I liga


I liga, currently named Fortuna I liga due to sponsorship reasons by Fortuna, is the men's second professional association football division of the Polish football league system, below the Ekstraklasa and above the II liga via promotion/relegation systems. Run by the Polish Football Association since its inception on 30 May 1948. The league was renamed from Second League to First League in 2008. It is currently contested by 18 teams, from 2002 all clubs onwards must have a licence, issued by the Association.
Before 1939, there were several plans to create a second, national level of Polish football system, but all failed. Instead, there were regional leagues of most Polish provinces, the so-called A Classes.

History

State Class in Austrian Galicia

In 1913 and 1914, the football championship of Austrian Galicia took place. At that time it was called the A Class Championship, with four top teams of the province. Since there were many more football teams in Galicia, the B Class Championship was made for them. Also, in 1921, already in the Second Polish Republic, there were two levels: winners of regional A Classes played in the national championship, while winners of the B Classes had their own tournament. For financial reasons, this idea was abandoned after one year.

Second Polish Republic

In the Second Polish Republic, there were regional leagues, or A Classes, which were the second level of Polish football system, behind the Ekstraklasa, which was formed in 1927, see Lower Level Football Leagues in Interwar Poland. Since in the late 1930s only two teams were promoted to the Ekstraklasa, and there were as many as fourteen regional champions, there was a complicated system of playoffs. Firstly, winners of neighbouring A Classes played each other, and in the final stage, four teams competed, with two top sides winning the promotion.

Formation

Second level league was first created for the 1949 season, and was split into northern and southern sections, each comprising 10 teams. First plans to create this league appeared in 1947. On February 14 and 15, 1948, a meeting of officials of Polish Football Association took place in Warsaw. Officials from Gdańsk promoted the creation of the league, but this idea was opposed by the delegates from the most powerful regions of Polish football: Kraków, Łódź, Upper Silesia and Warsaw. On May 30, 1948, however, the second division was officially approved, with 18 teams in one group. On February 19, 1949, Polish Football Association decided to expand the league to 20 teams, divided into northern and southern groups.
First games of the new, second division, took place on March 20, 1949, with the first goal scored by Jozef Kokot of Naprzód Lipiny, in a game between Naprzód and Błękitni Kielce. First winners of the second division were Garbarnia Kraków and Górnik Radlin : both sides were promoted to the Ekstraklasa. To determine a winner of the 1949 season of the second division, Górnik had to play Garbarnia in three extra games. The top scorer of the first season was Mieczyslaw Nowak of Garbarnia, with 24 goals. Relegated were the teams of Ognisko Siedlce and PTC Pabianice, and Błękitni Kielce and Pafawag Wrocław.

1950s

For the 1951 season the format was changed to four groups, with eight teams in each group.

1970s–2008

For the 1973–74 season the 2nd level was changed to comprise two sections, split into north and south.
For the 1989–90 season the league reverted to a single group.
In 2000 the number of teams was limited to 20 sides, then to 18. Champions and vice-champions received automatic promotion, while third place teams competed in playoffs. The bottom four teams were relegated.

New name

From the 2008–09 season, the league was renamed as I liga. The number of teams competing remained at 18. Teams which place 15-18 were automatically relegated to II liga. The first and second placed teams were promoted to the Ekstraklasa. In 2014 II liga merged into one group and these rules were changed – the three worst-ranked teams are relegated, and the 15th I liga club compete in playoffs with the fourth placed II liga team.

Clubs

TeamLocationStadiumCapacity
Bruk-Bet Termalica NiecieczaNiecieczaStadion Bruk-Bet Termaliki4,653
Chojniczanka ChojniceChojniceStadion Miejski3,000
Chrobry GłogówGłogówStadion Chrobego2,817
GKS BełchatówBełchatówStadion GKS5,264
GKS JastrzębieJastrzębie-ZdrójStadion Miejski6,800
GKS TychyTychyStadion Miejski15,300
Miedź LegnicaLegnicaWhite Eagle Stadium6,244
Odra OpoleOpoleStadion Miejski4,250
Olimpia GrudziądzGrudziądzCity Stadium Grudziądz5,500
Podbeskidzie Bielsko-BiałaBielsko-BiałaStadion Miejski15,316
Puszcza NiepołomiceNiepołomiceStadion Miejski2,118
Radomiak RadomRadomStadion Lekkoatletyczno-Piłkarski im. Marszałka Józefa Piłsudskiego4,066
Sandecja Nowy SączNowy SączStadion im. Ojca Władysława Augustynka2,988
Stal MielecMielecStadion Stali6,800
Stomil OlsztynOlsztynStadion OSiR3,500
Warta PoznańPoznańDyskobolia Stadium6,800
Wigry SuwałkiSuwałkiStadion Miejski3,060
Zagłębie SosnowiecSosnowiecStadion Ludowy7,500

  1. Radomiak Radom will play their home games in Stadion Lekkoatletyczno-Piłkarski im. Marszałka Józefa Piłsudskiego until their home ground will be built.
  2. Warta Poznań will play their home games in Dyskobolia Stadium in Grodzisk Wielkopolski, until their home ground Stadion przy Drodze Dębińskiej will be adapted to the licensing requirements.

    Champions of the Polish second level