A fan’s guide – the club from early doors to today
Before Lechia Gdańsk embarked upon their triumphant return to Poland’s top-tier Ekstraklasa in July 2024, club president Paolo Urfer wrote a heartfelt letter to the fans who had kept the gleaming amber-clad Polsat Plus Arena a fifth full during the successful promotion campaign of 2023-24.
The White and Greens, Biało-Zieloni, had won the I Liga the previous spring, adding yet another Second Division title to the trophy cabinet. “I assure you, we will be solvent,” said the multifaceted Swiss entrepreneur with connections in Dubai and, if the ever-curious Polish press is correct, Russia.
While reassuring, it was hardly the gung-ho call to arms that suggested Lechia might repeat the memorable campaign of 2018-19 that resulted in a second-only Polish Cup and a best-ever third-place finish in the Ekstraklasa.
Moreover, the flagship club of Poland’s bustling, affluent port on the Baltic coast was about to launch into the 2024-25 season with a game at Śląsk Wrocław, whom everyone knew Urfer had tried to buy earlier.
The curtain-raising game of the 2024-25 season ended in a creditable 1-1, the home side equalising in stoppage time – but would be the first of six winless fixtures for Lechia Gdańsk, who were propping up the league table by the international break in September.
Tellingly, such has been the negative press around Urfer that Gdańsk-based energy giant Energa, whose name graced the stadium façade for five years after it co-hosted Euro 2012, withdrew its Lechia sponsorship. Despite this, and a modest haul of silverware since their formation in 1945, Lechia are Poland’s biggest club north of Warsaw.
Lechia’s roots, however, are in Lviv, modern-day Ukraine, part of Poland until 1939. The cradle of Polish football, Lviv provided three of the 14 clubs in the inaugural Ekstraklasa of 1917 – Lechia gained promotion in 1930 for a brief sojourn in the top tier. With the expulsion of all Poles in 1945, Lechia Lwów – name, green-and-white colours, players and all – were re-established in Gdańsk.
Already in place was a stadium, the Jahnkampfbahn, where several clubs played while the city, then named Danzig, was mainly German-speaking. This became the Gdańsk Stadion and staged Lechia’s post-war campaigns until 2011.
The early years were marked by a fierce local rivalry with Gedania Gdańsk, proud of the Polish heritage they had had to forsake in the Nazi era, but once Lechia climbed up to the top flight in 1952, the teams wouldn’t meet for half a century. Goals by all-time top scorer Roman Rogocz kept Lechia with the elite during the immediate post-war period.
While the White-and-Greens would yo-yo between divisions for decades, the surprise cup run of 1982-83, third-tier Lechia overcoming top teams Widzew Łódź and Ruch Chorzów on penalties, gave the Gdańsk side a first shot at major silverware. An early goal from Krzystof Górski, an unpopular character who vanished from the game later that year, set up a 2-1 win over modest Piast Gliwice.
Improbably, such was the magic of the European Cup Winners’ Cup, throwing complete minnows against footballing giants, Lechia’s European debut was against Platini’s Juventus, a 7-0 defeat at the old Stadio Comunale.
The return leg allowed Juve’s Polish star Zbigniew Boniek to revisit his homeland, a crowd of 33,000 packed into the Lechia Stadion, where the hosts actually went 2-1 up. Inevitably it was the later Polish FA chief who hit the decisive goal in five to reverse the scoreline with little celebration afterwards.
In the economic chaos of post-Communist Poland, Lechia were forced to merge with Olimpia Poznań, then Stoczniowiec Gdańsk before disappearing completely in 2001 and having to climb back up the divisions as a new entity.
It was during this time, in 2003-04, that Lechia again met with Gedania Gdańsk in the Liga IV (Pomerania group), the third of four straight divisional wins to regain the second tier. Promotion to the Ekstraklasa in 2008 meant a first top-flight Tricity Derby against Arka Gdynia, a reference to the rivalry along the Baltic coast linked by the SKM train.
In 2011, the club bade farewell to the Lechia Stadion, where the reserve team continued to play, and moved into what was originally known as the PGE Arena, today the Polsat Plus Arena.
Co-hosting Euro 2012, Poland had named Gdańsk as one of its four venue cities due to the prominence of the city rather than the illustrious past of its flagship club. When an Avenue of Stars of Lechia legends was created at the old ground, none of the 21 key players and managers had won more than one cap for Poland.
But Lechia had already started out on what would become their longest and most successful stint in Poland’s highest division, 15 unbroken seasons, half of them finishing in the top five. Portuguese twin brothers Flávio and Marco Paixão were responsible for many of the goals during this time, their careers dovetailing in Spain, Teheran and Hamilton Academicals.
Older by five minutes, Flávio stayed the longest, his universally acknowledged farewell in 2023 bookending seven years at Lechia and 100 Ekstraklasa goals in total, a first for a foreigner.
He also provided the assist for the only goal in the Polish Cup final of 2019, a late, late finish by former international striker Artur Sobiech to see off Jagiellonia Białystok and grant Lechia their first European adventure for 36 years. Equally as brief as the two-game mismatch against Juventus, it started brightly with a crowd of nearly 26,000 watching a 2-1 victory over Brondby, but ended in extra-time in Copenhagen.
2019 was also the closest Lechia came to a league title, leading the Ekstraklasa for most of the regular season, only to perform disastrously during the play-off stage.
A first Ekstraklasa crown would have proved a fitting memorial to revered Gdańsk mayor and lifelong Lechia fan Paweł Adamowicz, murdered at a charity Christmas event, the team wearing black for their first home game after the assassination.
A fourth place and extra-time cup final defeat to Cracovia the following season weren’t quite good enough for a European place, as the combination of manager Piotr Stokowiec and the father-and-son ownership of Franz-Josef and Philipp Wernze took the club as far as they could. With Wernze senior’s health failing and captain Flávio Paixão now nearing 40, Lechia managed one final fling in 2021-22, qualifying for the Conference League.
A first ever victory on the European stage, the Macedonians of Akademija Pandev put to the sword thanks to a Paixão hat-trick, was followed by a frustrating defeat to Rapid Vienna after a 0-0 draw in Austria. A rapid changeover of coaches and a string of league defeats culiminated in relegation, illustrating the ownership instability after the death of Franz-Josef Wernze.
Before 2023-24, Lechia were taken over by Emirates-based investment fund MADA, whose backing eventually ensured that the club’s sojourn in the second tier only lasted a season. Installed by the new owners, Swiss president Paolo Urfer persuaded former Deportivo La Coruña striker Luis Fernández and recent Colombian U-17 international Camilo Mena to help lift a team of Lechia youngsters above a mediocre field in Poland’s I liga.
Ukrainian U-23 international Maksym Khlan was brought over from Zorya Luhansk to torment defences from the left wing, earning himself Player of the Month awards when Lechia hit their stride in the spring of 2024.
A satisfying 2-1 win over Tricity rivals Arka Gdynia sealed the divisional crown but Lechia were soon out of their depth in the Ekstraklasa. Relying on transfers from recent Latvian champions Valmiera, owned by his old friend Ralph Oswald Isenegger, Urfer failed to strengthen Lechia’s squad sufficiently to account for coach Szymon Grabowski’s lack of top-level experience.
Early favourites for relegation in 2024-25, Lechia faced an uphill battle to keep their fiery following onside, relying on a young, multinational squad with a significant Ukrainian contingent.
Stadium Guide
The field of dreams – and the story behind it
Glowing the same glint of amber that made the Baltic rich, the Polsat Plus Arena (aka Gdańsk Stadium) was built to co-host Euro 2012. Unveiled with a friendly between Poland and Germany in 2011, almost exactly 72 years after World War II started at Westerplatte some 2km away, the third-biggest club ground in Poland’s Ekstraklasa cost just over €200 million to create.
Owners, the City of Gdańsk, have since had a prestigious showcase to attract major music acts to the Baltic coast, Ed .Sheeran setting the attendance record of 52,500 for his July 2024 shows.
Ironically, the one football event that should have packed the house after Spain, Italy, Ireland and Germany played here at Euro 2012, the Europa League final between Manchester United and Villarreal in 2021, had a limited attendance of 9,400 due to pandemic restrictions.
Average gates for domestic fixtures hover between 10,000-15,000. Nearly 42,000 seats of Lechia green, enclosed inside a distinctive golden shell of 18,000 plates of polycarbonate, are arranged in two tiers and four colour-coded areas.
The green zone is behind the north goal for home fans and light blue opposite, where away fans are allocated lower sectors K and L in the south-east corner.
The T29 stadium bar, Lechia museum and club shop are on the north-west side, nearest Pokoleń Lechii Gdańsk parallel to the railway lines.
Around the arena, a go-kart track, a tower for bungee jumping, a playground and sports courts ensure that the venue is used all year round, while an observation platform allows visitors to take a peek inside the stadium without having to take the full guided tour.
getting here
Going to the stadium – tips and timings
Tram 10 runs from the main station, Dworzec Główny, nine stops/15mins to Polsat Plus Arena Gdańsk every 10mins weekdays, 20mins-30mins weekends, until late at night. The 7 follows the same route but only during rush hour morning/afternoon weekdays.
For major events such as Poland internationals, the SKM regional train runs from Dworzec Główny to the Gdańsk Stadion Expo stop by the stadium.
getting in
Buying tickets – when, where, how and how much
The Fan Store (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, match days) on Pokoleń Lechii Gdańsk distributes tickets, along with the fan shop in town (Podwale Staromiejskie 93, Mon-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat 10am-4pm), the main tourist office (Długi Targ 28-29, Sept-June daily 9am-5pm, July-Aug daily 9am-7pm) and Kolporter press outlets, such as in the Galeria Metropolis (Mon-Sat 9am-9pm, Sun 10am-8pm) by Gdańsk Wrzeszcz train station.
There are also online sales in Polish with a levy of 1.5zł/€0.35 per transaction. The stadium ticket office opens 2hrs before kick-off and availability is almost never an issue.
Note that ID verification is required at points of sale or by e-mail to bilety@lechia.pl, the contact address for all enquiries.
The cheapest tickets are with the Lechia faithful in sectors U-Y in the lower tier of the north end, 40zł/€9.35 (30zł/€7 reduced for women, over-60s and students). In the corners, sectors M, T, 11-12 and 19-20, it’s 50zł/€11.60, 35zł/€8.20 reduced), and you pay 60zł/€14 (45zł/€10.50 reduced).in the outer sectors of the East and West Stands by the long sidelines. Top whack is 65zł/€15.20 (50zł/€11.60 reduced) for a seat in sectors R-O, over the halfway line in the East Stand.
what to buy
Shirts, kits, merchandise and gifts
As well as the official Fan Store (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, match days) at the stadium on Pokoleń Lechii Gdańsk, there’s a supporter-run outlet in town (Podwale Staromiejskie 93, Mon-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat 10am-4pm).
Home shirts of green-and-white hoops, away tops of dark grey with black and olive-green tiger stripes, as well as T-shirts, badges and beer glasses carry the retro Lechia flag.
museum and stadium tours
Explore the club, its home and its history
By the shop, the club museum (15zł/€3.50, 10zł/€2.35 reduced; Mon-Fri 10am-4pm, match days from 2hrs to 30mins before kick-off) contains a wealth of trophies and photos, though with little documentation in English or Polish. Note the replicas of the Polish Cups won in 1983 and 2019.
Tours (25zł/€5.90, 18zł/€4.20 reduced) are Polish-language, as is the online registration, but 13zł/€3 allows you an inner view of the stadium from a panoramic point through gates 14/15 – again, book online or most weekdays you can just pay at reception.
Where to Drink
Pre-match beers for fans and casual visitors
Named after the address of the old ground on Traugutta, the T29 is one of the finest stadium bars in Poland, two floors of archive photos, murals and TV screens, the tabletops covered in sports papers from the 1970s. Tyskie is served on draught, the kitchen turning out burgers, wraps and ribs.
Further round the east side of the arena, serving those using the go-kart track, the Racing Café offers Tyskie, Lech and Grolsch on tap, plus standard snacks.
