RTS Widzew Łódź
Full nameRTS Widzew Łódź
Nickname(s)Widzewiacy, Czerwona Armia (Red Army)
Founded5 November 1910 (1910-11-05) as TMRF Widzew
GroundStadion Miejski Widzewa
Łódź, Poland
Capacity18,018
ChairmanMichał Rydz
ManagerDaniel Myśliwiec
LeagueEkstraklasa
2022–23Ekstraklasa, 12th of 18

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).

History

Widzew membership card from 1914

The club was founded in 1910 as Towarzystwo Miłośników Rozwoju Fizycznego Widzew (Society of Physical Development Fans Widzew). Its name comes from the name of the city district Widzew, while RTS stands for Workers' Sports Association (in Polish Robotnicze Towarzystwo Sportowe). The club was founded by Polish workers and German industrialists who were employees of the Widzew textile manufactory called WIMA. Initially, the club was called the Widzew Association for Physical Development (in Polish: Towarzystwo Miłośników Rozwoju Fizycznego Widzew) because at that time Łódź was under the rule of the Russian Tsar and the adjective "workers'" (in Polish: Robotniczy) could not be used in the club's name. The club's mottos are Together We Create Power (in Polish Razem Tworzymy Siłę) and Always 12 (in Polish Zawsze w 12) which is meant to suggest that its fans are the twelfth player on the team. The club plays its matches at its stadium, located in Łódź at 138 Marszałka Józefa Piłsudskiego Avenue. The stadium bears the unofficial but commonly used name of the Heart of Łódź (in Polish Serce Łodzi).

After the first world war Poland has regained its independence and the club was reactivated in 1922 as Robotnicze Towarzystwo Sportowe Widzew Łódź (Workers' Sports Association Widzew Łódź).

During World War II, three pre-war players of Widzew Łódź, Joachim Schreer, Mirosław Wągrowski and Aleksander Żadziłko, were among Poles murdered by the Russians in the large Katyn massacre in April–May 1940.[1]

Widzew has won four Polish league championships, in 1980–81, 1981–82, 1995–96 and 1996–97, as well as the 1985 Polish Cup.[2]

After winning back-to-back championships in 1980–81 and 1981–82, Widzew reclaimed the league crown 14 years later after a record season once again.[3] During the successful 1995–96 season, Widzew conceded only 22 goals in 34 matches, the least out of all teams in the league. They were also proficient in attack, scoring 84 goals and securing 88 points across the campaign.[4] Thanks in part to the great performance of their goalkeeper Andrzej Woźniak, the team remained unbeaten for the whole season.

1996–97 Polish Championship trophy for Widzew

In the following 1996–97 season, the team enjoyed another great season. For the second time in the club's history, they secured back-to-back championships, scoring 74 goals across the season and conceding only 21.[5]

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 three-time winners Liverpool along the way.

Recent history

At the beginning of the 2007–08 season, Widzew was purchased by one of the wealthiest men in Poland, Sylwester Cacek.[6]

In January 2008, while playing in the second division, 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 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 Ekstraklasa. In total, Widzew played 35 seasons at the highest level before being relegated at the end of the 2013–14 season.

Due to financial problems, Widzew finished last at the end of the 2014–15 season. Subsequently, the club ruled by Sylwester Cacek went bankrupt.

Local businessmen 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),[7] which continues the tradition of the old RTS Widzew Łódź. The new association was registered in a Polish court on 2 July 2015, and within a few weeks of summer 2015, they managed to hire a new coach Witold Obarek and gather a new roster, which started the 2015–16 season in the fifth tier of Polish football. In their first season in IV liga, Widzew won promotion. In the 2016–17 season, Widzew achieved third place in III liga, behind Drwęca Nowe Miasto Lubawskie and ŁKS Łódź, but next season yielded promotion to II liga. In the 2018–19 season, they finished in fifth place with 55 points. In the 2021–22 season, Widzew finished 2nd, one point ahead of Arka Gdynia, and returned to Ekstraklasa for the first time since the 2013–14 season.[8]

Achievements

Domestic

Ultras of Widzew
Ultras of Widzew

Europe

Youth Team

Results in Ekstraklasa

Season Position Matches Points Goals W.-D.-L.
1 1948 14 (relegation) 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) 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) 37 22 pts. 36–59 8–9–20
36 2022–23 12 34 41 pts. 38–47 11–8–15

Widzew in Europe

New ground
Old ground
Season Competition Round Club Score
1977–78 UEFA Cup 1R England Manchester City 2–2, 0–0
2R Netherlands PSV Eindhoven 3–5, 0–1
1979–80 UEFA Cup 1R France AS Saint-Étienne 2–1, 0–3
1980–81 UEFA Cup 1R England Manchester United 1–1, 0–0
2R Italy Juventus FC 3–1, 1–3 p. 4–1
3R England Ipswich Town 0–5, 1–0
1981–82 European Cup 1R Belgium RSC Anderlecht 1–4, 1–2
1982–83 European Cup 1R Malta Hibernians FC 4–1, 3–1
2R Austria SK Rapid Wien 1–2, 5–3
1/4F England Liverpool F.C. 2–0, 2–3
1/2F Italy Juventus FC 0–2, 2–2
1983–84 UEFA Cup 1R Sweden IF Elfsborg 0–0, 2–2
2R Czechoslovakia Sparta Prague 1–0, 0–3
1984–85 UEFA Cup 1R Denmark Aarhus Gymnastik Forening 2–0, 0–1
2R West Germany Borussia Mönchengladbach 2–3, 1–0
3R Soviet Union FC Dinamo Minsk 0–2, 1–0
1985–86 European Cup Winners' Cup 1R Turkey Galatasaray SK 0–1, 2–1
1986–87 UEFA Cup 1R Austria LASK Linz 1–1, 1–0
2R West Germany Bayer 05 Uerdingen 0–0, 0–2
1992–93 UEFA Cup 1R Germany Eintracht Frankfurt 2–2, 0–9
1995–96 UEFA Cup Q Wales Bangor City FC 4–0, 1–0
1R Ukraine FC Chornomorets Odesa 1–0, 0–1 p. 5–6
1996–97 UEFA Champions League Q Denmark Brøndby IF 2–1, 2–3
GR Germany Borussia Dortmund 1–2, 2–2
GR Spain Atlético Madrid 1–4, 0–1
GR Romania Steaua București 0–1, 2–0
1997–98 UEFA Champions League 1Q Azerbaijan Neftchi Baku 2–0, 8–0
2Q Italy Parma FC 1–3, 0–4
UEFA Cup 1R Italy Udinese Calcio 1–0, 0–3
1999–00 UEFA Champions League 2Q Bulgaria Litex Lovech 4–1, 1–4 p. 3–2
3Q Italy ACF Fiorentina 1–3, 0–2
UEFA Cup 1R Latvia Skonto FC 0–1, 2–0
2R France AS Monaco FC 1–1, 0–2

Current squad

As of 5 September 2023[9]

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
2 DF Portugal POR Luís Silva
4 DF Poland POL Mateusz Żyro
5 DF Poland POL Serafin Szota
6 MF Albania ALB Juljan Shehu
7 DF Croatia CRO Mato Miloš
8 MF Poland POL Dawid Tkacz
9 FW Spain ESP Jordi Sánchez
10 MF Spain ESP Fran Álvarez
13 MF Poland POL Ernest Terpiłowski
14 DF Latvia LVA Andrejs Cigaņiks
15 DF Spain ESP Juan Ibiza
19 MF Poland POL Bartłomiej Pawłowski
22 MF Poland POL Dominik Kun
No. Pos. Nation Player
23 DF Poland POL Paweł Zieliński
25 MF Czech Republic CZE Marek Hanousek
33 GK Poland POL Jan Krzywański
37 MF Germany GER Sebastian Kerk
47 MF Poland POL Antoni Klimek
72 DF Poland POL Hubert Lenart
74 GK Poland POL Jakub Szymanski
78 MF Poland POL Kamil Cybulski
80 MF Poland POL Filip Przybułek
88 MF Poland POL Ignacy Dawid
92 DF Portugal POR Fábio Nunes
95 DF Poland POL Patryk Stępiński
99 FW Bosnia and Herzegovina BIH Imad Rondić

Out on loan

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF Poland POL Juliusz Letniowski (at Ruch Chorzów until 30 June 2024)
No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF Poland POL Jakub Sypek (at Lechia Gdańsk until 30 June 2024)

Notable players

Managers

[10]

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 2014–15 season, Widzew played their home matches in Byczyna near Poddębice, 40 km west of Łódź.[11]

After bankruptcy and relegation to the fifth division, a rebuilt team was forced to play its domestic games in Łódź at UKS SMS Łódź stadium,[12] 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.[13] 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.[14]

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

References

  1. ↑ Ciesielski, Kacper (2021). "Sportowcy wśród ofiar zbrodni katyńskiej oraz powiązane z nimi artefakty grobowe i archiwalia w zbiorach Muzeum Katyńskiego". Łambinowicki rocznik muzealny (in Polish). Opole. 44: 147. ISSN 0137-5199.
  2. ↑ "Widzew Łódź – Profile". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
  3. ↑ "Rekordowo mistrzowski sezon 1995–1996". widzew.com (in Polish). Retrieved 2020-12-22.
  4. ↑ "Andrzej Woźniak Profile". BonusCodes (in German). Retrieved 2020-12-29.
  5. ↑ "Widzew Lodz - tables & standings Ekstraklasa 1996/1997 season, statistics, results, fixtures and more from Tribuna.com". Tribuna.com. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
  6. ↑ Historia Widzewa
  7. ↑ Jest nowy Widzew! Reaktywacja Tradycji Sportowych Widzew Łódź
  8. ↑ "Widzew w Ekstraklasie". 90minut.pl (in Polish). 22 May 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  9. ↑ "Widzew Łódź current squad" (in Polish).
  10. ↑ If not marked in a different way – I league
  11. ↑ Byczyna dla Widzewa. Jest umowa. Władze klubu dogadały się z gminą Poddębice
  12. ↑ http://www.expressilustrowany.pl/artykul/3932343,rts-widzew-bedzie-gral-na-stadionie-sms,id,t.html RTS Widzew będzie grał na stadionie SMS
  13. ↑ "Widzew Łódź - Wygrana na otwarcie stadionu - relacja z meczu z Motorem Lubawa - Aktualności".
  14. ↑ "WidzewToMy - Oficjalny portal kibiców Widzewa Łódź".
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