July 2019 – for the first time in almost a hundred years of history – is at the regional level, i.e. in the third league (fourth league level). He was preparing for the match against the reserves of Zagłębie Lubin, or actually he was to prepare, because the employees announced a strike. – We’re on the verge of endurance. Lots of people just don’t get to live on. The situation is dramatic – said Tomasz Ferens, the club’s spokesman, becoming the voice of ordinary employees. The strikers were joined by the footballers and the training staff. – In recent days we have not trained – coach Łukasz Bereta informed, and sports news services in Poland have won titles about the fall of the fourteen-time Polish champion.
A serious crisis was the beginning of changes. Ruch finally joined the games, received financial aid from the city, and the great rescue operation of the fans led the club from Chorzów to promotion to the 2nd league, and now to the fight for the backing of the league. But all this would not be possible if it had not been for the mobilization of fans: bricks, knock-downs, which, in principle, continue to this day. Not on such a scale anymore, but still. One of the ways to help is to massively buy souvenirs from the club shop. – We are the second club in Poland in terms of selling gadgets. We sell stationary, but there are also shipments to other Polish cities, and even abroad – they boast in the club in Chorzów. And this is not the end. Ruch fans, in cooperation with the club, organized the action “102 na 102”. Its goal is to collect PLN 102,000 for the 102nd birthday on April 20, 2022. So far, this is average, less than PLN 30,000 has been collected. But the very fact that in times of high inflation and war beyond our eastern border people want to donate money to their club is admirable.
– It was tragic. The club was on the verge of collapse and bankruptcy, but a rescue operation was decided and it is slowly starting to bear fruit. Were it not for the involvement of fans, the authorities of Chorzów and shareholders, there would be no Movement today. The mobilization was so great that what seemed impossible is real today, says Seweryn Siemianowski, president.
The situation is not perfect, but it is stable. The specter of bankruptcy has been dismissed, debts are gradually being paid off. – We have been paying for all our current obligations regularly for two years and we are trying to make sure that there are no delays. It is known that we are still paying off creditors, but I hope that in 2022 everything will be clarified. And this is without a major threat to the financial liquidity of the Movement. Of course, we all operate within a certain financial framework, there is no honey, and additionally there is a pandemic, war and some principles of the Polish Order that cross our plans. But today we are a reliable and solvent club – assures the president.
Cash in the cloakroom? “We wanted the motivation for the players to be tangible”
Solvable to such an extent that the players of Ruch receive match bonuses right after each game. Still in the cloakroom and in cash. – The manager has money with him and immediately after the game he distributes it among the players. Everyone gets the amount as stated in their contract. We wanted this motivation for the players to be tangible, so that they could immediately feel what they were fighting for after the game. Of course, they will not always manage to raise this bonus from the field, but I believe that this method of motivation is better than a virtual subscription and one transfer with a bonus at the end of the month – explains Siemianowski.
And since the players this season are doing surprisingly well for a 2nd league champion, the team manager has his hands full. – Movement plays beyond its capabilities and the capabilities of individual players. The team is mainly based on young players. They want to develop, and with such experienced players as Tomasz Foszmańczyk or Łukasz Janoszka, who give them confidence on the pitch, they have very good conditions for this – says Jacek Sroka, journalist of “Dziennik Zachodni”, who deals with the club in Chorzów.
There are only seven players aged over 25 in Ruch’s 29-person squad for the spring round. And the good training of the Chorzów academy is demonstrated not only by the young players appearing in the team of the first team, but also by transfers. Such as that of 18-year-old Tomasz Neugebauer, who came from Ruch straight to Lechia Gdańsk and even managed to make his debut in the league, playing 30 minutes against Wisła Kraków (1: 1, 05/03/2022). And in the footsteps of Neugebauer, other pupils may follow, such as the 21-year-old goalkeeper Jakub Bielecki, who has kept a clean sheet at the second league level eight times this season.
“We all want a top league, but not for a hooray”
The combination of routine and youth gives Ruch currently the third place in the II league table – on Saturday the residents of Chorzów defeated Pogoń Grodzisk Mazowiecki 4: 1. They are losing as much as 12 points to Stal Rzeszów, which is dominant in the league, but only four to Chojniczanka Chojnice, second in the table. And let us remind you that the two best teams of the 2nd league will be promoted directly to the back of the league, and the teams from places 3-6 will fight in the play-offs.
– At the beginning, we wanted to explore the area and see how we will be doing in the second league. And it turned out, to my surprise, that almost everything surprised. We wanted to be promoted to the first league in two years, but if the opportunity is there now, why not take advantage of it? The case is open, the fight is ongoing, but we will do everything to slowly climb up the hierarchy and gradually rebuild the power of Ruch Chorzów. The second league is not the dream of our fans, we all want the top league, but not “hurry up”, because it is not difficult to advance and then fall to the lower league with a bang – emphasizes the president.
The new stadium is still in the realm of dreams
There are huge expectations of fans in Chorzów, which is probably best evidenced by the topic of the new stadium. There was a project, demands for its construction, but so far it ended with promises and banners to the president of the city, Andrzej Kotala. “Keep your word at least once, give what you promised for the Chorzów Duma” – wrote the representatives of the supporter group “Ultra Blue”. But when they waited, so they wait, because although the city strongly supports the daily activities of Ruch – without it, the club would not exist anymore – the tens of millions of zlotys for the stadium are not a priority at the moment.
– The great history of the Movement raises certain problems. I heard about players who, as soon as they found out about the interest of the Movement, immediately demanded money at the level of the former splendor, and not the current reality. And these are quite rigorous, because even coach Łukasz Bereta did not win a raise after being promoted to the 2nd league – adds the journalist of “Dziennik Zachodni”.
Today the team is led by the coach Jarosław Skrobacz and he is to lead Ruch to the 1st league. – If the promotion was won now, it would be a huge step forward for the whole club, but also a big surprise. Ruch competes with clubs with much larger budgets, and since football is not played by history, and above all money, a promotion from the 2nd league after one season would be a great achievement – says Sroka.
“These are our dreams”
The movement wants promotion to be won on the basis of young players, alumni of the academy. This is a long-term plan, but good results at the beginning of the season increased the expectations of fans who talk about the first league more and more often. – We want to promote our young footballers, but not to sell them all at once, but to pursue our sports goals based on them. The young generation is impatient, they want to play in the Premier League as soon as possible, so some departures cannot be avoided. But I believe that a few of our young players will reach the league together with Ruch, it would be the greatest satisfaction for me – assures Siemianowski, who not only does not avoid the topic of the first league, but starts talking about the first league himself.
– These are our dreams. I don’t like promises, so I won’t predict how many years we’ll be back. Ruch Chorzów is a club with a great history, but we do not want to live only with it. We must look to the future and avoid pride that we are a great Movement and that we deserve something for the coat of arms and the name itself. We want to work hard and restore the former splendor step by step. This is the only way: to approach each subsequent match with humility, regardless of the level at which – concludes the president of the club in Chorzów.
Source: Sport
Tristin is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
