| Full name | Wisła Kraków Spółka Akcyjna | |||
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| Nickname(s) | Biała Gwiazda (The White Star) | |||
| Founded | 1906 | |||
| Ground | Stadion im. Henryka Reymana (Capacity: 33,268[1]) |
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| Chairman | Bogdan Basałaj | |||
| Manager | Kazimierz Moskal | |||
| League | Ekstraklasa | |||
| 2010–11 | Ekstraklasa, 1st | |||
| Website | Club home page | |||
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Wisła Kraków (Polish pronunciation: [ˈviswa ˈkrakuf]) is a football club based in Kraków, Poland. Wisła contends in Ekstraklasa, the top level of Polish professional football competition. Wisła Kraków is one of the oldest and most successful Polish football clubs. It ranks third in the number of national titles won (13) behind Górnik Zabrze and Ruch Chorzów (14) and second as far as all time victories. Wisła was founded in 1906 when two amateur Kraków teams merged together under the name TS Wisła (pol. Towarzystwo Sportowe Wisła), making it the second oldest club in Poland.
The club's coat of arms is a white star on a red background crossed by a blue ribbon. Wisła's crest symbolizes the merger of two teams, one called the Reds and the other called the Blues, the club colors parallel those of the city's coat of arms .
Wisła Kraków has been one of the most successful football teams in Poland in recent years, winning 8 Polish league championships since 1999. Along with league titles Wisła also won the Polish Cup on 4 occasions. Wisła also enjoyed some success in European competition in the 1970s, reaching the quarter-finals in the 1978-79 European Cup and winning the UEFA Intertoto Cup in 1969, 1970, and 1973.
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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 known 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.
In this first, historic season of the League, fight for Championship was decided between two teams – Wisła Kraków and 1.FC Katowice. This rivalry was treated very seriously, not only by the two sides involved, but also by the whole nation. 1.FC was regarded as the team supported by German minority, while Wisła, at the end of this historic season, represented ambitions of all Poles.
Some time in the fall of 1927 in Katowice, an ill-fated game between 1.FC and Wisła took place. Stakes were very high – the winner would become the Champion. Kraków's side won 2–0 and became the Champion. 1.FC finished second, third was Warta Poznań.
In 1949 the club was renamed to Gwardia-Wisła Kraków. In 1955 the club returned to its original name TS Wisła. In 1967 was once again renamed, to GTS Wisła, a name which held until 1990 when the club reverted to its original name: TS Wisła. 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 an 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.[2]
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.
Wisła's Stadium is located at 22 Reymonta Street in Kraków, Poland. The stadium was originally built in 1953 and currently has a capacity of 34,000. The stadium was renovated in 2010, being upgraded to UEFA elite standards. 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 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 five years later on November 11, 2006, when GKS Bełchatów defeated Wisła 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 Warsaw. During the 2008–09 season, Wisła lost points at home only twice; tying Łódzki KS and being defeated by Lech Poznań.
Wisła has tremendous fan relations between Lechia Gdańsk, Śląsk Wrocław and Unia Tarnów. The fellow supporters are eager to support each other during home and away matches, ignoring any Ekstraklasa rivalry. Wisła Kraków supporters are known as some of the most renowned and passionate fans in Poland, if not in Europe. Support at home matches, and even many away matches, includes chants, songs, and overall, advert support.
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.
The first recorded Kraków Derby was contested on September 20, 1908, the game was a 1:1 tie. A historic derby game between Cracovia and Wisła took place on May 8, 1913. It was the first time Polish teams played a championship game officially sanctioned by FIFA. Cracovia won the game 2:1. The most famous derby took place in 1948 when after the first postwar season both Cracovia and Wisła accumulated an even amount of points and the championship had to be decided by an additional game played at a neutral venue. On December 5, 1948 Cracovia defeated Wisła 3:1 and was crowned national champions. As of May 2011, the Kraków derby game between Wisła and Cracovia has been contested 183 times, with Wisła prevailing 82 times, tying 42 times and Cracovia coming away the victor 59 times.
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), and the fact that Kraków used to be the capital of Poland before Warsaw (in the years 1041–1596) also add a greater meaning to the match.
Accurate as of 31 August 2011[3]
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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| Manager | Kazimierz Moskal |
| Assistant Coach | Maciej Musiał |
| Goalkeeping Coach | Paweł Primel |
| Fitness Coach | Andrzej Bahr |
| 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 | Jacek Matyja |
Team records
Records individual
Club Ranking for 2012 (Previous year rank in italics, UEFA Club Coefficients in parentheses)
Had international caps for their respective countries. Players whose name is listed in bold represented their countries while playing for Wisła.
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