The Retro Liga is an amateur association football league in Poland. Incepted in 2017, its inauguration took place in 2019, 100 years after the formation of the Polish Football Association.
Creation and rules
The idea of the league was to play with the rules and equipment used in football at the time of the Polish Football Association's formation in 1919. The equipment includes traditional leather boots with wooden studs, cotton shirts, and leather balls were used. The game follows the same rules as those used in 1919, such as no cards, and players only being dismissed after serious foul play, and goalkeepers being able to pick the ball up from back passes. The league structure also went back to those of the pre-war years, such as 2 points for a win instead of the 3 points you get now.
The league also has a clear rule on the teams that can included to participate, the rules being that the club must have ceased to exist by 1939, so only teams that played in the pre-war era and those that were not activated afterwards can be represented in the competition. Initially six teams were to take part in the first season; Lechia Lwów, Czarni Lwów, WKS 10 PP Łowicz, Śmigły Wilno, WKS 37 PP Kutno, and WKS Grodno, however the Czarni Lwów team dropped out before the start of the competition. Owing to the changing of Polish borders after WWII, those teams from cities that are no longer in Poland are played in different cities from where their name suggests, for instance Lechia Lwów, from Lviv now in Ukraine, play in Dzierżoniów. The other clubs whose original cities are now outside of Poland's borders are Śmigły Wilno, from Vilnius now in Lithuania, who play in Warsaw, and WKS Grodno, from Grodno now in Belarus, who play in Kozienice.
History
The first season took place in 2019 with 5 teams taking part, with each team playing each other once home and away for a total of 8 games each over the season. The season saw Lechia Lwów go unbeaten, winning 6 of their 8 games, and conceding only 6 in the process. WKS Grodno and WKS 37 PP Kutno rounded off the top three, while Śmigły Wilno came last having lost all their games and scored only 1 goal.
The second season saw the introduction of the sixth team, Hakoach Będzin. However the COVID-19 pandemic saw a new format for the 2020 season, seeing an introduction of regionalised games, requiring less travel for all teams, before a third place playoff and a final to decide the winners and second placed team, drastically reducing the overall games played. The third place playoff saw Hakoach Będzin playing WKS 37 PP Kutno with the game finishing 1–1. The result of the game on deciding who will finish in third place overall was decided on a coin toss, with the toss favouring Hakoach Będzin. The final saw Lechia Lwów going up against WKS Grodno, winning 2–0 and defending their title.
The 2021 season saw the introduction of Czarni Lwów and Strzelec Białystok Choroszcz. The format returned to the league structure, with the initial plan for each team to play each other twice, however this was revised later with teams playing each other once.
2022 saw yet more teams being included, with Victoria Sosnowiec, Pogoń Lwów, and WKS 42 PP Białystok being introduced for the competitions fourth season.
Teams
InformationSeasons1939Present dayTeamTitlesPositionin 2025HighestfinishCityCzarni Lwów06th2nd (2021)LwówWałbrzychHakoach Będzin0N/A3rd (2020)BędzinLechja Lwów 25th1st (2019, 2020)LwówDzierżoniówPogoń Lwów08th7th (2023)LwówŻarówŚmigły Wilno0N/A5th (2019)WilnoWarsawStrzelec Białystok Choroszcz 42nd1st (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)ChoroszczVictoria Sosnowiec 11st1st (2025)SosnowiecWisła Retro07th7th (2025)KrakówWKS 10PP Łowicz09th4th (2019)ŁowiczWKS 37PP Kutno04th3rd (2019)KutnoWKS 42 PP Białystok03rd3rd (2023, 2025)BiałystokWKS Grodno0N/A2nd (2019, 2020)GrodnoKozienice
Participation
Team2019202020212022202320242025Czarni Lwów——2nd5th4th3rd6thHakoach Będzin—3rd4th————Lechia Lwów1st1st3rd2nd5th2nd5thPogoń Lwów———8th7th8th8thŚmigły Wilno5th6th8th————Strzelec Białystok Choroszcz ——1st1st1st1st2ndVictoria Sosnowiec———3rd2nd4th1stWisła Retro——————7thWKS 10PP Łowicz4th5th7th—8th7th9thWKS 37PP Kutno3rd4th6th6th6th5th4thWKS 42 PP Białystok———4th3rd6th3rdWKS Grodno2nd2nd5th7th———
Seasons
2019 Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts1Lechia Lwów8620486+42142WKS Grodno85032911+18103WKS 37 PP Kutno84132916+1394WKS 10 PP Łowicz83142725+275Śmigły Wilno8008177-760
2020 +Group A Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts1WKS 37 PP Kutno211040+432Lechia Lwów211021+133WKS 10 PP Łowicz00216-50 +Group B Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts1Hakoach Będzin2200160+1642WKS Grodno210193+623Śmigły Wilno20020220
+Semifinals Team 1 Team 2 Game 1 Game 2 Agg. NotesWKS GrodnoWKS 37 PP Kutno6–23–19–3WKS Grodno progress to the finalLechia LwówHakoach Będzin3–00–23–2Lechia progress to the final
+Finals Game Team 1 Team 2 ScoreNotesFinalLechia LwówWKS Grodno2–0Lechia Lwów won the 2020 Retro Liga titleWKS Grodno finish as runners-upThird place finalHakoach BędzinWKS 37 PP Kutno1–1As the result was a draw, the match result was awarded on a coin toss giving Hakoach Będzin the win, and 3rd overallWKS 37 PP Kutno finish 4th overallFifth place finalWKS 10 PP ŁowiczŚmigły Wilno?WKS 10 PP Łowicz won to finish 5th overallŚmigły Wilno finish 6th overall
2021 Pos Team Pld W D L Pts1Strzelec Białystok Choroszcz 7601122Czarni Lwów7511113Lechia Lwów7511114Hakoach Będzin730465WKS Grodno730466WKS 37 PP Kutno730467WKS 10 PP Łowicz720548Śmigły Wilno70070
2022
Pos Team Pld W D L Pts1Strzelec Białystok Choroszcz 7421102Lechja Lwów741293Victoria Sosnowiec732284WKS 42 PP Białystok716085Czarni Lwów722366WKS 37 PP Kutno722367WKS Grodno722368Pogoń Lwów71153
2023
Pos Team Pld W D L Pts1Strzelec Białystok Choroszcz 7601122Victoria Sosnowiec7601123WKS 42 PP Białystok7601124Czarni Lwów740385Lechja Lwów720546WKS 37 PP Kutno720547Pogoń Lwów720548WKS 10 PP Łowicz70070
2024
Pos Team Pld W D L Pts1Strzelec Białystok Choroszcz7610132Lechja Lwów7511113Czarni Lwów7502104Victoria Sosnowiec741295WKS 37 PP Kutno721456WKS 42 PP Białystok720547WKS 10 PP Łowicz720548Pogoń Lwów70070
2025
Pos Team Pld W D L Pts1Victoria Sosnowiec8701142Strzelec Białystok Choroszcz8602123WKS 42 PP Białystok8512114WKS 37 PP Kutno8503105Lechja Lwów8503106Czarni Lwów841397Wisła Retro820647Pogoń Lwów810728WKS 10 PP Łowicz80080
Champions
2019: Lechja Lwów 2020: Lechja Lwów 2021: Strzelec Białystok Choroszcz 2022: Strzelec Białystok Choroszcz 2023: Strzelec Białystok Choroszcz 2024: Strzelec Białystok Choroszcz 2025: Victoria Sosnowiec
Team performances
Team Winners Runners-up Third place Winning yearsStrzelec Białystok Choroszcz 41—2021, 2022, 2023, 2024Lechja Lwów2212019, 2020Victoria Sosnowiec1112026WKS Grodno—2——Czarni Lwów—11—WKS 42 PP Białystok——2—Hakoach Będzin——1—WKS 37 PP Kutno——1—
References