Jump to content

Górnik Zabrze

Coordinates: 50°17′47″N 18°46′7″E / 50.29639°N 18.76861°E / 50.29639; 18.76861
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the association football club. For handball club, see Górnik Zabrze (handball).
Górnik Zabrze
Full nameGórnik Zabrze Spółka Akcyjna[1]
NicknamesTrójkolorowi (Tri-Colour),
Górnicy (The Miners)
Founded14 December 1948; 77 years ago (1948-12-14)
GroundArena Zabrze
Capacity28,236
ChairmanVacant
ManagerMichal Gašparík
LeagueEkstraklasa
2024–25Ekstraklasa, 9th of 18
Websitewww.gornikzabrze.pl
Current season

Górnik Zabrze Spółka Akcyjna, commonly referred to as Górnik Zabrze (Polish pronunciation: [ˈɡurɲiɡ ˈzabʐɛ]), is a Polish football club from Zabrze. Górnik is one of the most successful Polish football clubs in history, winning the second-most Polish Championship titles together with Ruch Chorzów. The club was a dominant force in the 1960s and 1980s. Górnik holds the record for winning the most consecutive Polish Championship titles (5) and Polish Cup titles (5). In addition, the club was 1969–70 Cup Winners' Cup runners-up.

They currently compete in the Ekstraklasa, the top tier of the national football league system. The club plays in a white or dark blue-red kit, and is based at the Arena Zabrze. Their main local rival is Ruch Chorzów.[2]

History

[edit]

First years

[edit]

The club was founded in 1948 after several smaller sports associations – KS Zjednoczenie, KS Pogoń, KS Skra, and KS Concordia – were merged into a single organization, on the initiative of Julian Gajdzicki, a former deportee to Siberia and a soldier of the Polish Anders' Army during the Second World War.[3] The club took the name "Górnik", the Polish word for "Miner", reflecting the fact that Zabrze was an important coal-mining centre. It was a multi-sports club with several departments, including athletics, swimming and boxing, however, football remained the leading department.[4]

In 1949, Górnik has entered the regional Klasa A of Opole Silesia (third tier) replacing Pogoń Zabrze.[3] In 1950 the club was promoted to the Polish Second Division.[3] Their first game in the second tier was against Skra Częstochowa, and was witnessed by 20,000 fans, with Górnik winning 5–1.[5] The whole season was very successful and Górnik finished second overall, behind Górnik Wałbrzych.[citation needed] In November 1951, Górnik played their first friendly match against a foreign club, Dinamo Tbilisi.[3]

The club was promoted to the top division in 1955. In their first game in the top flight Górnik beat local rivals Ruch Chorzów 3–1, with 25,000 in attendance;[3] the club finished the season in sixth place. In 1955, Jerzy Chromik, long-distance runner from Górnik Zabrze, became the first Polish athlete after World War II to set a new world record.[3]

First successes

[edit]

In 1957, just a year after promotion, Górnik won its first championship of Poland. The team, with star, Ernest Pohl, was third in 1958, to regain the crown in 1959 and 1961, together with such players as Stanisław Oślizło and Hubert Kostka. In 1961 Górnik for the first time appeared in European Cups, losing in the first round to Tottenham Hotspur. In the 1962 season, Górnik set its record victory in a league match, beating Cracovia 9–0,[3] a result matched in the 2002–03 season in a game against Pogoń Szczecin.[6]

Golden years

[edit]

The next championship, won in 1963, marked the beginning of an unusual streak of five consecutive titles (1963, 64, 65, 66 and 67), which is a Polish record, followed by five consecutive Polish Cup wins (1968, 1969, 1970, 1971 and 1972), also a Polish record, and two more Polish Championships in 1971 and 1972. Between 1957 and 1972, Górnik set a Polish record of finishing in the top three of the league for fifteen consecutive seasons.

Two Górnik players, Włodzimierz Lubański and Zygfryd Szołtysik, were ranked in the 1967 Ballon d'Or plebiscite, as the first Poles ever to feature in a Ballon d'Or poll.[3] Lubański was ranked in the plebiscite three more times, reaching a high of seventh place[3] in 1972. Jerzy Gorgoń was ranked 15th in the 1974 Ballon d'Or plebiscite, as the only Polish defender to date.[3]

Ticket to a match against Manchester City in the 1970–71 European Cup Winners' Cup

Górnik's biggest success in European football took place in 1970 (even though in Poland the team was second, after Legia Warsaw). In the UEFA Cup Winners Cup, Gornik beat all their opponents – Olympiacos, Rangers, Levski Sofia and AS Roma, reaching the final, which took place in Vienna. There, Manchester City turned out to be the better team, winning 2–1. The following season Górnik would once again play Manchester City, with the 1970 final being repeated this time in the quarter-final.

Late 1970s and early 1980s

[edit]

During the mid-1970s Górnik form deteriorated and in late spring of 1978, the team was relegated to the Second Division. However, it returned after one year and in games of 1979–80, Zabrze's side finished sixth. In 1984, after purchasing of a group of talented players (Ryszard Komornicki, Waldemar Matysik, Eugeniusz Cebrat, Andrzej Zgutczyński, Tadeusz Dolny, Andrzej Pałasz), Górnik finished fourth, which was a sign of better times.

Successes of other departments

[edit]

Several track and field athletes from Górnik Zabrze have won Olympic medals, i.e. Halina Górecka and Tadeusz Ślusarski won gold in 1964 and 1976, respectively, and Zbigniew Jaremski, Jerzy Pietrzyk and Zenon Licznerski won silver—the former two together in 1976, and the latter in 1980.[7] Up until the 1980s, athletes from the swimming, diving, weightlifting and wrestling departments of Górnik Zabrze won medals at the Polish national championships.[8]

Late 1980s until now

[edit]

Between 1985 and 1988 Górnik again marked a magnificent streak, with four consecutive championships. Zabrze's side also played versus renowned European powerhouses, such as Bayern Munich, Anderlecht, Hamburger SV, Juventus and Real Madrid.

Arena Zabrze

In 1994 Górnik competed again for the title and with players as Jerzy Brzęczek, Grzegorz Mielcarski, Tomasz Wałdoch, hopes were high. Before the last round of the league the standings at the top were: Legia 47 points and Górnik 45 points. Since the two teams were to face each other in Warsaw, Górnik still had a chance to win the title. However the game ended in a 1–1 tie which gave Legia the crown. Before Legia scored the goal which gave her the title (the score 0–1 would mean the title for Górnik), the referee of the match – Mr Redzinski – sent off one by one 3 players from Górnik's squad, and Górnik had to finished match with only 8 players against 11 players of Legia. It was the last match in Mr Redzinski's career.

In the same year, Górnik played its last so far game in European Cups, losing to Admira Wacker Vienna.

In the spring of 2007 Górnik got a new sponsor – German insurance company Allianz. However, after finishing 16th in the Ekstraklasa in 2008–09, the club was relegated to the Polish First League, the second level of Polish football, during the 2009–10 season. In June 2010, the club earned promotion back to the Ekstraklasa for the 2010–11 season. Since then, Górnik has promoted a number of players to the Poland national team and transferred several players to stronger leagues, including Arkadiusz Milik, Łukasz Skorupski, Szymon Żurkowski and Paweł Bochniewicz.

In 2016, the Sports Department was established at the Municipal Museum in Zabrze, where most of the exposition is devoted to Górnik Zabrze.[9] In 2022, the women's section of Górnik Zabrze was established through the merger with the previously separate women's club, KKS Zabrze.[10][11]

In the 2025–26 season, Górnik won the Polish Cup, ending a 38-year trophy drought.[12]

Honours

[edit]
Chart of yearly table positions of Górnik in the Polish league system

League

[edit]

Cup

[edit]

Europe

[edit]

Youth teams

[edit]

Górnik in Europe

[edit]
Season Competition Round Club Score
1961–62 European Cup Q England Tottenham Hotspur 4–2, 1–8
1963–64 European Cup Q Austria Austria Wien 1–0, 0–1, 2–1
1R Czechoslovakia Dukla Prague 2–0, 1–4
1964–65 European Cup Q Czechoslovakia Dukla Prague 1–4, 3–0, 0–0
1965–66 European Cup Q Austria LASK Linz 3–1, 2–1
1R Czechoslovakia Sparta Prague 0–3, 1–0
1966–67 European Cup 1R East Germany Vorwärts Berlin 2–1, 1–2, 3–1
2R Bulgaria CSKA Sofia 0–4, 3–0
1967–68 European Cup 1R Sweden Djurgårdens IF 3–0, 1–0
2R Soviet Union Dynamo Kyiv 2–1, 1–1
1/4F England Manchester United 0–2, 1–0
1968–69 European Cup Winners' Cup 1R Soviet Union Dynamo Moscow withdrawal
1969–70 European Cup Winners' Cup 1R Greece Olympiacos 2–2, 5–0
2R Scotland Rangers 3–1, 3–1
1/4F Bulgaria Levski-Spartak 2–3, 2–1
1/2F Italy Roma 1–1, 2–2, 1–1
F England Manchester City 1–2
1970–71 European Cup Winners' Cup 1R Denmark Aalborg BK 1–0, 8–1
2R Turkey Göztepe 1–0, 3–0
1/4F England Manchester City 2–0, 0–2, 1–3
1971–72 European Cup 1R France Marseille 1–2, 1–1
1972–73 European Cup 1R Malta Sliema Wanderers 5–0, 5–0
2R Soviet Union Dynamo Kyiv 0–2, 2–1
1974–75 UEFA Cup 1R Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Partizan 2–2, 0–3
1977–78 UEFA Cup 1R Finland Haka 5–3, 0–0
2R England Aston Villa 0–2, 1–1
1985–86 European Cup 1R Germany Bayern Munich 1–2, 1–4
1986–87 European Cup 1R Belgium Anderlecht 0–2, 1–1
1987–88 European Cup 1R Greece Olympiacos 1–1, 2–1
2R Scotland Rangers 1–3, 1–1
1988–89 European Cup 1R Luxembourg Jeunesse Esch 3–0, 4–1
2R Spain Real Madrid 0–1, 2–3
1989–90 UEFA Cup 1R Italy Juventus 0–1, 2–4
1991–92 UEFA Cup 1R Germany Hamburger SV 1–1, 0–3
1994–95 UEFA Cup Q Republic of Ireland Shamrock Rovers 7–0, 1–0
1R Austria Admira Wacker Mödling 2–5, 1–1
1995 Intertoto Cup GR Denmark AGF 1–4
Switzerland Basel 1–2
England Sheffield Wednesday 2–3
Germany Karlsruher SC 1–6
2018–19 UEFA Europa League 1Q Moldova Zaria Bălți 1–0, 1–1
2Q Slovakia Trenčín 0–1, 1−4

Best results in European competitions

[edit]
Season Achievement Notes
European Cup / UEFA Champions League
1968 Quarter-Final lost to England Manchester United 0–2 in Manchester, 1–0 in Chorzów
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
1970 Final lost to England Manchester City 1–2 in Vienna
1971 Quarter-Final lost to England Manchester City 2–0 in Chorzów, 0–2 in Manchester, 1–3 in Copenhagen

Players

[edit]

Current squad

[edit]
As of 29 April 2026[14]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK  POL Marcel Łubik (on loan from FC Augsburg)
4 DF  POL Paweł Bochniewicz
5 DF  POL Kryspin Szcześniak
7 FW  FRA Yvan Ikia Dimi
8 MF  CZE Patrik Hellebrand
10 FW  GER Lukas Podolski
13 MF  CZE Lukáš Sadílek
14 MF  POL Jarosław Kubicki
15 MF  GER Roberto Massimo
16 DF  POL Paweł Olkowski
17 MF  POL Kamil Lukoszek
18 MF  CZE Lukáš Ambros
20 DF  ESP Josema
No. Pos. Nation Player
21 MF  DEN Mathias Sauer
23 FW  NOR Sondre Liseth
25 GK  POL Antoni Bałabuch
26 DF  POL Rafał Janicki
28 MF  FRA Bastien Donio
33 MF  UKR Maksym Khlan
36 MF  POL Michał Rakoczy
61 DF  CZE Michal Sáček
64 DF  SVN Erik Janža (captain)
67 DF  CZE Ondřej Zmrzlý (on loan from Slavia Praha)
77 FW  BUL Borislav Rupanov
92 GK  POL Piotr Pietryga
99 GK  POL Tomasz Loska

Out on loan

[edit]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
9 FW  BRA Gabriel Barbosa (at Tatran Prešov until 30 June 2026)
11 MF  NGA Taofeek Ismaheel (at Lech Poznań until 30 June 2026)
19 MF  POL Natan Dzięgielewski (at Wieczysta Kraków until 30 June 2026)
22 MF  NGA Abbati Abdullahi (at Skalica until 30 June 2026)
27 DF  POL Dominik Szala (at Stal Mielec until 30 June 2026)
31 GK  POL Mateusz Jeleń (at Sandecja Nowy Sącz until 30 June 2026)
41 DF  POL Dawid Mazurek (at Rekord Bielsko-Biała until 30 June 2026)
44 FW  POL Aleksander Buksa (at Polonia Warsaw until 30 June 2026)
55 DF  POL Maksymilian Pingot (at ŁKS Łódź until 30 June 2026)
No. Pos. Nation Player
74 FW  GRE Theodoros Tsirigotis (at TPS until 1 August 2026)
79 MF  KOR Goh Young-jun (at Gangwon FC until 31 December 2026)
— DF  POL Norbert Barczak (at Puszcza Niepołomice until 30 June 2026)
— MF  POL Marcel Kalemba (at GKS Tychy until 30 June 2026)
— MF  POL Wiktor Nowak (at Wisła Płock until 30 June 2026)
— MF  POL Ksawery Semik (at Hutnik Kraków until 30 June 2026)
— GK  POL Kamil Soberka (at Wieczysta Kraków until 30 June 2026)
— DF  POL Dawid Szwiec (at KKS 1925 Kalisz until 30 June 2026)

Notable former players

[edit]

Managers

[edit]

Supporters and rivalries

[edit]
Górnik Zabrze supporters during the Great Silesian Derby.
Graffiti on a wall in Zabrze.

Górnik Zabrze is believed to have one of the largest and most loyal fanbases in Poland, especially in the Katowice metropolitan area. In the 2016–17 season, Górnik Zabrze drew the highest average home attendance (10,636)[15] of all second level Polish football clubs. They also drew the highest attendance in their league (20,987). After their comeback to the top flight in 2017, Górnik drew the highest average home attendance in Polish football, surpassing current top teams Lech Poznań and Legia Warsaw,[16] with most league games being sold-out.[17]

Górnik holds a long-standing rivalry with Upper Silesian side Ruch Chorzów, known as the Great Silesian Derby [pl]. Other main rivals are Piast Gliwice, Polonia Bytom, Legia Warsaw and Zagłębie Sosnowiec.

Torcida Zabrze is named after the ultras of Torcida Split, with whom they have friendly relations; together they are called United Torcida. They have also friendly relations with fans of Wisłoka Dębica and German club Schalke 04;[18][19][20] the latter in past used to be a rival. Fans of Concordia Knurów, Naprzód Rydułtowy, Slavia Ruda Śląska and Czarni Pyskowice are also Górnik fan-clubs.

Notable supporters

[edit]

Well-known supporters of Górnik Zabrze include Zbigniew Religa, pioneer in human heart transplantation in Poland, Adam Małysz, one of the most successful ski jumpers in history, Wojtek Wolski, former National Hockey League player, and international footballers Jerzy Dudek, Lukas Podolski and Ireneusz Jeleń.[21][22][23]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "KRS 0000106227 GÓRNIK ZABRZE SPORTOWA S A, NIP 6481278811, REGON 273128033". Krs-online.com.pl. Retrieved 2022-08-23.
  2. ^ Willis, Craig; Hughes, Will; Bober, Sergiusz. "ECMI Minorities Blog. National and Linguistic Minorities in the Context of Professional Football across Europe: Five Examples from Non-kin State Situations". ECMI. ECMI. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "75 wydarzeń z historii Górnika Zabrze" (in Polish). Retrieved 6 May 2026.
  4. ^ "Górnik – najsilniejszy klub Zabrza powstał z czterech klubów". Sport i Wczasy (in Polish). No. 92 (130). 16 December 1948. p. 4.
  5. ^ "08.04.1951 - Górnik Zabrze - Skra Częstochowa 5:1". WikiGórnik (in Polish). Retrieved 7 May 2026.
  6. ^ "12.05.1962 - Górnik Zabrze - Cracovia 9:0". WikiGórnik (in Polish). Retrieved 6 May 2026.
  7. ^ Małolepszy, Eligiusz; Drozdek-Małolepsza, Teresa (2013). "Z dziejów ruchu sportowego na Śląsku w latach 1945–1989". Prace Naukowe Akademii im. Jana Długosza w Częstochowie (in Polish). XII (1): 103–104.
  8. ^ Małolepszy, Eligiusz; Drozdek-Małolepsza, Teresa (2013). "Z dziejów ruchu sportowego na Śląsku w latach 1945–1989". Prace Naukowe Akademii im. Jana Długosza w Częstochowie (in Polish). XII (1): 101, 105–106.
  9. ^ "Dział Sportu". Muzeum Miejskie w Zabrzu (in Polish). Retrieved 7 May 2026.
  10. ^ "Zabrzańska rodzina piłkarska się powiększa. Górnik z nową sekcją". SportSlaski.pl (in Polish). 10 March 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2026.
  11. ^ "Kolejny wielki klub stawia na kobiety. "To ogromna wartość"". Sportowe Fakty (in Polish). 10 March 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2026.
  12. ^ Kłyszejko, Jakub (2026-05-02). "STS Puchar Polski. Górnik Zabrze z pierwszym krajowym pucharem od ponad 50 lat!". sport.tvp.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2026-05-02.
  13. ^ Kłyszejko, Jakub (2 May 2026). "STS Puchar Polski. Górnik Zabrze z pierwszym krajowym pucharem od ponad 50 lat!". sport.tvp.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2 May 2026.
  14. ^ "Drużyna I" (in Polish). Górnik Zabrze. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  15. ^ "EFS Attendances". www.european-football-statistics.co.uk. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
  16. ^ Kusina, Maciej. "90minut.pl". img.90minut.pl. Archived from the original on 30 December 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
  17. ^ "Już jutro stadion Górnika odwiedzi więcej kibiców niż stadion Ruchu przez cały sezon - weszlo.com". weszlo.com. 15 September 2017. Archived from the original on 30 December 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
  18. ^ "Fanfreundschaften & Kontakte". stadionfans.de (in German). Archived from the original on 9 March 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  19. ^ "Ultras-Tifo Forum-Friendship". Ultras-Tifo Forum. 2018-05-28. Retrieved 2024-09-15.
  20. ^ "RWE & Schalke Fans mit Sprüchen gegen die Polizei". archiv.faszination-fankurve.de (in German). 2015-05-09. Retrieved 2024-09-15.
  21. ^ "Profesor Zbigniew Religa - nie tylko lekarz ale i kibic". Nauka w Polsce (in Polish). 9 March 2009. Retrieved 7 May 2026.
  22. ^ "Małysz z wizytą na Roosevelta". TVP Sport (in Polish). 18 June 2010. Retrieved 7 May 2026.
  23. ^ "Wojtek Wolski dostał koszulkę Górnika Zabrze". Interia Sport (in Polish). 11 October 2010. Retrieved 7 May 2026.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons logo
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Górnik Zabrze.

50°17′47″N 18°46′7″E / 50.29639°N 18.76861°E / 50.29639; 18.76861

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Górnik_Zabrze&oldid=1353618521"