History of Polonia Warszawa
Our club came into existence in 1911 and for years was the most popular team for Warsaw. The club linked people of various cultures and nationalities; Poles, Jews, Russians, Germans. There were no political divisions or hatred, only community and mutual respect.
After the war communists (stalinists) controlled entire sport and clubs were subordinated to the government. Our club was supposed to be a police club but it triggered an opposition in our masses. As punishment the club was deprived of its wealth and we were consigned to oblivion – could play only in lower leagues. Many residents of Warsaw died in the time of war – after the war we made a new start with which the tradition of our city was alien to. Our rival Legia Warszawa was a club of the communist army and was favoured. They had money, help from the government – and as a result, that many new post-war residents of Warsaw had become their fans.
Our club, doomed to oblivion, survived throughout these years because it had fans which never forgot about Polonia, its roots and origins. It was a club of ordinary people – without politicians, or government – therefore people became interested in it from alternative groups – anarchist, punks and skins.
As a result of all this historical events, our club inherited many problems – lack of financing was the biggest – but also lack of our own stadium as it was destroyed by the communist regime. Also,to add insult to injury, over the years a few sponsors have cheated the club and fans of vital finances and have embezzled club finds. A year ago the club officially went bankrupt and now fans are rebuilding it from scratch by starting in the lower division leagues, and slowly but surely trying to work our way up; where we rightfully belong! We are building a club which will be driven by fans – it is the first model of its kind in Poland and we hope it will serve an example to many in the future.