Widzew Łódź
RTS Widzew Łódź (Polish pronunciation: [ˈɛr ˈtɛ ˈɛs ˈvʲidzɛf ˈwut͡ɕ]) is a Polish football club based in Łódź. The club was founded in 1910. Its official colours are red and white, hence their nicknames Czerwona Armia (Red Army) and Czerwono-biało-czerwoni (Red-white-reds).
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| Full name | RTS Widzew Łódź | |||
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| Founded | 1910 as TMRF Widzew 1922 reformed as RTS Widzew 2015 reformed as RTS Widzew | |||
| Ground | Stadion Widzewa Łódź im. Ludwika Sobolewskiego Łódź, Poland | |||
| Capacity | 18,008 | |||
| Chairman |  | |||
| Manager | | |||
| League | II liga (3rd level) | |||
| 2018–19 | II liga, 5th | |||
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History
The club was founded in 1910 as Towarzystwo Miłośników Rozwoju Fizycznego Widzew (Society of Physical Development Fans Widzew).
After the first world war the club was reactivated in 1922 as Robotnicze Towarzystwo Sportowe Widzew Łódź (Workers' Sports Association Widzew Łódź).
Widzew has won four Polish league championships (in 1981, 1982, 1996 and 1997) and the 1985 Polish Cup.
They have appeared in 117 matches in European Cups, of which they won 42. Widzew knocked European giants Manchester United out of the 1980–81 UEFA Cup, although their biggest achievement was reaching the semi-final of the 1982–83 European Cup, eliminating then 3 times winners Liverpool along the way.
Recent history
In the beginning of season 2007/2008 Widzew was bought by one of the wealthiest men in Poland – Sylwester Cacek.[1]
In January 2008, while playing in the Second League, the Polish Football Association ruled that Widzew Łódź should be relegated due to their involvement in a corruption scandal. However, Widzew became champions that year and were allowed to stay in the second division, which was renamed First League (I liga) before the start of the 2008–09 season. Despite the deduction of six points as a penalty, Widzew managed to become champions once again, and were finally promoted to the Ekstraklasa. In total, Widzew played 35 seasons at the highest level before being relegated in the 2013–14 season.
Due to financial problems, Widzew finished last at the end of the 2014–15 I Liga season. Subsequently, the club ruled by Sylwester Cacek went bankrupt.
In consequence local businessmen led by Marcin Ferdzyn and Grzegorz Waranecki decided to take on amateur status as a new association called Stowarzyszenie Reaktywacja Tradycji Sportowych Widzew Łódź (Association of the Reactivation of the Sports Traditions of Widzew Łódź),[2] which continues the tradition of the old RTS Widzew Łódź. The new association was registered in a Polish court on 2.07.2015, and within a few weeks of summer 2015 they managed to find new coach Witold Obarek and collect a new squad, which started the 2015/2016 season in the fifth tier of Polish football. In first season in IV League Widzew has promoted to higher tier. In season 2016/17 Widzew achieved third place in III League, after Drwęca Nowe Miasto Lubawskie and ŁKS Łódź but next season yielded promotion to II League. Now, on the halfway point of season 2018/19 Widzew is leader with 37 points in 17 matches.
Achievements
Domestic
- Ekstraklasa (First Division):
- Polish First League (Second Division):
- Polish Cup:
- Winner (1): 1985
- Polish SuperCup:
- Winner (1): 1996
- Finalist (1): 1997
- Polish League Cup:
- Finalist (1): 1977
Europe
- UEFA Champions League/European Cup:
- Semi-Finalist (1): 1982–83
- Copa del Sol:
- Runner-up (1): 2013
Youth Team
- Polish U-19 Runner Up: 1995
- Polish U-19 Bronze Medal: 1936, 1937, 1997
Honours in the Polish Ekstraklasa (to 2008 Polish 1st Division)
| Season | Position | Matches | Points | Goals | W.-D.-L. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1948 | 14 (relegation to 2nd division) | 26 | 13 pts. | 31–99 | 5–3–18 |
| 2 | 1975/76 | 5 | 30 | 32 pts. | 33–33 | 10–12–8 |
| 3 | 1976/77 | 2 | 30 | 38 pts. | 46–31 | 14–10–6 |
| 4 | 1977/78 | 10 | 30 | 28 pts. | 34–40 | 9–10–11 |
| 5 | 1978/79 | 2 | 30 | 39 pts. | 37–26 | 14–11–5 |
| 6 | 1979/80 | 2 | 30 | 36 pts. | 47–39 | 13–10–7 |
| 7 | 1980/81 | 1 | 30 | 39 pts. | 39–25 | 14–11–5 |
| 8 | 1981/82 | 1 | 30 | 39 pts. | 45–31 | 14–11–5 |
| 9 | 1982/83 | 2 | 30 | 38 pts. | 50–30 | 13–12–5 |
| 10 | 1983/84 | 2 | 30 | 42 pts. | 43–25 | 15–12–3 |
| 11 | 1984/85 | 3 | 30 | 38 pts. | 34–16 | 13–12–5 |
| 12 | 1985/86 | 3 | 30 | 41 pts. | 40–25 | 15–11–4 |
| 13 | 1986/87 | 6 | 30 | 36 pts. | 34–29 | 14–7–9 |
| 14 | 1987/88 | 5 | 30 | 31 pts. | 28–24 | 8–15–7 |
| 15 | 1988/89 | 7 | 30 | 29 pts. | 27–27 | 9–12–9 |
| 16 | 1989/90 | 15 (relegation to 2nd division.) | 30 | 17 pts. | 22–39 | 4–12–14 |
| 17 | 1991/92 | 3 | 34 | 43 pts. | 48–28 | 17–9–8 |
| 18 | 1992/93 | 5 | 34 | 43 pts. | 60–42 | 16–11–7 |
| 19 | 1993/94 | 6 | 34 | 39 pts. | 45–33 | 12–15–7 |
| 20 | 1994/95 | 2 | 34 | 45 pts. | 48–25 | 17–11–6 |
| 21 | 1995/96 | 1 | 34 | 88 pts. | 84–22 | 27–7–0 |
| 22 | 1996/97 | 1 | 34 | 81 pts. | 74–20 | 25–6–3 |
| 23 | 1997/98 | 4 | 34 | 61 pts. | 53–34 | 18–7–9 |
| 24 | 1998/99 | 2 | 30 | 56 pts. | 50–33 | 18–2–10 |
| 25 | 1999/00 | 7 | 30 | 40 pts. | 48–54 | 11–7–12 |
| 26 | 2000/01 | 12 | 30 | 36 pts. | 33–40 | 9–9–12 |
| 27 | 2001/02 | |||||
| Autumn round – group A: |
8 | 14 | 11 pts. | 9–24 | 3–2–9 | |
| Spring round – g. relegation: |
2 | 14 | 31 pts. | 19–8 | 6–7–1 | |
| 28 | 2002/03 | 9 | 30 | 37 pts. | 29–39 | 10–7–13 |
| 29 | 2003/04 | 14 (relegation) | 26 | 19 pts. | 25–52 | 4–7–15 |
| 30 | 2006/07 | 12 | 30 | 28 pts. | 27–48 | 7–7–16 |
| 31 | 2007/08 | 15 (relegation) | 30 | 26 pts. | 27–42 | 5–11–14 |
| 32 | 2010/11 | 9 | 30 | 43 pts. | 41–34 | 11–10–9 |
| 33 | 2011/12 | 11 | 30 | 39 pts. | 25–26 | 9–12–9 |
| 34 | 2012/13 | 13 | 30 | 33 pts. | 30–41 | 8–9–13 |
| 35 | 2013/14 | 15 (relegation to 1st division) | 37 | 22 pts. | 36–59 | 8–9–20 |
Widzew in Europe
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| Season | Competition | Round | Club | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977–78 | UEFA Cup | 1R |  |
2–2, 0–0 |
| 2R |  |
3–5, 0–1 | ||
| 1979–80 | UEFA Cup | 1R |  |
2–1, 0–3 |
| 1980–81 | UEFA Cup | 1R | |
1–1, 0–0 |
| 2R |  |
3–1, 1–3 p. 4–1 | ||
| 3R | |
0–5, 1–0 | ||
| 1981–82 | European Cup | 1R | .svg.png){kind=small} |
1–4, 1–2 |
| 1982–83 | European Cup | 1R |  |
4–1, 3–1 |
| 2R |  |
1–2, 5–3 | ||
| 1/4F | |
2–0, 2–3 | ||
| 1/2F | |
0–2, 2–2 | ||
| 1983–84 | UEFA Cup | 1R |  |
0–0, 2–2 |
| 2R |  |
1–0, 0–3 | ||
| 1984–85 | UEFA Cup | 1R |  |
2–0, 0–1 |
| 2R |  |
2–3, 1–0 | ||
| 3R |  |
0–2, 1–0 | ||
| 1985–86 | European Cup Winners' Cup | 1R |  |
0–1, 2–1 |
| 1986–87 | UEFA Cup | 1R | |
1–1, 1–0 |
| 2R | |
0–0, 0–2 | ||
| 1992–93 | UEFA Cup | 1R | |
2–2, 0–9 |
| 1995–96 | UEFA Cup | Q | .svg.png){kind=small} |
4–0, 1–0 |
| 1R |  |
1–0, 0–1 p. 5–6 | ||
| 1996–97 | UEFA Champions League | Q | |
2–1, 2–3 |
| GR | |
1–2, 2–2 | ||
| GR |  |
1–4, 0–1 | ||
| GR |  |
0–1, 2–0 | ||
| 1997–98 | UEFA Champions League | 1Q |  |
2–0, 8–0 |
| 2Q | |
1–3, 0–4 | ||
| UEFA Cup | 1R | |
1–0, 0–3 | |
| 1999–00 | UEFA Champions League | 2Q |  |
4–1, 1–4 p. 3–2 |
| 3Q | |
1–3, 0–2 | ||
| UEFA Cup | 1R |  |
0–1, 2–0 | |
| 2R | |
1–1, 0–2 | ||
Current squad
- As of 14 November 2019[3]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Notable players
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Managers
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Stadium
The club's home stadium was the Stadion Miejski opened in 1930. The stadium, which was owned by the city of Łódź, had a capacity of 10,500 seats. In early 2015, it was demolished to make way for a new stadium with 18,000 seats. It was intended the new stadium will be completed by November 2016.
In the 2014–2015 season, its last season as a professional club, Widzewa played their home matches in Byczyna near Poddębice, 40 km west of Łódź.[5]
After bankruptcy and relegation to the 4th division a rebuilt team was forced to play its domestic games in Łódź at UKS SMS Łódź stadium,[6] during the construction of a new Widzew's stadium.
The first match on new stadium was played on 18 March 2017, Widzew won against Motor Lubawa 2:0.[7] 17,443 fans attended the game.
Fans
Widzew has one of the largest fan-bases in Poland with fan-clubs all around the country. Widzew's biggest rival is ŁKS Łódź, with whom they contest the Łódź Derby. Legia Warsaw are also big rivals, with whom they contest the Derby of Poland, which stems from the fact there were frequent title races between the two clubs. GKS Bełchatów is third biggest rival of Widzew. Their fans maintain friendly relations with fans of Ruch Chorzów, Elana Toruń, KKS Kalisz, Wisła Kraków and CSKA Moscow.[8]
TMRF Widzew Łódź
TMRF Widzew was a football team created by the active supporters of Widzew in 2014, who were in a long conflict with the club board. Only Widzew supporters were admitted to the squad.
Regular season
| 27 July 2019 1 | Gryf Wejherowo | 1-2 | Widzew Łódź | Wejherowo |
| 18:00 BST | Stadium: WKS Gryf Stadium |
| 3 August 2019 2 | Bytovia Bytów | 2-1 | Widzew Łódź | Bytów |
| 18:00 BST | Stadium: MOSiR Stadium |
| 9 August 2019 3 | Widzew Łódź | 2-0 | Błękitni Stargard | Łódź |
| 19:10 BST | Stadium: Stadion Widzewa |
See also
- Football in Poland
- List of football teams
- Champions' Cup/League
- UEFA Cup
References
- Historia Widzewa
- Jest nowy Widzew! Reaktywacja Tradycji Sportowych Widzew Łódź
- "Widzew Łódź current squad" (in Polish).
- If not marked in a different way – I league
- Byczyna dla Widzewa. Jest umowa. Władze klubu dogadały się z gminą Poddębice
- http://www.expressilustrowany.pl/artykul/3932343,rts-widzew-bedzie-gral-na-stadionie-sms,id,t.html RTS Widzew będzie grał na stadionie SMS
- https://widzew.com/-/wygrana-na-otwarcie-stadionu-relacja-z-meczu-z-motorem-lubawa/
- http://www.widzewtomy.net/
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Widzew Łódź. |
- Official website (in Polish)
- Widzew Łódź at www.90minut.pl (in Polish)