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| Full name | Wisła Kraków Spółka Akcyjna |
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| Nickname(s) | Biała Gwiazda (The White Star) | |||
| Founded | 1906 | |||
| Ground | Stadion Miejski (Capacity: 11,122) (upgrading to 34,000) |
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| Chairman |  Marek Wilczek |
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| Manager | Maciej Skorża |
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| League | Ekstraklasa | |||
| 2008-09 | Ekstraklasa, 1st | |||
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 Current season |
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Wisła Kraków (Polish pronunciation: [ˈviswa ˈkrakuf]) is a Polish football club based in Kraków, Poland. In the years 1906-1945 and then from 1990 to 1997 the club was officially known as a Sports Society Wisła (pol. Towarzystwo Sportowe Wisła). Following the end of World War II the club became known as Wisła Kraków.
The club's coat of arms is a white star on a red background crossed by a blue ribbon. The club is the most successful football team in Poland in recent years. It is a winner of a total of 12 Polish league championships with superb 7 championships coming in the years following 1999.
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History
Birth of the Club 1906
The ancestor of today’s Wisła Kraków was a football team formed in the fall of 1906 by the students of 2nd Practical School, under the direction of Józef Szkolnikowski, who also served as the team captain. In September 1906 “Szkolnikowski’s Team” took part in a Fall Tournament organized by Dr. Tadeusz Konczyński, which took place at Kraków’s Błonia meadows. “Szkolnikowski’s Team” wore blue jerseys for the competition, and because of this, the team began to be knows as “the Blues”.
In 1907 “The Blues” merged with another Kraków team, “The Reds” founded and administrated by Jenker. Following the merger the team's primary color became red, but it was the members of the Blues who came up with the name Wisla to call their new association. Though the team jerseys were red they bore 2 blue stars in order to show that the team was created from the fusion of 2 others. In 1911 the blue stars were replaced by a single white star placed on the left side of the uniform. In 1936 the official coat of arms was established consisting of a white star on a red shield crossed by a blue ribbon, alluding to the colors of the 2 founding teams.
Early Success Polish Champions 1928-1929
In the season of 1928 Wisła achieved their first tase of glory after winning their first ever Ekstraklasa title. In 1949 the club was renamed to Gwardia Kraków. In 1956 the club was once again renamed, to GTS Wisła Kraków, a name which held true until 1990 when the club reverted to its original name: TS Wisla Kraków. In the late nineteen-nineties the football (soccer) section of the club was incorporated and was renamed Wisła Kraków SSA.
The club has had its ups and downs, winning national championships and gaining European qualification. It was also relegated to the second division on three occasions. Since the football section has been bought by Tele-Fonika in 1998, the team has been far and away the most successful club in Poland, winning 7 national championships and placing second 3 times, totaling 10 top 2 finishes in 12 years.
On the international stage Wisła has competed in all three of the European competitions. The clubs greatest success came in the 1978/79 season, when Wisla was able to reach the quarter-finals of the European Cup eventually to be knocked out by Malmö FF,by a aggregate score of 3:5. Most recently Wisła narrowly missed out on a chance to compete in the 2005/06 Champions League group stage, being defeated 4:5 by Greek side Panathinaikos after extra time and under controversial circumstances.
Wisła also twice reached the second round of the Cup Winners Cup in 1967/68 and 1984/85, being beaten 0:5 and 2:3 by Hamburger SV and Fortuna Sittard respectively.
"The White Star" has competed ten times in the UEFA Cup, for instance in 1976/77, 1981/1982 and 1998/99. Twice gaining entry into the second phase only to be knocked out on penalties by R.W.D. Molenbeek and 2:3 by Lazio
Supporters and rivalries
The Holy War
The term Holy War refers to the intense rivalry between the two Kraków based teams; Wisła and Cracovia. In 1906 the establishment of the two first Polish football clubs, Cracovia and Wisła, created a rivalry that now dates back more than one hundred years. The term Holy War was first used to describe the rivalry of Kraków's Jewish teams, Makabbi and Jutrzenka. A Jutrzenka defender who later joined the Cracovia side referred to the derby match against Wisła as the Holy War. The phrase was incorporated into a song and has since been popular among Wisła and Cracovia fans. In 2006, the 100 year anniversary match was played between Wisła Kraków and Cracovia. A force of nearly 1,000 policemen were on hand during the game along with vehicles armed with water cannons, riot vans, helicopters and police dogs.
Poland's Derby
The match contested between Wisła Kraków and Legia Warsaw is commonly recognized as the greatest rivalry in Polish club football. The two sides have been the most successful clubs in Poland during the past decade and the rivalry between two of Poland's premier cities of Kraków and Warsaw sparks the rivalry even more. The regional differences of Kraków (South) and Warsaw (North) also add a greater meaning to the match.
Stadium
Wisła's Stadium is located on 22 Reymonta Street in Kraków, Poland. The stadium was built in 1953 and currently holds a capacity of 15,595. The stadium currently is being rebuilt to accommodate 34,000 spectators. The Wisła Stadium has also been chosen as a reserve venue for the Euro 2012 tournament being organized jointly by Poland and Ukraine. The record attendance of 45,000 at Wisła Stadium came on September 29, 1976 when Wisla defeated Celtic of Glasgow 2:0. The venue has been a fortress for Wisła, where the team is especially difficult to defeat. It is worth noting that Wisła holds the all-time European football record for home games without a loss in a row. The streak was started following a loss on September 16, 2001, to KSZO Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski and ended more than seven years later on November 11, 2006, when GKS Bełchatów defeated Wisla 4:2. The number of matches without a loss was then settled at 73, overcoming the former Polish record of 48 which belonged to Legia of Warsaw. During the latest season (2008-2009) Wisla lost points at home only twice; tying LKS and being defeated by Lech Poznan.
Achievements
Domestic
(In 1951 Wisla finished first league competition in 1st place, however, the National Championship was awarded to the Cup winner, Ruch Chorzow)
- Polish Cup:
- Winner (4): 1926, 1967, 2002, 2003
- Finalist (6): 1951, 1954, 1979, 1984, 2000, 2008
- Polish SuperCup:
- Winner (1): 2001
- Finalist (4): 1999, 2004, 2008, 2009
- Polish League Cup:
- Winner (1): 2001
- Finalist (1): 2002
Europe
- UEFA Champions League:
- Quarterfinal (1): 1979
- UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (UEFA Cup):
- 4th Round (Round of 16) (3): 1968, 1985, 2003
- UEFA Intertoto Cup:
- Winner (3): 1970, 1971, 1973
Intercontinental
- Chicago Trophy:
- Winner (1): 2007
Wisła in Europe
Current squad
Accurate as of 8 September 2009[1]
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Players out on loan
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Current coaching staff
| Manager | Maciej Skorża |
| 2nd Coach | Rafał Janas |
| Assistant Coach | Ryszard Czerwiec |
| Goalkeeping Coach | Artur Łaciak |
| Fitness Coach | Andrzej Bahr |
| Fitness Coach |  Paolo Terziotti |
| Club doctor | Jacek Jurka |
| Masseur | Marcin Bisztyga |
| Masseur | Zbigniew Woźniak |
| Physiotherapist | Filip Pięta |
| Reserve Team Head Coach | Tomasz Kulawik |
| U-19 Team Head Coach | Dariusz Marzec |
| U-17 Team Head Coach | Kazimierz Moskal |
| Chief scout | Edward Klejndinst |
| Chief scout |  Josef Csaplár |
UEFA Ranking
Club Ranking for 2009 (Previous year rank in italics, UEFA Club Coefficients in parentheses)
- 149
(129) 
PAOK (9.632) - 149 (148) Egaleo (9.632)
- 151 (133) Wisła Kraków (9.583)
- 152
(163) 
Metalurh Zaporizhya (9.370) - 153 (138)
Marítimo (9.292) - Full List
Notable players former and serving
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Manager history
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See also
- TS Wisła Can-Pack Kraków - women basketball team STBL
- Football in Poland
- History of football in Poland
References
- ^ "Kadra Wisły Kraków - sezon 2009/2010" (in Polish). wislaportal.pl. http://www.wislaportal.pl/kadra.php. Retrieved 2009-07-21.
External links
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