs the nati ...
(PZPN). During World War II, Unia played unofficial, conspirational games against local rivals. In 1945, officials and players of Unia formed a team called RKS Sosnowiec, which was soon renamed into RKU Sosnowiec. Its chairman was Major Marian Rodza, military commandant of the city. First postwar manager was
Józef Słonecki Józef Emil Słonecki (11 August 1899 – 1 October 1970) was a Polish footballer who played as a right winger. He played in six matches for the Poland national football team from 1923 to 1925. Honours Pogoń Lwów * Ekstraklasa: 1922, 1923, 19 ...
, who in the 1920s was a player of
Pogoń Lwów LKS Pogoń Lwów is a former Polish professional sports club which was located in Lwów, Lwów Voivodeship (now Lviv Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the L ...
. In 1946, RKU qualified to the Ekstraklasa playoffs. In the 1/8 finals, it beat
Gedania Gdańsk KS Gedania Danzig was an ethnically-Polish association football club that was part of German football competition in the inter-war period. It was formed in 1922 in what was at the time the Free City of Danzig (present day Gdańsk, Poland). Ban ...
6–2, to lose 0–4 to
AKS Chorzów AKS Chorzów is a sports club based in Chorzów, Poland. It is one of the earliest sports organizations in Upper Silesia and is still well known nationally for its football and handball teams. The club also made its mark on the international stag ...
in the quarterfinals. During the game, which took place in
Chorzów Chorzów ( ; ; ) is a city in the Silesia region of southern Poland, near Katowice. Chorzów is one of the central cities of the Metropolis GZM – a metropolis with a population of 2 million. It is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Rawa ...
, clashes erupted between supporters of both teams, and the game was cancelled. In 1947, RKU was in Group Two of the Ekstraklasa qualifiers. This group was won by AKS Chorzów, RKU was the fourth team, behind AKS, Cracovia and
Rymer Radlin Rymer may refer to: Surname *James Malcolm Rymer (1814–1884), Scottish writer of penny dreadfuls * Janice Rymer, British consultant gynaecologist * Józef Rymer (1882–1922), Polish and Silesian activist and politician * Laurie Rymer, (b. 1934), ...
. In 1949, after changing its name into Stal Sosnowiec, the team qualified to the Second Division, remaining there until 1954, when it was finally promoted to the Ekstraklasa. In the 1955 Ekstraklasa, Stal Sosnowiec was a sensation, as it was the runner up, finishing the season in the second spot, only behind CWKS Warsaw. Stal had 27 points, while CWKS had only one point more. In 1956, Stal was the 10th team (out of 12), in 1957, 7th, and was relegated in 1958, to return to the Ekstraklasa in 1960. Stal remained in the top league until 1974, finishing as the runners-up thrice (1964, 1967, 1972). Meanwhile, in 1962, Stal changed name into GKS Zagłębie. In the mid-1960s, the team from Sosnowiec was among the best Polish sides, as it once won Polish silver, three times bronze, and two times the
Polish Cup The Polish Cup in Association football, football ( ) is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout football competition for Polish football club (association football), football clubs, held continuously since 1950, and is the second most i ...
: in 1962, after beating 2-1
Górnik Zabrze Górnik Zabrze Spółka Akcyjna, commonly referred to as Górnik Zabrze S.A. or simply Górnik Zabrze (), is a Polish association football, football club from Zabrze. Górnik is one of the most successful Polish football clubs in history, winning ...
, and in 1963, after beating 2–0
Ruch Chorzów Ruch Chorzów () is a Polish professional association football, football club based in Chorzów, Upper Silesia. It is one of the most successful football teams in Poland, having won fourteen List of Polish football champions, Polish Championship ...
. In 1964,
Józef Gałeczka Józef Gałeczka (28 February 1939 – 7 July 2021) was a Polish footballer who played as a forward. He was top scorer in the Ekstraklasa in 1964 with 18 goals. Honours Player Zagłębie Sosnowiec * Polish Cup: 1962, 1962–63 Individual * Eks ...
was Ekstraklasa's top scorer. Among other notable players of that time was
Andrzej Jarosik Andrzej Władysław Jarosik (26 November 1944 – 23 April 2024) was a Polish footballer who played as a forward. Club career Born in Sosnowiec, Jarosik started his career in Zagłębie Sosnowiec (1958–1974) and then played for in France with ...
, twice Polish top scorer (1970, 1971). Furthermore, Włodzimierz Mazur was the top scorer in 1977. In 1977 and 1978, Zagłębie twice won the
Polish Cup The Polish Cup in Association football, football ( ) is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout football competition for Polish football club (association football), football clubs, held continuously since 1950, and is the second most i ...
, and in 1979,
Wojciech Rudy Wojciech Władysław Rudy (born 24 October 1952) is a Polish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He played mostly for Zagłębie Sosnowiec. He played for the Poland national team, making 40 appearances and scoring once, ...
was named Best Polish Player of the Year. In 1986, Zagłębie, after 11 years, was relegated to the Second Division. It remained there until June 1989, when Zagłębie returned to the Ekstraklasa. Among its top players were Marek Bęben,
Ryszard Czerwiec Ryszard Czerwiec (born 28 February 1968) is a Polish footballer who plays as a midfielder for Zgoda Byczyna. Czerwiec made 28 appearances for the Poland national team. Honours Widzew Łódź * Ekstraklasa: 1995–96 * Polish Super Cup T ...
and Maciej Mizia. After promotion, the games of Zagłębie were attended by thousands of people, with the record, 28,000, watching the match against Górnik Zabrze. After the 1991 season, Zagłębie avoided relegation in the playoffs, in which it beat
Jagiellonia Białystok Jagiellonia Białystok () is a Polish professional football club based in Białystok that plays in the Ekstraklasa, the top level of Polish football. The club was founded in 1920 by soldiers in the 42nd Infantry Regiment Reserve Battalion in Bi ...
0–2, 2–0, and 4–2 in the penalty shootout. In 1992, Zagłębie was relegated, even though among its players was Marek Koniarek. Due to financial problems, the team was soon relegated to the third level. The club was then dissolved. In 1995, Zagłębie returned in the 5th division, and soon qualified to the fourth, and then third division. In 2000, Zagłębie won promotion to the second level. In 2001, with a new Italian sponsor ERGOM, Zagłębie planned to win promotion back to the top league. Instead, the team was relegated. In 2004, Zagłębie won promotion to the Second Division. Finally, after the 2006–07 season, Zagłębie returned to the Ekstraklasa. Among its top players were
Jacek Berensztajn Jacek Berensztajn (born 16 October 1973) is a Polish footballer who plays as a midfielder for Grabka Grabica. Berensztajn made two appearances for the Poland national football team. Honours SV Ried * Austrian Cup The Austrian Cup (), known a ...
, Jakub Wierzchowski and
Adrian Mierzejewski Adrian Mierzejewski (; born 6 November 1986) is a Polish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Club career Early career Born in Olsztyn, Mierzejewski began his career at local side Tempo 25 Olsztyn, then he moved to Naki O ...
. The 2007–08 Ekstraklasa season was a failure, as Zagłębie gathered only 16 points, and was relegated again. Among its players at that time was
Patryk Małecki Patryk Adrian Małecki (; born 1 August 1988) is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a winger for Avia Świdnik. Club career Małecki made his Wisła Kraków and Ekstraklasa debut on 10 September 2006 in a 0–0 draw against Pogoń ...
.


Stadium

Zagłębie Sosnowiec play their home matches at the
Zagłębie Sports Park Zagłębie Sports Park (), officially called ArcelorMittal Park for sponsorship reasons, is a sports complex in Środula, Sosnowiec, Poland and is the home of Zagłębie Sosnowiec. It consists of a football stadium, ice hockey arena and indoor ar ...
, with a 11,600 capacity.


Current squad


Other players under contract


Honours


Domestic

*
Ekstraklasa (; meaning "Extra Class" in Polish), officially known as PKO Bank Polski Ekstraklasa due to its Sponsor (commercial), sponsorship by PKO Bank Polski, is a professional association football league in Poland and the highest level of the Polish foo ...
**Runners-up:
1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...
, 1963–64, 1966–67, 1971–72 **Third place:
1962 The year saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is often considered the closest the world came to a Nuclear warfare, nuclear confrontation during the Cold War. Events January * January 1 – Samoa, Western Samoa becomes independent from Ne ...
, 1962–63, 1964–65 *
Polish Cup The Polish Cup in Association football, football ( ) is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout football competition for Polish football club (association football), football clubs, held continuously since 1950, and is the second most i ...
**Winners: 1961–62, 1962–63, 1976–77, 1977–78 **Runners-up: 1970–71


International

*
International Soccer League The International Soccer League was a U.S.-based soccer league which was formed in 1960 and collapsed in 1965. The League, affiliated with the American Soccer League, featured guest teams primarily from Europe and some from South America, Canada ...
** Winners:
1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...
*
UEFA Intertoto Cup The UEFA Intertoto Cup (from , "between" and , " betting pool"),Most precisely, from ( football pool); cf. originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition between European clubs. The competition was dis ...
** Semi-finalists: 1966–67


Youth teams

* Polish U-19 Championship **Runners-up: 1963 **Third place: 1965


Basketball team

In 1983, American
Kent Washington Kent "Nut" Washington (born January 10, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player. He was the first American as well as the first black professional basketball player to play behind the Iron Curtain. He played professional bask ...
won the
Polish Basketball Cup The Polish Basketball Cup () is the annual top-tier level national domestic basketball cup competition for clubs in Poland. It is managed and organised by the Polish Basketball League (PLK). The competition was founded in 1933. Śląsk Wrocław has ...
with Zagłębie Sosnowiec.


See also

*
Football in Poland Football is the most popular sport in Poland. Over 400,000 Poles play football regularly, with millions more playing occasionally and 27% being very interested in it. The first professional clubs were founded in the early 1900s, and the Pol ...


References


Timeline of Zagłębie's history, in Polish


External links

*
Unofficial websiteZagłębie Sosnowiec
at 90minut.pl
biznes.zaglebie.euOfficial facebookTwitterInstagram
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zaglebie Sosnowiec Association football clubs established in 1945 1945 establishments in Poland Mining association football clubs in Poland