For the ice hockey section of the club, see TMH Polonia Bytom.
Polonia Bytom
ClubnamePolonia Bytom
Upright0.8
FullnameBytomski Sport Polonia Bytom Spółka z o.o.
Founded4 January 1920 (age 106)
GroundPolonia Bytom Stadium
Capacity2,220[1]
ChairmanSławomir Kamiński
ManagerWojciech Mróz (interim)
LeagueI liga
Season2025–26
PositionI liga, 10th of 18
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Websitebs.poloniabytom.com.pl
Current2025–26 I liga

Polonia Bytom (pɔˈlɔɲja ˈbɨtɔm) is a Polish football club based in Bytom. Founded in 1920, the team won two championships, in 1954 and 1962. As of the 2026–27 season, they compete in the I liga, the second tier of Polish football.

History

Beginnings

Polonia was founded on 4 January 1920 in the Upper Silesian city of Bytom, during the hectic months of the Silesian Uprisings. In late 1922, however, as a result of the Upper Silesia plebiscite, Bytom remained part of Germany and the club ceased to exist.

In May 1945, numerous players and officials of another Polish club, Pogoń Lwów, arrived in Bytom and decided to revive Polonia. On 17 May 1945, the team played its first game in over two decades, defeating Warta Poznań 3–2.

Polonia is considered the continuation of Pogoń Lwów; its logo is very similar to the logo of Lwów's team as well as their colours, red-blue.

1950s and 1960s

Polonia achieved greatest success in the 1950s and 1960s, when it was one of the top teams in Poland. It has won the Polish championship twice, in 1954 and 1962. In 1952, 1958, 1959 and 1961 Polonia Bytom was the vice-champion of Poland. It reached the Polish Cup final in 1964. It performed well in the Intertoto Cup, reaching the final in the 1963–64 season after defeating teams such as Red Star Belgrade, Sampdoria and fellow Polish side Odra Opole. It won the trophy in the 1964–65 season after defeating teams like RC Lens, Schalke 04, Liège and SC Leipzig. Polonia also won the 1965 International Soccer League and finished third in the Polish league in the 1965–66 and 1968–69 seasons.

During that period, Polish international player and goalkeeper Edward Szymkowiak played for Polonia. The club stadium is named after him, and has a capacity of 5,500 spectators.

Recent times

In June 2007 Polonia Bytom, after many years, returned to the Polish Ekstraklasa. However, in 2011, the club was relegated to the I liga after finishing bottom of the table with just six wins all season.[2]

Honours

Domestic

International

Youth teams

Supporters

Polonia Bytom supporters were the first organised fan-club in Poland. They have introduced scarfs, flags and organised chants. Many of the other supporters groups were travelling to Bytom only to watch how Polonia's fans are cheering their club and behaving on the stadium.

The fans have friendships with fans of Arka Gdynia which dates back to 1974, one of the longest friendships in supporter history which has survived to date;[3] with fans of Odra Opole since 1987, Zagłębie Lubin since 2017, Góral Żywiec since 2021 (officially), although they were allied with Góral for much longer than that, and Gryf Wejherowo.

Polonia biggest rivals are local teams Górnik Zabrze, Ruch Radzionków, Ruch Chorzów (The Oldest Silesian Derby) and Szombierki Bytom (Derby of Bytom). The other groups which are not very welcome in Bytom are fans from Zaglebie Sosnowiec, Legia Warszawa and Lechia Gdańsk.

Polonia Bytom's hooligan firm is represented by Młodzi Chuligani Polonii Bytom (MChPB)

League participations

  • Ekstraklasa: 1948–1949 (2 seasons), 1951–1955 (5 seasons), 1957–1976 (20 seasons), 1977–1980, 1986–1987, 2007–2011
  • I liga: 1950, 1956, 1976–1977, 1980–1986, 1987–2001, 2005–2007, 2011–2013, 2025–present
  • II liga: 2001–2005, 2013–2014, 2015–2017, 2023–2025
  • III liga: 2014–2015, 2019–2023
  • IV liga: 2017–2019

Players

Current squad

[4]

Polonia in Europe

SeasonCompetitionRoundCountryClubHomeAwayAggregate/Position
1958–59European CupQMTK Budapest0–30–30–6
1962–63European CupQPanathinaikos2–14–16–2
1RGalatasaray1–41–02–4
1963–64International Football Cup1RUC Sampdoria1–12–03–1
Quarter-finalÖrgryte IS3–27–110–3
Semi-finalOdra Opole2–10–02–1
FinalSlovnaft Bratislava0–1 (N)
1964–65Intertoto CupGroup C3Lens4–01–3Winner/1st
Schalke 046–00–2
Degerfors IF6–01–1
1RBye
Quarter-finalKarl-Marx-Stadt FC0–24–14–3
Semi-finalRFC Liège0–13–13–2
FinalLokomotive Leipzig0–35–15–4
1966–67Intertoto Cup[5]Group B6Norrköping3–11–53rd
Dynamo Dresden0–01–7
Spartak Hradec Králové0–00–0
1967Intertoto Cup[6]Group B3Elfsborg3–02–1Winner/1st
Werder Bremen2–10–2
Grasshopper5–14–1
1970Intertoto Cup[7]Group B8Horsens2–21–1Winner/1st
Rot-Weiss Essen3–21–1
Tirol Innsbruck1–03–2
1973Intertoto Cup[8]Group 10B 19016–22–03rd
Öster1–22–3
Austria Salzburg4–11–7
1975Intertoto Cup[9]Group 5Zbrojovka Brno1–21–22nd
AIK5–13–2
Tennis Borussia Berlin3–01–1
1980Intertoto Cup[10]Group 5Nitra1–00–44th
Esbjerg0–12–1
LASK Linz1–10–2

References

  1. ^ Bytom, Polonia. "Stadion Polonii Bytom". stadiony.net
  2. ^ http://fussball.wettpoint.com/en/archives/table/ekstraklasa_2010_poland.html "Fussball – League Table Ekstraklasa Season 2010/11 Poland" Retrieved 15 August 2011
  3. ^ "Polonia Bytom". 14 May 2009.
  4. ^ "Kadra" (in Polish). bs.poloniabytom.com.pl. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  5. ^ "Intertoto Cup 1966/67". mogiel.net. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  6. ^ "Intertoto Cup 1967". mogiel.net. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  7. ^ "Intertoto Cup 1970". mogiel.net. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  8. ^ "Intertoto Cup 1973". mogiel.net. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  9. ^ "Intertoto Cup 1975". mogiel.net. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  10. ^ "Intertoto Cup 1980". mogiel.net. Retrieved 18 December 2022.