Widzew Łódź

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Template:Short description Template:Short description{{#invoke:Infobox|infobox}}Template:Template other{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Infobox football club with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| alt | American | body1 | body2 | body3 | capacity | caption | chairman | chrtitle | clubname | coach | coordinates | current | dissolved | founded | fullname | ground | image | image_size | kit_alt1 | kit_alt2 | kit_alt3 | league | leftarm1 | leftarm2 | leftarm3 | manager | mgrtitle | nickname | owner | owntitle | pattern_b1 | pattern_b2 | pattern_b3 | pattern_la1 | pattern_la2 | pattern_la3 | pattern_name1 | pattern_name2 | pattern_name3 | pattern_ra1 | pattern_ra2 | pattern_ra3 | pattern_sh1 | pattern_sh2 | pattern_sh3 | pattern_so1 | pattern_so2 | pattern_so3 | position | rightarm1 | rightarm2 | rightarm3 | season | shortname | short name | shorts1 | shorts2 | shorts3 | socks1 | socks2 | socks3 | stadium | title | upright | website }}{{#if:| }}{{#if:| }} RTS Widzew Łódź ({{#invoke:IPA|main}}) 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). They compete in the Ekstraklasa, the top tier of the Polish football league system, since the 2022–23 season. Widzew is one of only two Poland clubs to have participated in the UEFA Champions League group stage.

History

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File:Legitymacja członkowska TMRF z 1914.jpg
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 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.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Widzew has won four Polish league championships, in 1980–81, 1981–82, 1995–96 and 1996–97, as well as the 1985 Polish Cup.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Thanks in part to the great performance of their goalkeeper Andrzej Woźniak, the team remained unbeaten for the whole season.

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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Dead link</ref>

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.<ref>Historia Widzewa</ref>

File:Widzew Łódź vs Polonia Warszawa 08-2010 1.jpg
Home game with Polonia Warsaw in the 2010–11 Ekstraklasa

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 being deducted six points as a penalty, Widzew won the I Liga again in the 2009-10 season, and were promoted to the Ekstraklasa. However, Widzew were once again relegated at the end of the 2013–14 season after four seasons.

Due to financial problems, Widzew finished last at the end of the 2014–15 season, and subsequently went bankrupt.

File:Widzew - Tur Bielsk Podlaski - 2017.10.07 (01).jpg
Home game with Tur Bielsk Podlaski in the 2017–18 III liga

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),<ref>Jest nowy Widzew! Reaktywacja Tradycji Sportowych Widzew Łódź </ref> 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Honours

Domestic

League

File:Trofeum dla Mistrza Polski w piłce nożnej w sezonie 1996-97.jpg
1996–97 Polish Championship trophy for Widzew

Cup

Europe

Youth teams

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 1999–2000 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
37 2023–24 9 34 46 pts. 45–46 13–7–14
38 2024–25 13 34 40 pts. 38–49 11–7–16

Widzew in Europe

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

Best results in European competitions

Season Achievement Notes
European Cup
1982–83 Semi-final lost to Template:Flagicon Juventus 0–2 in Turin, 2–2 in Łódź
UEFA Cup
1980–81 Round of 16 lost to Template:Flagicon Ipswich Town 0–5 in Ipswich, 1–0 in Łódź
1984–85 Round of 16 lost to Template:Flagicon Dinamo Minsk 0–2 in Łódź, 1–0 in Tbilisi

Players

Current squad

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Other players under contract

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Out on loan

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Retired numbers

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Notable players

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Managers

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Stadium

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File:Nowy stadion Widzewa - trybuna C.jpg
Widzew Łódź Stadium

The club's home stadium was the Municipal Stadium (Template:Langx) 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.<ref>Byczyna dla Widzewa. Jest umowa. Władze klubu dogadały się z gminą Poddębice</ref>

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,<ref>http://www.expressilustrowany.pl/artykul/3932343,rts-widzew-bedzie-gral-na-stadionie-sms,id,t.html RTS Widzew będzie grał na stadionie SMS</ref> during the construction of a new Widzew Łódź Stadium.

The first match at their new stadium was played on the 18th March, 2017, where Widzew won against Motor Lubawa 2–0.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 17,443 fans attended the game.

Fans

File:Stadion Widzewa Lodz - Polska.jpg
Ultras of Widzew during a derby match against ŁKS Łódź in the 2007–08 Ekstraklasa

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. Their fans maintain friendly relations with fans of Ruch Chorzów, Elana Toruń, KKS Kalisz, Wisła Kraków and Pogoń Szczecin.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> A little group of ultras has a friendship with Hungarian side Honvéd, due to the Hungary–Poland relations.Template:Citation needed

TMRF Widzew Łódź

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} 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.

See also

References

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