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GKS Katowice

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GKS Katowice
Full nameGKS GieKSa Katowice S.A.[1]
Nickname(s)GieKSa
Founded27 February 1964; 60 years ago (1964-02-27)
GroundStadion GKS Katowice
Capacity9,511
ChairmanKrzysztof Nowak
ManagerRafał Górak
LeagueEkstraklasa
2023–24I liga, 2nd of 18 (promoted)
Websitehttp://www.gkskatowice.eu/index
Current season

GKS Katowice (Polish pronunciation: [ɡʲɛ ka ˈɛs katɔˈvitsɛ]; GKS stands for Górniczy Klub Sportowy, lit.'Miners Sporting Club') is a Polish professional football club based in Katowice. They currently compete in the Ekstraklasa in the 2024–25 season after gaining promotion from the I liga in 2024.[2]

History

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Stadion GKS Katowice

In 1963 in Katowice a special organizational committee was called with the purpose of uniting all the clubs and sporting organizations of the city into one large club which would encompass many disciplines. In mid-1963 Rapid Wełnowiec and Orzeł Wełnowiec merged, creating Rapid/Orzeł. In 1964 Rapid/Orzeł, Górnik Katowice, Koszutka Katowice, Katowicki Klub Łyżwiarski (Katowice Skating Club), Katowicki Klub Sportowy Górnik, Górniczy Klub Żeglarski Szkwał (a sailing club) amongst other clubs from Katowice merged creating GKS Katowice. Four years later on the 9 August 1968, Dąb Katowice also amalgamated with GKS Katowice. GKS Katowice made its debut in Polish football's top league (now called the Ekstraklasa) on 8 August 1965 when GKS Katowice took on local rivals Górnik Zabrze.

GKS Katowice's debut season in the top flight was in the 1965–66 season. In 1971, Katowice was relegated to the 2nd Division. The club's problems were eventually overcome, and GKS returned to the top flight. From 1982 the club consistently found itself up the top end of the ladder, as well as playing off in several Polish Cup finals. In 1985 GKS Katowice played in its first Polish Cup final but lost in a penalty shootout to Widzew Łódź. The following year GKS played off in a final at Stadion Śląski against Górnik Zabrze; GKS won 4–1. From that moment the city of Katowice began to live and breathe football.[citation needed] The next year GKS finished third and the two following years they were runners-up. In the 1989–90 season GKS again came third, and in the 1991–92 season GKS were runners-up. From 1986 to 1995 to GKS Katowice were four times runners-up in the league, twice the winners of the Polish Super Cup and three-time Polish Cup winners.

The biggest moments for the club and fans were when the team took part in European cups. The first time GKS faced European opposition was in 1970, in the now defunct Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, GKS took on Spanish club Barcelona in a two-legged tie. Katowice lost (2–4 on aggregate), but the fans were proud of their club.[citation needed] The second time GKS took part in European football they showed more and played better football. In the first round of the 1986–87 UEFA Cup Winners Cup, GKS defeated Icelandic side Fram Reykjavík before losing in the second round to Switzerland's Sion. For the next 10 years, GKS Katowice took part in European football. Over the years fans of GKS got to witness their team take on the likes of Sportul Studentsc Bucharest, Rangers, Club Brugge, Galatasaray, Benfica, Aris, Girondins Bordeaux and twice Bayer Leverkusen. GKS's record in European football stands at 10 wins, 7 draws, and 19 losses.

GKS Katowice again fell on hard times during the mining crisis. Following the 1998–99 season, the team was relegated from the Ekstraklasa, but was back in the topflight a year later. Piotr Dziurowicz became president who, despite growing debts and financial troubles, kept the team in the top flight. In 2003, the team managed to qualify for the UEFA Cup by finishing third in the league under coach Jan Żurek. This was hailed[by whom?] as one of the biggest surprises ever in the history of the Ekstraklasa. Despite the success, the debts under Piotr Dziurowicz began to grow to a significant sum.

Home game with Odra Opole in the 2008–09 I liga

From 27 March 2003 to 11 June 2004, the club played under the name of its main sponsor Dospel Katowice; this was not taken well by the fans of the club.[citation needed] GKS Katowice Sportowa Spółka Akcyjna finished its reins at the helm of the club in the summer of 2005 after the 2004–05 season where GKS finished 14th (and last) in the Ekstraklasa and was relegated to the second division. The team had to drop to the fourth division due to financial problems and their involvement in the 2003–2005 match-fixing scandal. After the drop to the 4th division, a group of fans known as the "Stowarzyszenie Sympatyków Klubu GKS Katowice" (which loosely translates into Society of Well Wishers Club of GKS Katowice) took over the helm at the club. In June 2006, the club was promoted to the third-tier, and in June 2007 the team advanced to the second division, which in 2008 was renamed I liga.

On 26 May 2024, they clinched promotion during the last matchday of the 2023–24 season after a 1–0 away victory over Arka Gdynia, tying them on points, but finishing ahead in the standings on head-to-head difference. They were promoted to Ekstraklasa as runners-up, ending their 19-year absence from the top tier.[3]

Honours

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Domestic

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International

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Youth teams

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GKS in Europe

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Season Competition Round Club Score
1970–71 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup 1R Spain Barcelona 0–1, 2–3
1986–87 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1R Iceland Fram Reykjavik 3–0, 1–0
1986-1987 Uefa Cup Winners' Cup 2R Switzerland FC Sion 2–2, 0–3
1987–88 UEFA Cup 1R Romania Sportul Studenţesc 0–1, 1–2
1988–89 UEFA Cup 1R Scotland Rangers FC 0–1, 2–4
1989–90 UEFA Cup 1R Finland RoPS 1–1, 0–1
1990–91 UEFA Cup 1R Finland Turun Palloseura 3–0, 1–0
1990-91 UEFA Cup 2R Germany Bayer 04 Leverkusen 1–2, 0–4
1991–92 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1R Scotland Motherwell FC 2–0, 1–3
1991-92 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 2R Belgium Club Brugge 0–1, 0–3
1992–93 UEFA Cup 1R Turkey Galatasaray SK 0–0, 1–2
1993–94 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1R Portugal S.L. Benfica 0–1, 1–1
1994–95 UEFA Cup Q Wales Inter Cardiff F.C. 2–0, 6–0
1994-95 UEFA Cup 1R Greece Aris Thessaloniki 1–0, 0–1
1994-95 UEFA Cup 2R France Girondins de Bordeaux 1–0, 1–1
1994-95 UEFA Cup 3R Germany Bayer 04 Leverkusen 1–4, 0–4
1995–96 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Q Armenia Ararat Yerevan 2–0, 0–2
2003–04 UEFA Cup Q North Macedonia Cementarnica 55 Skopje 0–0, 1–1

Current squad

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As of 7 September 2024[4]

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Poland POL Dawid Kudła
2 DF Estonia EST Märten Kuusk
4 DF Poland POL Arkadiusz Jędrych (captain)
5 DF Poland POL Oskar Repka
6 DF Poland POL Lukas Klemenz
7 FW Poland POL Sebastian Bergier
8 MF Spain ESP Borja Galán
10 MF Poland POL Mateusz Mak
11 MF Poland POL Adrian Błąd
12 GK Poland POL Przemysław Pęksa
13 DF Poland POL Bartosz Jaroszek
14 DF Poland POL Aleksander Komor
16 DF Poland POL Grzegorz Rogala
17 MF Poland POL Mateusz Marzec
18 FW Poland POL Jakub Arak
No. Pos. Nation Player
20 DF Poland POL Adrian Danek
21 MF Poland POL Bartosz Baranowicz
22 MF Poland POL Sebastian Milewski
23 MF Poland POL Marcin Wasielewski
25 DF Poland POL Łukasz Trepka
26 DF Poland POL Jakub Kaduk
27 MF Poland POL Bartosz Nowak
28 MF Poland POL Alan Bród
30 DF Poland POL Alan Czerwiński
32 GK Poland POL Rafał Strączek
33 GK Poland POL Patryk Szczuka
34 GK Ukraine UKR Maksym Gerasymov
74 MF Poland POL Jakub Antczak (on loan from Lech Poznań)
77 MF Poland POL Mateusz Kowalczyk (on loan from Brøndby)
99 FW Slovakia SVK Adam Zreľák

Out on loan

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
15 MF Poland POL Szymon Krawczyk (at Górnik Łęczna until 30 June 2025)
19 FW Poland POL Kacper Pietrzyk (at Hutnik Kraków until 30 June 2025)
No. Pos. Nation Player
29 MF Poland POL Kacper Ćwielong (at MKS Kluczbork until 30 June 2025)
GK Poland POL Patryk Kukulski (at Olimpia Grudziądz until 30 June 2025)

Notable players

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Managers

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Informacje" (in Polish). GKS Katowice. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  2. ^ "Wracają do ekstraklasy po 19 latach przerwy!". sportowefakty.wp.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2024-05-26.
  3. ^ Papuga, Wojciech (26 May 2024). "%20sezonu%20PKO%20BP%20Ekstraklasy! "GKS Katowice awansował do PKO BP Ekstraklasy! Wielki powrót po 19 latach przerwy". sport.tvp.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  4. ^ "GKS Katowice – Skład" (in Polish). GKS Katowice. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
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