Football in ... Poznan

In a region where so many sporting tastes are catered for, from gridiron to speedway, handball to rowing, football has provided the main attraction for 100 years.

In KKS Lech Poznań the city is home to one of the nation's true heavyweights, the winners of five Polish Cups and six titles. Founded by members of a Catholic youth association in 1922, they reached the top flight in 1948 and their famed ABC strikeforce of Teodor Anioła, Edmund Białas and Henryk Czapczyk ensured they quickly settled.

Silverware continued to elude Lech, losing the Polish Cup in 1980, but they prevailed two years later and quickly added back-to-back league honours – they have not looked back. Their most recent success came in 2010, four years after merging with Amica Wronki, inspired by 18 goals from Robert Lewandowski prior to his move to Borussia Dortmund.

It earned a return to UEFA competition and they took the UEFA Europa League by storm. Artjoms Rudņevs struck four goals as Lech twice held Juventus, and they traded 3-1 home wins with Manchester City FC. The English side went away with more than three points, however: they gained a new goal celebration. On scoring, Lech's famous fans turn their backs on the pitch and bounce up and down with their arms locked. So now do City's, a craze known as "doing the Poznan".

Lech were not Poznan's first national champions. That honour goes to second division side KS Warta Poznań, winner of titles in 1929 and 1947 and five-time runners-up, though the Zieloni (Greens) have not graced the top flight since 1995. Established in 1912, Warta are the city's third oldest club behind the now defunct KS Posnania (1907) and KW 04 Poznań (1904).

A third Poznan outfit have savoured top-flight football. TS Olimpia Poznań finished fifth in the Ekstraklasa in 1990 and reached the Polish Cup semi-finals a year later before sliding back down the divisions.

Notable names
The city has provided a steady stream of international players. Anioła (Angel) earned his nickname The Devil for terrorising back lines during the 1950s and his 196 league appearances for Lech brought 138 goals; 137 more than left-back Hieronim Barczak mustered in 367 games two decades on. Another defender, Bartosz Bosacki, scored both Poland's goals at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in a team that also included Maciej Żurawski, and ex-Olimpia playmaker Mirosław Szymkowiak won the last of his 33 caps that year. DSC Arminia Bielefeld favourite Artur Wichniarek also donned the red and white though ex-RSC Anderlecht striker Tomasz Radzinski took a different path, moving to Canada and playing 46 times for the Canucks.

Other sports
Poznan hosted group games at EuroBasket 2009, won by Spain, and the 2009 World Rowing Championships on Lake Malta, also the stage for the 2010 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championship. The city's volleyball and basketball teams are in the top flight of Poland's women's championships. Poznan's Hubert Wagner guided a Poland team including hometown boy Włodzimierz Sadalski to Olympic volleyball gold in 1976. Szymon Ziółkowski won the hammer throw at the 2000 Olympics and the three IAAF World Championships since have brought a medal of each colour.

Did you know?
From 1933 to 1994 Lech had close links to Polish State Railways (PKP), gaining the nickname Kolejorz, local slang for the Railwaymen.