Polonia Bytom () 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.http://fussball.wettpoint.com/en/archives/table/ekstraklasa_2010_poland.html "Fussball – League Table Ekstraklasa Season 2010/11 Poland" Retrieved 15 August 2011
Honours Domestic Ekstraklasa Champions: 1954, 1962 Runners-up: 1952, 1958, 1959, 1961 Polish Cup Runners-up: 1963–64, 1972–73, 1976–77
International
International Football Cup (Intertoto Cup) Winners: 1964–65 Runners-up: 1963–64 Intertoto Cup Winners: 1967 (Group B3), 1970 (Group B8) International Soccer League Winners: 1965
Youth teams Polish U-19 Championship Champions: 1963, 1970, 1978 Runners-up: 1956
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; 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
Out on loan
Polonia in Europe Season Competition Round Country Club Home Away Aggregate/Position1958–59European CupQMTK Budapest0–30–30–61962–63European CupQPanathinaikos2–14–16–21RGalatasaray1–41–02–41963–64International Football Cup1RUC Sampdoria1–12–03–1Quarter-finalÖrgryte IS3–27–110–3Semi-finalOdra Opole2–10–02–1FinalSlovnaft Bratislava0–1 (N)1964–65Intertoto CupGroup C3 Lens 4–0 1–3Winner/1st Schalke 04 6–0 0–2 Degerfors IF 6–0 1–11RByeQuarter-final Karl-Marx-Stadt FC 0–2 4–14–3Semi-final RFC Liège 0–1 3–13–2Final Lokomotive Leipzig 0–3 5–1 5–41966–67Intertoto CupGroup B6Norrköping3–11–53rdDynamo Dresden0–01–7Spartak Hradec Králové0–00–01967Intertoto CupGroup B3Elfsborg3–02–1Winner/1stWerder Bremen2–10–2Grasshopper5–14–11970Intertoto CupGroup B8Horsens2–21–1Winner/1stRot-Weiss Essen3–21–1Tirol Innsbruck1–03–21973Intertoto CupGroup 10B 19016–22–03rdÖster1–22–3Austria Salzburg4–11–71975Intertoto CupGroup 5Zbrojovka Brno1–21–22ndAIK5–13–2Tennis Borussia Berlin3–01–11980Intertoto CupGroup 5Nitra1–00–44thEsbjerg0–12–1LASK Linz1–10–2
References
External links Club crest (archived 13 January 2010)
Official fanclub