Many sports teams in Poland have organised supporter groups who are actively in involved in either the ultras scene or the hooligan scene. All these groups in Poland have 4 types of relationships between each other which are subject to change over time:[1]
friendships (zgody) - alliances between two groups of supporters, whereby fans frequently visit each other's matches. During matches between two such sides, there usually are no divisions between away and home fans but both sets of fans are in the same stand.
agreements (układy) - provisional agreements of co-operation between two groups of fans. If they last, they usually become friendships later on.
enemies (kosy) - rival teams. A rival of a friend is also usually considered to be a rival.
neutral - there's no specific antipathy or sympathy towards each other.
These relationships can be complicated. However, local derbies are usually pre-determined by historical and geographical factors and it is very rare for a local derby not to be considered a fierce rivalry. In some cases, the rivalries extend beyond sport and are general rivalries between cities or towns.[2]
Association football
Biggest inter-regional rivalries
Football Derby of Poland
Any match where Legia Warsaw plays either Lech Poznań,[3]Widzew Łódź[4][5] or Wisła Kraków.[6] All four clubs are among the most supported in the country and usually are or were among the title contenders. The animosity towards Legia stems from the fact that during the communist rule Legia forced players to transfer to their club by enforcing an ultimatum of either playing for Legia or serving in the military.[7]
The region of Silesia has always been hostile towards the capital city, Warsaw, a rivalry that is mirrored outside of sport as well. This is partly due to quasi-colonial exploitation of the region after 1945 by the central government (or at least perceived as such in the region), partly due to Warsaw strongly opposing any attempt for greater autonomy for Silesia, and the hostility of the mining communities (Upper Silesia being a predominantly mining region) towards the ruling capital. The two most successful clubs, Górnik Zabrze and Ruch Chorzów, frequently contested the championship title with Legia Warsaw and therefore, those matches are especially heated. Polonia Bytom, having spent many years in the top flight, has also developed an intense rivalry. That said, the rivalry is not limited to those clubs, as such a derby can refer to any team from the capital, against any Upper Silesian club, the exception are those clubs from the Dąbrowa Basin (e.g. Zagłębie Sosnowiec) as they're not seen as Silesian by others in the region, but as "gorole" (a silesian word meaning: "non-Silesian"; the word "gorole" should not be confused with "górale" - "gorals").
"The Great Triad" vs. "The Three Kings of Big Cities"
The Great Triad (Arka Gdynia, Cracovia & Lech Poznań) vs. The Three Kings of Big Cities (Lechia Gdańsk, Śląsk Wrocław & Wisła Kraków) - Fans of Arka, Cracovia and Lech share a friendship, known as "The Great Triad" (Wielka Triada). Fans of Lechia, Śląsk and Wisła also shared a friendship called Trzej Królowie Wielkich Miast and any match between the two groups was considered a big rivalry.[8] Wisła then broke away from the alliance and joined Elana Toruń, Widzew Łódź and Ruch Chorzów fans, causing a massive rift in the Polish supporter world.
Górnik Zabrze fans during the Great Silesian Derby in 2009
The Holy War (Kraków)[17](Święta Wojna) is a match between Wisła Kraków and Cracovia - multiple Polish champions, the two biggest clubs in Kraków and reportedly the oldest existing ones in Poland, both founded in 1906.[18] The term "Holy War" was coined by the defender from KS Cracovia, Ludwik Gintel. The "Holy War" is one of the oldest (first friendly in 1908,[19] first official game in 1913[20]) and most played Polish derbies (over 100 official games). The rivalry is also considered the fiercest in Poland and one of the most intense in Central Europe. It is also the theme of a song devoted to their never-ending shenanigans, played by Andrusy.
Warsaw Derby between the most successful teams from Poland's capital: Legia Warsaw and Polonia Warsaw.[22] It dates back to 1921 and both teams have won 29 times (as of November 2023).
Great Lwów Derby played between the oldest Polish clubs Pogoń Lwów and Czarni Lwów. It was one of the most contested and prestigious derbies of Poland prior to World War II. Also considered to be one of the oldest Polish derbies (first friendly in 1907, first official game in 1912).
Rzeszów Derby between Resovia and Stal Rzeszów[26][27] is one of the most contested Polish derbies (90+ official games). Even though it was never played in the highest division, it is considered a very intense rivalry.
Poznań Derby between Lech Poznań and Warta Poznań.[30][31] Unusual in the fact that the cross-city rivalry does not provoke any tensions between the two groups of supporters due to historical differences in performance and the fact that many locals would watch both teams. Warta's golden years were the 1920s and the club won its last national championship in 1947, while Lech made its first Ekstraklasa appearance in 1948 and won its first ever championship in 1983.
Old Silesian Derby between Polonia Bytom and Ruch Chorzów[43][44] - both teams are amongst the oldest in Upper Silesia and they are also the two first Silesian teams to win the Polish championship (Ruch in 1933, Polonia in 1954). Bytom and Chorzów are neighboring cities in the central part of the Upper Silesian urban area. At 80+ official games, it is also the second most contested Silesian derby after the Great Silesian Derby.
The Silesian Classic (Śląski Klasyk) between Górnik Zabrze and GKS Katowice, with over 70 official matches played since the 1960s, is a popular rivalry since the 1980s, when both teams competed for the highest domestic trophies. It does not invoke the same levels of tension as the other Silesian derbies.[45] Both teams share a very intense rivalry against Ruch Chorzów.
GieKSa Derby between GKS Katowice and GKS Tychy[46] is a local derby between two sides who use the nickname GieKSa, which refers to the prefix "GKS" which stands for "Mining Sports Club" (Górniczy Klub Sportowy).
Minor Krakow Derbies - Hutnik Nowa Huta vs. Cracovia or Wisła Kraków vs. Garbarnia Kraków - apart from the "Holy War", matches between Hutnik and the other two sides are also considered Kraków derbies and are fierce rivalries.[52] Due to Garbarnia's lack of sporting success and a small supporter presence, the derby is considered to be mostly of a historical nature.
Szamotuły County Derby - Błękitni Wronki vs. Sparta Szamotuły[70] - one of the oldest lower league derbies, as both teams are based in the Szamotuły County. Since 30 May 1976, when Sparta beat Błękitni 10-0 away from home, the teams have met only sporadically, with Amica Wronki replacing Błękitni between 1993 and 2007. Since Amica's disbandment and the re-founding of Błękitni, the rivalry has been renewed in the lower leagues[71]
Southern Subcarpathian Derby - Karpaty Krosno vs. Stal Sanok or Czarni 1910 Jasło - matches against Stal are alternatively called the Krosnian derby (after the old Krosno Voivodeship), sometimes erroneously called the Bieszczady Derby even though neither town lies in the mountains. The derby match against Czarni Jasło is alternatively called the Krosno-Jasło derby (Derby Jasła/Krosna)[93][94]
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