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List of derbies in Poland

This is a list of the main sporting local derbies in Poland.

Many sports teams in Poland have organised supporter groups who are actively in involved in either the ultras scene or the hooligan scene. All these groups in Poland have 4 types of relationships between each other which are subject to change over time:

  • friendships (zgody) - alliances between two groups of supporters, whereby fans frequently visit each other's matches. During matches between two such sides, there usually are no divisions between away and home fans but both sets of fans are in the same stand.
  • agreements (układy) - provisional agreements of co-operation between two groups of fans. If they last, they usually become friendships later on.
  • enemies (kosy) - rival teams. A rival of a friend is also usually considered to be a rival.
  • neutral - there's no specific antipathy or sympathy towards each other.

These relationships can be complicated. However, local derbies are usually pre-determined by historical and geographical factors and it is very rare for a local derby not to be considered a fierce rivalry. In some cases, the rivalries extend beyond sport and are general rivalries between cities or towns.

Association football

Biggest inter-regional rivalries

Football Derby of Poland

Any match where Legia Warsaw plays either Lech Poznań, Widzew Łódź or Wisła Kraków. All four clubs are among the most supported in the country and usually are or were among the title contenders. The animosity towards Legia stems from the fact that during the communist rule Legia forced players to transfer to their club by enforcing an ultimatum of either playing for Legia or serving in the military.

Silesia vs. The capital

Górnik Zabrze, Ruch Chorzów or Polonia Bytom vs. Legia Warsaw or Polonia Warsaw - the rivalry is not limited to those clubs, as such a derby can refer to any team from the capital, Legia, Polonia or even Hutnik or smaller teams, against any Upper Silesian club such as: GKS Tychy, GKS Jastrzębie, Górnik Zabrze, Odra Wodzisław, Piast Gliwice, Polonia Bytom, ROW Rybnik, Ruch Chorzów, Ruch Radzionków, Szczakowianka Jaworzno, Szombierki Bytom, Victoria Jaworzno with the exception of the Dąbrowa Basin clubs (which are nicknamed "gorole" - "non-Silesians" by Silesian fans).

The region of Silesia has always been hostile towards the capital city, Warsaw, a rivalry that is mirrored outside of sport as well. This is partly due to quasi-colonial exploitation of the region after 1945 by the central government (or at least perceived as such in the region), partly due to Warsaw strongly opposing any attempt for greater autonomy for Silesia, and the hostility of the mining communities (Upper Silesia being a predominantly mining region) towards the ruling capital. The two most successful clubs, Górnik Zabrze and Ruch Chorzów, frequently contested the championship title with Legia Warsaw and therefore, those matches are especially heated. Polonia Bytom, having spent many years in the top flight, has also developed an intense rivalry.

"The Great Triad" vs. "The Three Kings of Big Cities"

The Great Triad (Arka Gdynia, Cracovia & Lech Poznań) vs. The Three Kings of Big Cities (Lechia Gdańsk, Śląsk Wrocław & Wisła Kraków) - Fans of Arka, Cracovia and Lech share a friendship, known as "The Great Triad" (Wielka Triada). Fans of Lechia, Śląsk and Wisła also shared a friendship called Trzej Królowie Wielkich Miast and any match between the two groups was considered a big rivalry. Wisła then broke away from the alliance and joined Elana Toruń, Widzew Łódź and Ruch Chorzów fans, causing a massive rift in the Polish supporter world.

Other derbies between coalitions

Whilst most fans have their own alliances and friendships specific between their two clubs, there are instances of three or even four-way friendships. There are other long-term major coalitions in addition to the "Great Triad" and the "Three Kings of Big Cities". The most notable ones include: <br /> - Legia Warsaw, Radomiak Radom, Zagłębie Sosnowiec and Olimpia Elbląg <br /> - ŁKS Łódź, Zawisza Bydgoszcz and GKS Tychy <br /> - Arka Gdynia, Zagłębie Lubin and Polonia Bytom <br /> - Arka Gdynia, KSZO Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski and Lech Poznań <br /> - Górnik Zabrze, ROW Rybnik, Concordia Knurów and Wisłoka Dębica <br /> - Ruch Chorzów, Widzew Łódź, Elana Toruń and Wisła Kraków <br /> - Motor Lublin, Górnik Łęczna, Chełmianka Chełm and Hetman Zamość. Although not in the "Eastern Horde" it is a popular football club from the east. Sometimes collectively called the "Eastern Horde" (Wschodnia Horda) or the Eastern coalition as the three clubs are one of the furthest towards the east of the country <br /> - Zawisza Bydgoszcz, Górnik Wałbrzych and GKS Tychy <br /> - Hetman Włoszczowa, Alit Ożarów and Orlicz Suchedniów <br /> - Stal Mielec, Sandecja Nowy Sącz and Czarni Jasło <br /> - GKS Tychy, Cracovia, Sandecja Nowy Sącz <br /> - Stomil Olsztyn, Hutnik Kraków, Wisła Płock <br /> These coalitions mean that although each club has its own rivalries and derbies, on the basis of "my friend's friend is my friend too" and "my friend's enemy is my enemy too", they add a lot of rivalries and derbies as very often, fans from all of the coalition clubs are present at a certain team's matches.

Most popular local derbies

Other derbies held in the top division

Other derbies by region

Northern Poland: Pomerania and Cuiavia

Central Poland: Greater Poland, Mazovia, Lubusz Voivodeship, Łódź Voivodeship

South-eastern Poland including Lesser Poland

South-western Poland: Upper and Lower Silesia

North-eastern Poland

Basketball

Handball

Ice hockey

Motorcycle speedway

Rugby union

Volleyball

References