Cracovia Club is a Polish Australian

Polish Australian

Poland has been a source country of immigrants to Australia, in particular in the post-war period. Immigration from Poland has long tapered off, with Polish Australian population now part of the mainstream Australian community.-Demography:...

 community organisation based in Bennett Springs, Western Australia

Bennett Springs, Western Australia

Bennett Springs is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located in the City of Swan. Formed from parts of the suburbs of Beechboro, Whiteman and West Swan, it was gazetted in April 2011 after a year-long campaign by residents to change the name of their locality...

.

History

The club was formed in 1950 at St Brigid's Parish Hall in Northbridge

Northbridge, Western Australia

Northbridge is an inner city suburb of Perth, Western Australia, separated from Perth's central business district by the Fremantle and Joondalup railway lines...

 by members of the Perth

Perth, Western Australia

Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....

 Polish Australian

Polish Australian

Poland has been a source country of immigrants to Australia, in particular in the post-war period. Immigration from Poland has long tapered off, with Polish Australian population now part of the mainstream Australian community.-Demography:...

 community. The club was named Polish Sport Club Cracovia after the city of Kraków

Kraków

Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...

 in 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...

. It is a name shared by Polish football team Cracovia. The club was initially based in Perth

Perth, Western Australia (suburb)

Perth is a locality covering the central inner-city area and central business district of the Perth, Western Australia metropolitan region. Perth is split between the City of Perth and the City of Vincent local authorities. Perth was named after Perth, Scotland.-Built environment:The dominant land...

 before moving to premises in Barlee Street, Highgate

Highgate, Western Australia

Highgate is an inner suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the City of Vincent and north of the CBD. Highgate was named for the village of Highgate in Kent, England...

 in 1972. The club was based in Highgate until 1990 when it moved to its current location in Bennett Springs (then Beechboro).

Football

Association football played an important early part in the club's history. Much of the club's efforts were put into ensuring success. However through the years the sporting side of the club has become less prominent with more of a focus on community activities.

Current

The club now has a team playing in the Football West Social Division 1.

Cracovia fields a number of local junior teams under the name Beechboro Eagles.

Despite being the major reason behind the founding of the Cracovia Club, the footballing side of the club now plays a lower profile with the club focusing on other community activities.

Other sports

A number of sports have been played competitively by the Cracovia Club including netball

Netball

Netball is a ball sport played between two teams of seven players. Its development, derived from early versions of basketball, began in England in the 1890s. By 1960 international playing rules had been standardised for the game, and the International Federation of Netball and Women's Basketball ...

, tennis

Tennis

Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...

 and table tennis

Table tennis

Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...

.