Odra Opole
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| Full name | OKS Odra Opole Spółka Akcyjna | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Niebiesko-Czerwoni(The Blue and Reds) Wikingowie Południa(Vikings of the South) Oderka | ||
| Founded | 16 June 1945 | ||
| Ground | Odra Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 3,300[1] | ||
| Chairman | Tomasz Lisiński | ||
| Manager | Radosław Sobolewski | ||
| League | I liga | ||
| 2023–24 | I liga, 6th of 18 | ||
| Website | Club website | ||
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OKS Odra Opole Spółka Akcyjna(Polish pronunciation:[ˈɔdraɔˈpɔlɛ]) is afootballclub based inOpole,Poland,currently playing in theI liga.
History[edit]
Beginnings[edit]
The history of Odra Opole began on 16 June 1945, when in theOpole Town Hall,a group of sports officials gathered to form a new Polish sports organisation. Under first chairman, lawyer Leonard Olejnik, Odra organised first post-WWII sports competition in the city: street running (July 1945). In 1948, Odra merged with Lwowianka Opole and Chrobry Groszowice, and in 1948–1958, the club was called Budowlani Opole. By 1950, Budowlani had several departments, including football, track and field, tennis, bo xing, ice hockey and volleyball.
In 1951, managed by Mieczysław Bieniek, Budowlani won promotion to the second tier of Polish football system. In 1952, the team achieved promotion to theEkstraklasa,after the playoffs withWłókniarz Kraków(3–2, 1–1). The team from Opole debuted in the Polish top league on March 15, 1953, losing at home 1–2 toGwardia Warszawa(the lone goal for Budowlani was scored by Augustyn Poćwa). After only one year, Budowlani was relegated back to the second division.
In 1955, Budowlani, with its top scorerEngelbert Jarek(who had been purchased fromPolonia Nysa), returned to the Ekstraklasa. In the same year, Opole's favourites reached the semi-final of thePolish Cup,losing 0–2 toLechia Gdańsk.Budowlani, whose name was in 1958 changed back to Odra, remained in the Polish top class until 1958. After relegation, Odra quickly returned to Ekstraklasa, and in the early 1960s, it was among the best football teams of the nation.
1960s and 1970s[edit]
In 1960 Odra, which at that time featured several players of the Poland national team was close to winning Polish championship. Managed byTeodor Wieczorek,the team lost in the final round to Gwardia Warszawa, eventually finishing the competition in the fourth place. In 1962, Odra won third place in the Polish Cup, after beatingCracovia3–1.
In the1963–64 season,Odra was again close to winning the Polish championship. Managed byArtur Woźniak,it finished in the 3rd spot, the best in club's history, qualifying to theIntertoto Cup.
In 1966, Odra was relegated, to return to the Ekstraklasa in 1967. In the early 1970s, Odra, managed by its former star Engelbert Jarek, had several top class players, includingJosef KloseandZbigniew Gut(11 caps for Poland). Nevertheless, in June 1974 the team was relegated.
In 1975, Engelbert Jarek was replaced byAntoni Piechniczek,former manager ofBKS Stal Bielsko-Biala.After one year, Piechniczek won promotion back to theEkstraklasa.Odra'sWojciech Tyc(1 cap for Poland) was in 1975/76 top scorer of the second division, together withJanusz KupcewiczofArka Gdynia.With new generation of talented players, such asRoman WójcickiandJózef Młynarczyk,Odra on June 18, 1977, won theLeague Cup,beating 3–1 Polish runner-upWidzew Łódź,earning a spot in the1977–78 UEFA Cup.There, it lost in the first round to East German side1. FC Magdeburg(1:2, 1:1).
In the autumn of 1978, Odra was a sensation of the Ekstraklasa. After winning several games, including 5–3 vs.Legia Warsawin Warsaw (29 October 1978), and 3–1 vs.Ruch Chorzówin Opole (19 November 1978), Odra emerged as the autumn round champion. In the spring of 1979 however, Odra lost several important games, eventually finishing the championship in the 5th spot. After this season, Antoni Piechniczek resigned, to be replaced by Józef Zwierzyna.
1980s and 2000s[edit]
In 1979/1980 Odra finished in the 9th spot, and in 1980/1981, it was relegated, not to return to theEkstraklasa.Odra's last so far game in the top Polish class took place on 14 June 1981 vs Legia in Warsaw (1–1, goal by Wojciech Tyc). After relegation, Odra remained in the second division, to be relegated to the third level, in June 1984. With one exception (1985/86), Odra remained in the third league until June 1997. After promotion, the team finished in the 17th spot in the 1997/1998 season of the second division. Odra was not relegated, however, due to a merger with Varta Start Namysłów.
With a new sponsor, Odra was a sensation in the autumn 2000 round of the second division. With 13 victories, 3 ties and 3 losses, it was the leader of its group. In the spring of 2001 however, Odra lost several games and finished in the 4th spot. As was later revealed, Odra's successes of autumn 2000 were based on corruption, as games were set up by Ryszard Forbrich, aka Fryzjer. In June 2002 Odra was relegated to the third level, to return to the second division in June 2006, after winning playoffs withRadomiak Radom(1–1, 1–1 and 4–2 in the penalty shootout). In October 2006, for the first time in club's history, a foreigner, Dutchman Guido Vreuls was named Odra's chairman. On 9 January 2008, another Dutchman, Rob Delahaije, became Odra's manager, but his record was very disappointing: 4 ties, 2 losses.
In 2009, Odra Opole withdrew from thePolish First Leagueafter becoming insolvent. In June of the same year, a new club by the name ofOderka Opolewas established. Oderka plans to apply for acceptance into thePolish Fourth Leagueto which Odra's reserves had won promotion.[2]Oderka Opole played in Opolska (Opole) Group inPolish Fourth Leagueand promoted to Opolsko-Slaska (Opole-Silesia) Group ofPolish Third Leaguein 2009–10 season. Oderka renamed her name to traditional one in 2011–12 season and promoted to Zachodnia (West) group ofPolish Second Leaguein 2012–13 season. However, Odra's return to third level was brief and relegated again to fourth one due to reducing teams for unifying third level despite finishing as 12th. Odra eventually won promotion to the third tier in 2016, and then toPolish First League(2nd tier) in 2017. In the2021–22 seasonOdra qualified to promotion play-offs to the Ekstraklasa, but lost to the final winnerKorona Kielce.
League participations[edit]
- Ekstraklasa:1953, 1956–1958 (3 seasons), 1960–1966 (7 seasons), 1967–1970, 1971–1974, 1976–1981
- I liga:1951–1952 (2 seasons), 1954–1955 (2 seasons), 1959, 1966–1967, 1970–1971, 1974–1976, 1981–1984, 1985–1986, 1987–1988, 1997–2002, 2006–2009, 2017–
- II liga:1948–1950 (3 seasons), 1984–1985, 1986–1987, 1988–1997, 2002–2006, 2013–2014, 2016–2017
- III liga:2010–2013, 2014–2016
- IV liga:2009–2010
Recent seasons[edit]
| Year | Division | Position |
| 1999–2000 | II liga(II) | 8th |
| 2000–01 | II liga(II) | 4th |
| 2001–02 | II liga(II) | 18th (relegated) |
| 2002–03 | III liga(III) | 5th |
| 2003–04 | III liga(III) | 4th |
| 2004–05 | III liga(III) | 12th |
| 2005–06 | III liga(III) | 2nd (promoted1) |
| 2006–07 | III liga(III) | 10th |
| 2007–08 | II liga(II) | 13th |
| 2008–09 | I liga(II) | 17th (relegated) |
| 2009–10 | IV liga(V) | 1st (promoted) |
| 2010–11 | III liga(IV) | 5th |
| 2011–12 | III liga(IV) | 6th |
| 2012–13 | III liga(IV) | 1st (promoted) |
| 2013–14 | II liga(III) | 12th (relegated) |
| 2014–15 | III liga(IV) | 2nd |
| 2015–16 | III liga(IV) | 1st (promoted) |
| 2016–17 | II liga(III) | 2nd (promoted) |
| 2017–18 | I liga(II) | 11th |
| 2018–19 | I liga(II) | 12th |
| 2019–20 | I liga(II) | 13th |
| 2020–21 | I liga(II) | 8th |
| 2021–22 | I liga(II) | 5th |
| 2022–23 | I liga(II) | 15th |
| 2023–24 | I liga(II) | 6th |
1:promotion play-off won.
Honours[edit]
Domestic[edit]
- Ekstraklasa
- Third place:1963–64
- Polish Cup
- Third place: 1961–62
- Semi-finalists: 1954–55, 1961–62, 1966–67, 1980–81, 2000–01
- Polish League Cup
- Winners:1977
- Youth teams
- Polish U-19 Championship
- Champions:1972
- Runners-up: 1968, 1976, 1981
- Third place: 1984
- Polish U-19 Championship
International participations[edit]
- 1961–62 Intertoto Cup:
- Group stage:Slovan Bratislava1–1, 1–8,Wiener AC1–4, 2–0,Vorwärts Berlin1–2, 2–1
- 1963–64 Intertoto Cup:
- Group stage:Hajduk Split0–1, 1–0,FSV Zwickau1–0, 1–1,HC Kladno1–1, 4–0.
- 1/8 final:Norrköping3–2, 2–0
- Quarter-final: Slovan Bratislava 0–0, 1–1
- Semi-final:Polonia Bytom1–2, 0–0
- 1964–65 Intertoto Cup:
- Group stage:Spartak Pleven1–0, 1–1,Tatran Prešov1–1, 1–2,FC Karl-Marx-Stadt1–2, 2–0
- 1968 Intertoto Cup:
- Group stage:Jednota Trencin0–0, 2–0,1. FC Magdeburg2–0, 1–0,Hvidovre IF1–2, 2–0
- 1968 Intertoto Cup:
- Group stage:FC La Chaux-de-Fonds2–3, 3–0,SK Beveren-Waas0–0, 2–0,Boldklubben 19132–0, 2–1
- 1972 Intertoto Cup:
- Group stage:Boldklubben Frem1–2, 4–0,Rot-Weiß Oberhausen0–1, 4–3,SK Voest Linz2–0, 0–2
- 1977–78 UEFA Cup:1. FC Magdeburg1–2, 1–1
Club records[edit]
- First game in theEkstraklasa:15 March 1953, Budowlani Opole –Gwardia Warsaw1–2 (0–0),
- First point in the Ekstraklasa: 19 April 1953, Budowlani Opole –Górnik Radlin1–1 (1–1),
- First Ekstraklasa victory: 7 June 1953, Budowlani Opole –Legia Warsaw3–2 (2–1),
- Highest win margin in the Ekstraklasa: 8 September 1961, Odra Opole –Lechia Gdańsk9–2 (5–0),
- Highest loss margin in the Ekstraklasa: 19 August 1964,Polonia Bytom– Odra Opole 7–0 (5–0),
- Longest winning streak in the Ekstraklasa: 7 victories, 1979,
- Highest win margin in an official game:III liga,1984–85, Odra Opole –WKS Wieluń13–0 (5–0)
Current squad[edit]
- As of 16 July, 2024
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules.Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Odra's players in the Poland national team[edit]
- Engelbert Jarek,3 games, 1 goal
- Bernard Blaut,1 game
- Henryk Szczepański,28 games
- Norbert Gajda,7 games, 2 goals,
- Konrad Kornek,15 games,
- Henryk Brejza,9 games,
- Antoni Kot,1 game
- Zbigniew Gut,11 games,
- Bohdan Masztaler,10 games,
- Wojciech Tyc,1 game,
- Zbigniew Kwaśniewski,2 games,
- Roman Wójcicki,11 games,
- Józef Młynarczyk,5 games,
- Jozef Adamiec,1 game.
References[edit]
- ^Odra Stadiumat odraopole.pl
- ^"Oderka Opole została zarejestrowana".90minut.pl.2009-06-16.Retrieved2009-06-16.
External links[edit]
- Official website(in Polish)
- Website dedicated to the history of Odra Opole(in Polish)
- Odra Opoleat the 90minut.pl website(in Polish)
