Ruch Chorzów

Ruch Chorzów (Polish pronunciation: [ˈrux ˈxɔʐuf]) is a Polish association football club based in Chorzów, Upper Silesia. It is one of the most successful football teams in Poland: 14 time national champion, and 3 time winner of the Polish Cup. Currently (2009/2010 season) the team plays in the top Polish league, the Ekstraklasa. Their stadium capacity is 10,000 seats. Since the new national stadium in Chorzów is being rebuilt to a capacity of 55,210 seats, Ruch Chorzów is allowed to play only important matches in the new Silesian stadium. There are rumours that Ruch Chorzów will build a new stadium soon, with a capacity of 15,000 to 25,000 thousands seats. Ruch Chorzów has also had a very successful female handball team (9 time national champions). Their main local rival is Górnik Zabrze.

History

The club was founded on April 20, 1920 in Hajduki Wielkie (then Bismarckhütte). It was known as Ruch Hajduki Wielkie until 1938, with Ruch (a common noun for motion) being sometimes interpreted by Polish patriots as a cover reference to the Silesian Uprisings. The club's first match, a 3:1 win against Orzeł Józefowiec, was played on May 3, 1920. In early 1939, the municipality of Hajduki Wielkie merged with Chorzów, which led to the club taking on its current name Ruch Chorzów. After the German occupation of Poland in 1939, the club was renamed Bismarckhütter SV 99 and joined the Gauliga Oberschlesien in 1941; however, it reverted to its old name in 1945.^[2] In 1948, under communist pressure (Stalinisation), the club was renamed Unia Chorzów, in 1955 it became Unia-Ruch, and finally in 1956 returned to the name Ruch. The current team sponsor (listed as PARTNER STRATEGICZNY or strategic partner) is the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity.

Achievements

• Polish championship
  • Winners (14): 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1938, 1951^{[n 1]}, 1952, 1953, 1960, 1968, 1974, 1975, 1979, 1989
    1. ^ (In 1951 Wisła Kraków was league champion, however, the Polish Championship title was awarded to the Cup winner, Ruch Chorzów)

• • Runners-up (5): 1950, 1956, 1963, 1970, 1973
  • 3rd place (8): 1937, 1948, 1954, 1955, 1967, 1983, 2000, 2010
• Polish Cup:
  • Winners (3): 1951, 1974, 1996
  • Runners-up (5): 1963, 1968, 1970, 1993, 2009
• Polish SuperCup:
  • Runners-up (2): 1989, 1996
• UEFA Champions League
  • Quarter-Final (1): 1975
• UEFA Cup
  • Quarter-Final (1): 1974
• UEFA Intertoto Cup
  • Finalist (1): 1998

Current squad

As of 1 September 2011^[3]

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

Notable former players

Managerial history^[4]