Fixtures

Poland Ekstraklasa 01/31 19:30 19 Lech Poznan vs Widzew Lodz - View
Poland Ekstraklasa 02/08 15:00 20 Widzew Lodz vs Cracovia Krakow - View
Poland Ekstraklasa 02/15 15:00 21 Slask Wroclaw vs Widzew Lodz - View
Poland Ekstraklasa 02/22 15:00 22 Widzew Lodz vs Pogon Szczecin - View
Poland Ekstraklasa 03/01 15:00 23 Radomiak Radom vs Widzew Lodz - View
Poland Ekstraklasa 03/08 18:00 24 Widzew Lodz vs Jagiellonia Bialystok - View

Results

Poland Ekstraklasa 12/07 16:30 18 [10] Widzew Lodz v Stal Mielec [12] W 2-1
Poland Cup 12/04 17:00 4 Korona Kielce v Widzew Lodz L 1-0
Poland Ekstraklasa 11/30 19:15 17 [9] Widzew Lodz v Rakow Czestochowa [3] L 2-3
Poland Ekstraklasa 11/25 18:00 16 [16] Puszcza Niepolomice v Widzew Lodz [9] L 2-0
Poland Ekstraklasa 11/09 16:30 15 [9] Widzew Lodz v Zaglebie Lubin [11] W 2-0
Poland Ekstraklasa 11/03 19:15 14 [5] Legia Warsaw v Widzew Lodz [8] L 2-1
Poland Cup 10/31 12:00 5 Lechia Zielona Góra v Widzew Lodz W 6-8
Poland Ekstraklasa 10/27 16:30 13 [7] Widzew Lodz v Gornik Zabrze [10] L 0-2
Poland Ekstraklasa 10/25 17:00 16 Puszcza Niepolomice v Widzew Lodz - PPT.
Poland Ekstraklasa 10/19 12:45 12 [10] Motor Lublin v Widzew Lodz [8] W 3-4
Poland Ekstraklasa 10/04 18:30 11 [6] Widzew Lodz v Korona Kielce [15] L 0-1
Poland Ekstraklasa 09/27 18:30 10 [15] Lechia Gdansk v Widzew Lodz [6] D 1-1

Stats

 TotalHomeAway
Matches played 44 23 21
Wins 19 13 6
Draws 10 2 8
Losses 15 8 7
Goals for 68 36 32
Goals against 59 28 31
Clean sheets 8 6 2
Failed to score 10 5 5

Wikipedia - Widzew Łódź

RTS Widzew Łódź (Polish pronunciation: [ˈɛr ˈtɛ ˈɛs ˈvʲidzɛf ˈwut͡ɕ]) 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.

History

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.

Widzew has won four Polish league championships, in 1980–81, 1981–82, 1995–96 and 1996–97, as well as the 1985 Polish Cup.

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. 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. Thanks in part to the great performance of their goalkeeper Andrzej Woźniak, the team remained unbeaten for the whole season.

1996–97 Polish Championship trophy for Widzew

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.

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.

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.

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), 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.

Widzew Lodz is a professional soccer team based in Lodz, Poland. The team was founded in 1910 and has a rich history in Polish football. Widzew Lodz has a passionate fan base and plays their home matches at the Stadion Widzewa, which has a capacity of over 18,000 spectators.

The team has a long-standing rivalry with fellow Lodz-based team, LKS Lodz, and matches between the two clubs are always highly anticipated by fans. Widzew Lodz has had success in domestic competitions, winning multiple Polish league titles and Polish Cup trophies throughout their history.

Known for their attacking style of play and strong team spirit, Widzew Lodz has produced many talented players who have gone on to represent the Polish national team. The team continues to be a competitive force in Polish football and strives to bring success to their loyal supporters.