Piast Gliwice


Gliwicki Klub Sportowy Piast Gliwice is a Polish football club based in Gliwice, Poland. In the 2018–19 season, Piast won its first Polish championship.

History

The club was founded in June 1945 by the Poles who had been forced to leave their homeland in present-day Western Ukraine. After the 1956 fusion of the three clubs, GKS Gliwice was formed. Piast continued to play their matches on ul. Robotniczej. In 1964, the 2 clubs merged. The new club name was 'GKS Piast Gliwice'. Piast's football team played as many as 32 seasons in the Polish Second Division, before finally being promoted to the Ekstraklasa in 2008. Having played two seasons in the top division, the club was relegated in 2010. Piast have twice managed to reach the final of the Cup of Poland, losing on both occasions. The club's name comes from the Piast dynasty, which ruled Poland from its beginnings as an independent state in the 10th century, until 1370. Piast is the first soccer team in Poland to gain promotion from the 7th tier to the Ekstraklasa and later to the European Cup.

Naming history

;Notes
Piast plays their home games at the 10,000 capacity Stadion Piast in Gliwice.

Supporters

Piast have a friendship with fans of Belarusian club BATE Borisov since 2011. The friendship started when BATE fans on their way to a Champions League match in Copenhagen stopped for a Piast game against local rivals GKS Katowice. The Piast fans then went to Alkmaar to support BATE versus AZ. After another visit for a Champions League game against Sturm Graz, the friendship became official and both sets of fans regularly visit each other.
Piast's major rivals are Górnik Zabrze, with whom they contest the local derby. The stadiums are located just a few kilometres from each other and Górnik have a sizeable support within Gliwice. Other rivals are local teams Ruch Chorzów, GKS Katowice and the two Bytom clubs, Szombierki and Polonia.

Current squad

Out on loan

Managers