Widzew Lodz

TMRF Widzew, the first club based in Widzew (district of Łódź), was formed on 25 November 1910 by Polish workers and German industrialists who were employees of the Widzew textile manufactory called WIMA. Initially, the club was called the Widzew Society of Physical Development Enthusiasts (in Polish: Towarzystwo Miłośników Rozwoju Fizycznego Widzew), - at that time Łódź was under the rule of the Russian Tsar, and the adjective "workers'" (in Polish: Robotniczy) could not be used in the club's name. After the First World War, Poland regained its independence and a separate entity was founded in 1922 under the name of Robotnicze Towarzystwo Sportowe Widzew Łódź (Workers' Sports Association Widzew Łódź). The club's mottos are "Together We Create Power" (in Polish Razem Tworzymy Siłę) and "Always 12" (in Polish Zawsze w 12), which suggests that its fans are the twelfth player of the team. The club plays its matches at the Widzew Łódź Stadium, located in Łódź at 138 Marshal Józef Piłsudski Avenue. The stadium bears the unofficial but commonly used name of the "Heart of Łódź" (in Polish Serce Łodzi).

During World War II, three pre-war players of Widzew Łódź, Joachim Schreer, Mirosław Wągrowski and Aleksander Żadziłko, were among Poles murdered by the Russians in the large Katyn massacre in April–May 1940.

Widzew is a four-time Polish league champion in seasons 1980–81, 1981–82, 1995–96 and 1996–97, as well as the winner of the 1985 Polish Cup.

After winning back-to-back championships in 1980–81 and 1981–82, Widzew reclaimed the league crown 14 years later after a record season once again. During the successful 1995–96 season, Widzew conceded only 22 goals in 34 matches, the least out of all teams in the league. They were also proficient in attack, scoring 84 goals and securing 88 points across the campaign. Thanks in part to the great performance of their goalkeeper Andrzej Woźniak, the team remained unbeaten for the whole season.

In the following 1996–97 season, the team enjoyed another great season. For the second time in the club's history, they secured back-to-back championships, scoring 74 goals across the season and conceding only 21.

They have appeared in 117 matches in European Cups, of which they won 42. Widzew knocked European giants Manchester United out of the 1980–81 UEFA Cup, although their biggest achievement was reaching the semi-final of the 1982–83 European Cup, eliminating then three-time winners Liverpool along the way.

Recent history

At the beginning of the 2007–08 season, Widzew was purchased by one of the wealthiest men in Poland, Sylwester Cacek.

In January 2008, while playing in the second division, the Polish Football Association ruled that Widzew Łódź should be relegated due to their involvement in a corruption scandal. However, Widzew became champions that year and were allowed to stay in the second division, which was renamed I liga before the start of the 2008-09 season. Despite being deducted six points as a penalty, Widzew won the I Liga again in the 2009-10 season, and were promoted to the Ekstraklasa. However, Widzew were once again relegated at the end of the 2013–14 season after four seasons.

Due to financial problems, Widzew finished last at the end of the 2014–15 season, and subsequently went bankrupt.

Local businessmen Marcin Ferdzyn and Grzegorz Waranecki decided to take on amateur status as a new association called Stowarzyszenie Reaktywacja Tradycji Sportowych Widzew Łódź (Association of the Reactivation of the Sports Traditions of Widzew Łódź), which continues the tradition of the old RTS Widzew Łódź. The new association was registered in a Polish court on 2 July 2015, and within a few weeks of summer 2015, they managed to hire a new coach Witold Obarek and gather a new roster, which started the 2015–16 season in the fifth tier of Polish football. In their first season in IV liga, Widzew won promotion. In the 2016–17 season, Widzew achieved third place in III liga, behind Drwęca Nowe Miasto Lubawskie and ŁKS Łódź, but next season yielded promotion to II liga. In the 2018–19 season, they finished in fifth place with 55 points. In the 2021–22 season, Widzew finished 2nd, one point ahead of Arka Gdynia, and returned to Ekstraklasa for the first time since the 2013–14 season. They would finish 12th in the 2022–23 Ekstraklasa before improving to 9th in the following season. In the 2024–25 Ekstraklasa, they finished 13th before finishing 14th in the 2025–26 Ekstraklasa, with the recently hired Aleksandar Vuković guiding them out of relegation on the final match day with a 2-1 victory over Piast Gliwice.