Amica Wronki
Encyclopedia
Amica Wronki was a Polish football
club based in Wronki
, Poland
.
The history of SSA Amica Sport goes back to 1992 when the Amica company wanted to sponsor a football team in the town of Wronki where their factory was located. The company's increasing profits gave the new team tremendous financial clout in the Polish leagues. The club was formed when two clubs were joined together, Błękitni Wronki and LZS Czarni Wromet Wróblewo. The new club was named FK Amica Wronki and in just 4 years, the club won promotion from the Fourth Division to the Orange Ekstraklasa. They have been in the top division in Poland since 1995. In May 2006 they merged with fellow Ekstraklasa team Lech Poznań. The team currently bearing the name Amica Wronki is a youth side playing in the Polish lower leagues.
5-3 to win their first Polish Cup
and first trophy in their history. On July 18, 1998, Amica Wronki won the Polish Super Cup, contested by the previous seasons League and Cup Champions, by beating League Champions ŁKS Łódź after a goal by Radosław Biliński.
Amica qualified for the last edition of the now defunct European Cup Winners Cup in the 1998/1999 season, playing for the first time against European opposition. They beat Hibernians FC 5-0 in the qualifying round before losing to SC Heerenveen 4-1 on aggregate in the first round. After a disappointing league campaign in 1998/1999 where they finished in 12th place they managed to end the season well by winning their second Polish Cup beating GKS Bełchatów on June 13, 1999. Once more they had the opportunity of playing in Europe through the UEFA Cup
and surprisingly beat Brøndby IF
of Denmark
5-4 on aggregate in the first round. They followed up that success by beating League Champions Wisła Kraków to win their second Polish Super Cup on September 22, 1999. They were drawn against Spanish team Atlético Madrid in the second round of the Uefa Cup and lost 5-1 on aggregate ending the 1999/2000 season in 6th place. Amica won their third Polish Cup on 9 June 2000 in a rematch of the Super Cup game against Wisła Kraków. They appeared in a European competition for the third season in a row and made it to the second round beating FC Vaduz
6-3, FC Alania Vladikavkaz 5-0 and finally losing to Hertha BSC Berlin
2-4 and finished the 2000/2001 season in 7th place.
In the 2001/2002 season a reshuffle of the Ekstraklasa occurred to lower the number of teams from 18 to 16. Two groups of nine teams were created for the fall season. The spring season consisted of a Championship group consisting of the top 5 teams in both fall season groups and a Relegation group consisting of the bottom 4 teams from both fall season groups. Amica finished in 5th place in their group during the Fall Season with 12 points to qualify for the Championship group and ended the Spring season in 3rd place. Amica made it to the Polish Cup final for the fourth time but were beaten by Wisła Kraków 8-2 on aggregate. Qualification for the 2002/2003 UEFA Cup was accomplished as Polish Cup runners-up because Wisla had won the league title and therefore qualification for the UEFA Champions League
. Amica beat Servette FC
on the away goals rule after a 4-4 aggregate tie in the first round before extending their streak of never having qualified past the second round by losing to Málaga CF
4-2 on aggregate and finishing the season in 6th place.
The following season fared much better as a good run of games propelled them to 3rd place in the league and therefore UEFA Cup qualification, the only downside being their elimination from the Polish Cup in the quarter finals. A penalty shoot-out was needed for Amica to beat Hungarians Budapest Honvéd FC
5-4 after a 1-1 aggregate tie in the second qualifying round of the 2004/2005 UEFA Cup. A 2-1 victory in the first round against Latvians FK Ventspils
was followed by their first appearance in the revamped UEFA Cup group stage. They lost all 4 group games to finish bottom of Group F. They finished in 6th place in the league thus failing to get into European competition the following season.
U-19 European Championships held in Poland.
to form a new team called KKS Lech Poznań for the 2006/2007 season. They played their last game in the Ekstraklasa on May 13, 2006 with a 2-1 win over GKS Bełchatów and finished in 4th place in the final league standings.
Amica will still function as a lower league team next season but the bulk of players and staff has either joined new clubs or transferred to Lech Poznań which will be representing the new merged team in the Ekstraklasa. The new players are mainly youth players, the oldest player in the new squad is 22 years old. This will give them an opportunity to showcase their talents before they are either transferred to Lech Poznań, who have the right of first refusal, or to other clubs.http://www.amicafan.pl/main.php?id=1326
Apparently the main reason that the merger was finalised was that the Amica company wanted to invest in a team with a larger fanbase. Wronki
has a population of 12,000 while Poznań
has over 578,900 inhabitants. Another reason was the fact that Lech Poznań were looking for a new sponsor to inject funds into the team and Amica fit the bill perfectly since they were so close. Both cities are in the Greater Poland
province of Poland and are barely 50km apart. Amica get to advertise to more people while Lech Poznań have the financial clout to challenge for the league title.
The start of the 2006/2007 season didn't start well for the new look Lech Poznań as they lost their chance to get into Europe, a benefit that Amica Wronki fought for last season by finishing 4th while Lech Poznań finished 6th. They lost 4-1 on aggregate against Moldovan team FC Tiraspol
in the UEFA Intertoto cup and have to contend with a season without European football in Poznań.
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
club based in Wronki
Wronki
Wronki is a town in the Szamotuły County, western-central Poland, situated in the Greater Poland Voivodeship , previously in Piła Voivodeship . It is located close to the Warta River to the northwest of Poznań, and has a population of approximately 11,000...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
.
The history of SSA Amica Sport goes back to 1992 when the Amica company wanted to sponsor a football team in the town of Wronki where their factory was located. The company's increasing profits gave the new team tremendous financial clout in the Polish leagues. The club was formed when two clubs were joined together, Błękitni Wronki and LZS Czarni Wromet Wróblewo. The new club was named FK Amica Wronki and in just 4 years, the club won promotion from the Fourth Division to the Orange Ekstraklasa. They have been in the top division in Poland since 1995. In May 2006 they merged with fellow Ekstraklasa team Lech Poznań. The team currently bearing the name Amica Wronki is a youth side playing in the Polish lower leagues.
History
In the 1993/1994 season Amica Wronki were promoted to the Third Division. The next season the team, led by Jarosław Szuby, won promotion to the Second Division. Amica didn't stay in the second division for long because the following season they again won promotion, this time to the Ekstraklasa under Marian Kurowski who took over the job started by former coaches Boguslaw Baniak and Horst Panic. Their fairytale promotion ride to the top tier of Polish football was a dream come true for the fans and they were not going to be disappointed. The team finished 5th, 5th and 7th in successive seasons to cement themselves as an Ekstraklasa side. On June 13, 1998, Amica Wronki beat Aluminium KoninAluminium Konin
Avans Górnik Konin is a Polish football club based in Konin, Poland. The club currently competes in the Polish Fourth League.-Major achievements:*Polish Cup finalist *2nd place in Polish Second League - Famous players :...
5-3 to win their first Polish Cup
Polish Cup
The Polish Cup in football or officially Remes Puchar Polski, is an elimination tournament for Polish football clubs, held continuously from 1950, and is the second most important national title in Polish football after the Ekstraklasa title...
and first trophy in their history. On July 18, 1998, Amica Wronki won the Polish Super Cup, contested by the previous seasons League and Cup Champions, by beating League Champions ŁKS Łódź after a goal by Radosław Biliński.
Amica qualified for the last edition of the now defunct European Cup Winners Cup in the 1998/1999 season, playing for the first time against European opposition. They beat Hibernians FC 5-0 in the qualifying round before losing to SC Heerenveen 4-1 on aggregate in the first round. After a disappointing league campaign in 1998/1999 where they finished in 12th place they managed to end the season well by winning their second Polish Cup beating GKS Bełchatów on June 13, 1999. Once more they had the opportunity of playing in Europe through the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
and surprisingly beat Brøndby IF
Brøndby IF
Brøndby IF is a Danish professional football club based in Brøndbyvester, Brøndby, on the western outskirts of Copenhagen and is the biggest football club in Denmark with almost 2000 members. The club is also known as Brøndbyernes Idrætsforening, or Brøndby and BIF for short...
of Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
5-4 on aggregate in the first round. They followed up that success by beating League Champions Wisła Kraków to win their second Polish Super Cup on September 22, 1999. They were drawn against Spanish team Atlético Madrid in the second round of the Uefa Cup and lost 5-1 on aggregate ending the 1999/2000 season in 6th place. Amica won their third Polish Cup on 9 June 2000 in a rematch of the Super Cup game against Wisła Kraków. They appeared in a European competition for the third season in a row and made it to the second round beating FC Vaduz
FC Vaduz
FC Vaduz is a Liechtenstein football club from Vaduz, that play in the Swiss Football League. The club plays at the national Rheinpark Stadion, which has a capacity of 6,127 when all seated but has additional standing places in the North and South ends of the ground, giving a total stadium capacity...
6-3, FC Alania Vladikavkaz 5-0 and finally losing to Hertha BSC Berlin
Hertha BSC Berlin
Hertha Berliner Sport-Club von 1892, commonly known as Hertha BSC or Hertha Berlin, is a German association football club based in Berlin. A founding member of the German Football Association in Leipzig in 1900, the club has a long history as Berlin's best-supported side...
2-4 and finished the 2000/2001 season in 7th place.
In the 2001/2002 season a reshuffle of the Ekstraklasa occurred to lower the number of teams from 18 to 16. Two groups of nine teams were created for the fall season. The spring season consisted of a Championship group consisting of the top 5 teams in both fall season groups and a Relegation group consisting of the bottom 4 teams from both fall season groups. Amica finished in 5th place in their group during the Fall Season with 12 points to qualify for the Championship group and ended the Spring season in 3rd place. Amica made it to the Polish Cup final for the fourth time but were beaten by Wisła Kraków 8-2 on aggregate. Qualification for the 2002/2003 UEFA Cup was accomplished as Polish Cup runners-up because Wisla had won the league title and therefore qualification for the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
. Amica beat Servette FC
Servette FC
Servette FC is a Swiss football club, based in Geneva currently playing in the Swiss Super League. They were playing in the Swiss Challenge League, the second highest tier of Swiss football having been relegated from the Swiss Super League at the end of 2004/05 season...
on the away goals rule after a 4-4 aggregate tie in the first round before extending their streak of never having qualified past the second round by losing to Málaga CF
Málaga CF
Málaga Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Málaga, Andalusia. The team currently plays in Spain's La Liga.Málaga CF is generally seen as the successor to CD Málaga, one of the most historical Andalusian football clubs, by being a near-identical looking football club that even shares...
4-2 on aggregate and finishing the season in 6th place.
The following season fared much better as a good run of games propelled them to 3rd place in the league and therefore UEFA Cup qualification, the only downside being their elimination from the Polish Cup in the quarter finals. A penalty shoot-out was needed for Amica to beat Hungarians Budapest Honvéd FC
Budapest Honvéd FC
Budapest Honvéd FC |football]] team. "Honved" means the Homeland Defense. Originally formed as Kispest AC, they became Kispest FC in 1926 before reverting to their original name in 1944. The team enjoyed a golden age during the 1950s when it was renamed Budapest Honvéd SE and became the Hungarian...
5-4 after a 1-1 aggregate tie in the second qualifying round of the 2004/2005 UEFA Cup. A 2-1 victory in the first round against Latvians FK Ventspils
FK Ventspils
FK Ventspils is a Latvian football club, based at Ventspils Olimpiskais Stadions in Ventspils city and is one of the most popular football clubs in the country. FK Ventspils plays in the Latvian Virsliga. They are the current champions of the tournament....
was followed by their first appearance in the revamped UEFA Cup group stage. They lost all 4 group games to finish bottom of Group F. They finished in 6th place in the league thus failing to get into European competition the following season.
Stadium
The KS Amica Wronki stadium is small and modern with undersoil heating. The ground holds just over 5,000 spectators - a third of the town's population - and has floodlighting. Following the merger with Lech, the new club will now play their home games at the Stadion Miejski in Poznań, with the Polish Football Association using the KS Amica Wronki stadium and its training facilities for use by its various youth teams. This stadium staged three games during the 2006 UEFAUEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
U-19 European Championships held in Poland.
Latest events
The 2005/2006 season would be their last as Amica Wronki announced that they would merge with Lech PoznańLech Poznan
Lech Poznań is a Polish football club based in Poznań, Poland. The club is named after Lech, the legendary founder of Polish nation.The club was established in 1922 as Lutnia Dębiec, later changing its name several times. From 1933 until 1994, the club was closely linked to Polish State Railways...
to form a new team called KKS Lech Poznań for the 2006/2007 season. They played their last game in the Ekstraklasa on May 13, 2006 with a 2-1 win over GKS Bełchatów and finished in 4th place in the final league standings.
Amica will still function as a lower league team next season but the bulk of players and staff has either joined new clubs or transferred to Lech Poznań which will be representing the new merged team in the Ekstraklasa. The new players are mainly youth players, the oldest player in the new squad is 22 years old. This will give them an opportunity to showcase their talents before they are either transferred to Lech Poznań, who have the right of first refusal, or to other clubs.http://www.amicafan.pl/main.php?id=1326
Apparently the main reason that the merger was finalised was that the Amica company wanted to invest in a team with a larger fanbase. Wronki
Wronki
Wronki is a town in the Szamotuły County, western-central Poland, situated in the Greater Poland Voivodeship , previously in Piła Voivodeship . It is located close to the Warta River to the northwest of Poznań, and has a population of approximately 11,000...
has a population of 12,000 while Poznań
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
has over 578,900 inhabitants. Another reason was the fact that Lech Poznań were looking for a new sponsor to inject funds into the team and Amica fit the bill perfectly since they were so close. Both cities are in the Greater Poland
Greater Poland
Greater Poland or Great Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska is a historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief city is Poznań.The boundaries of Greater Poland have varied somewhat throughout history...
province of Poland and are barely 50km apart. Amica get to advertise to more people while Lech Poznań have the financial clout to challenge for the league title.
The start of the 2006/2007 season didn't start well for the new look Lech Poznań as they lost their chance to get into Europe, a benefit that Amica Wronki fought for last season by finishing 4th while Lech Poznań finished 6th. They lost 4-1 on aggregate against Moldovan team FC Tiraspol
FC Tiraspol
FC Tiraspol is a Moldovan football club based in Tiraspol, Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic. They play in the Divizia Naţională, the top division in Moldovan football.- Current squad :As of 1st of August...
in the UEFA Intertoto cup and have to contend with a season without European football in Poznań.
Participation in European Competitions
- UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1998-99UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1998-99The season 1998-99 of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup football club tournament was won by Lazio in the final against Mallorca for their first title in the competition.-Qualifying round:-First leg:--------------------------------------------...
- First Round - UEFA Cup 1999-00UEFA Cup 1999-00The UEFA Cup 1999-2000 season was won by Galatasaray of Turkey, who defeated Arsenal of England in the final. The game was scoreless through the first ninety minutes and stayed that way through thirty minutes of extra time. The game went on to penalty kicks in which Gheorghe Popescu, the Romanian...
- Second Round - UEFA Cup 2000-01UEFA Cup 2000-01In perhaps the most bizarre European final ever, the 2000–01 UEFA Cup was won by Liverpool in a dramatic golden goal final against Deportivo Alavés for their third title in the competition. It completed a unique cup treble for the club, as they also won the FA Cup and the League Cup that season...
- Second Round - UEFA Cup 2002-03 - Second Round
- UEFA Cup 2004-05UEFA Cup 2004-05The 2004–05 UEFA Cup season was won by CSKA Moscow, coming from behind in the final against Sporting Clube de Portugal. It was the first win by a Russian side in any European competition, and was even more impressive considering that the final was held at the José Alvalade Stadium, the home of...
- Group Stage
Current squad
Out
- Robert Binkowski (Free agent)
- Jakub Nabzdyk (Free agent)
- Michał Rogala (Free agent)
- Tomasz Szczepan (Free agent)
- Paweł Ignasiński (Warta Poznań)
- Tomasz Kabaciński (Retired)
- Grzegorz WojtkowiakGrzegorz WojtkowiakGrzegorz Wojtkowiak is a Polish footballer who currently plays for Lech Poznań.-National team:He debuted for the Poland national team on April 1, 2009 against San Marino.- External links :* * - lechpoznan.pl...
(Lech Poznań) - Karol GregorekKarol GregorekKarol Gregorek is a Polish footballer who currently plays for Chojniczanka Chojnice.-Club:He was released from GKS Bełchatów on 4 July 2011.In August 2011, he joined Chojniczanka Chojnice.-External links:...
(Lech Poznań) - Michał Mendelski (Jarota Jarocin)
- Witold Szlachetka (Zdrój Ciechocinek)
- Przemysław ŁudzińskiPrzemysław ŁudzińskiPrzemysław Łudziński is a Polish footballer who currently plays for Znicz Pruszków.-Club:He is trainee of Rossa Rosnowo. Then he moved to Amica Wronki. Next he played for Ruch Chorzów. In the summer 2007, he moved to Śląsk Wrocław on loan and half year later was sold to this club from Ruch Chorzów...
(Ruch Chorzów) - Eryk Nadworny (Military duty)
Famous players
- Māris SmirnovsMaris SmirnovsMāris Smirnovs is a football defender from Latvia currently playing for FC Tranzīts.As of 6 July 2009 he has played 22 international matches for the Latvia national team...
, defender, Latvia national football teamLatvia national football teamThe Latvian national football team is controlled by the Latvian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Latvia and represents the country in international football competitions, such as the World Cup and the European Championships. So far, they have never qualified for a FIFA World...
player - Jarosław Bieniuk, defender, Polish national football team player
- Marcin BurkhardtMarcin BurkhardtMarcin Burkhardt is a Polish footballer who currently plays for Jagiellonia Białystok.-Club:He made his debut in the Polish league on September 16, 2001 in Amica Wronki against Dyskobolia Grodzisk and has scored seven goals as of this campaign...
, midfielder, Polish national football team player - Dariusz DudkaDariusz DudkaDariusz Dudka is a Polish footballer who currently plays for AJ Auxerre and the Polish national football team as a defensive midfielder or full-back. He can also play as a centre back.-Career:...
, defender, Polish national football team player - Marcin KikutMarcin KikutMarcin Kikut is a Polish footballer playing currently for Lech Poznań.-National team:...
, U-21 Polish national football team player - Dawid KucharskiDawid KucharskiDawid Kucharski is a Polish professional footballer who currently plays as a defender for Pogoń Szczecin.-Early career in Poland:...
, U-21 Polish national football team player - Grzegorz WojtkowiakGrzegorz WojtkowiakGrzegorz Wojtkowiak is a Polish footballer who currently plays for Lech Poznań.-National team:He debuted for the Poland national team on April 1, 2009 against San Marino.- External links :* * - lechpoznan.pl...
U-21 Polish national football team player
See also
- Football in PolandFootball in PolandFootball is the most popular sport in Poland. Over 400,000 Poles play football regularly, with millions more playing occasionally. The first professional clubs were founded in the early 1900s, and the Polish national football team played its first international match in 1921.There are hundreds of...
- List of football teams
- Champions' Cup/LeagueUEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
- UEFA Europa League