They have been waiting for a match like this for almost 100 years. They can eliminate the mighty legion

For the first time in history, the stadium will be filled to the last seat. More than 8,000 spectators will watch the cup match against Legia. This is an unprecedented event in the history of sports in Calis – a journalist from Calis, Pawe Vigil, tells us.

Kalisz is generally considered the oldest city in Poland. Ptolemy mentioned Calicia, placing it on the amber path from Rome to the Baltic Sea. Therefore the history of Kalisz is at least 1,800 years old.

Almost 100 years of history

KKS 1925 Kalisz – Kalisz’s pride, as the fans themselves say of the club, is nearly 100 years old. The year in which the club was named refers to the beginnings, i.e. 1925. In fact, however, the new entity was founded in 2005 and has been playing since the 2006/07 season. He started in the second division. He is now at the top of the second league and in the semi-finals of the Polish Fortuna Cup.

We were climbing step by step. This is our great success, which would not have been possible without many people. When a club is successful, it is because a lot of people work. Even the victories in Class B were the beginning of what happened now. Without them, there would be no current Second League in Kalisz and the final 1/2 of the Polish Cup. First, we had to make a promotion to Class A, then to District Class, IV League, III League, and now we are in the pool of players of the Second League – enumerates Robert Trzęsała, club president.

All this would not be possible without the infrastructure that has been built in Kalisz in recent years. – More than 7,000 fans attended the quarter-final match against Śląsk Wroclaw. It was so far unimaginable. Thanks to the fact that the city of Kalisz established this facility, we can organize such events. In the match against Legia Warszawa, all seats in the stadium were sold out. More than 8,100 spectators could watch the meeting, – adds Kalisz’s club president.

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Sweet dream – they dreamed eloquently

KKS 1925 Kalisz has become a revealer of the current Fortuna Cup season in Poland. His place in the semi-finals of these competitions is not accidental. The League Two player is the team killer of the Premier League.

– Widzew came to Kalisz and was a better team than us. We got promoted with a bit of luck. With Górnik Zabrze, there was no difference on the field who played in the first league and who played in the second league. It was also a surprise for us, because we played on par for 90 minutes and then extra time. It was a strange match against Śląsk Wrocław. We expected not to get past this opponent, and it turned out that we dominated this match, – Trzęsała recalls.

– Looking at the cross-section of the past few decades, this is generally an exceptional season for Kalisz football – notes Bowie Vigil, Radio Centrum Kalisz correspondent. – KKS is fighting for promotion to the first league. Reached the semi-finals of the Polish Cup. Along the way, he scored at least three goals against all three Ekstraklasa teams he eliminated. KKS did not play conservatively at 0: 0, but scored a lot of goals against league teams, while playing beautiful football, – adds a local journalist.

It’s a sweet dream for us. We try not to finish it in the semi-finals of the Polish Cup. We’ve done it all in this competition. Every next step is beyond what we could have dreamed of – adds Kalisz Club President.

Tuesday’s match against Legia Warszawa, which will start at 20:30, is getting a lot of interest in Kalisz and the region.

– Legia was a dream competitor. We’ve never had a match like this in Cali before. We have not hosted a discount with this brand in our city. Legia Warszawa is a perfect opponent in terms of both marketing and sports. We’re so happy we beat Legia in the semi-finals – Robert Trzazaca doesn’t hide.

Once they were popular with volleyball, now they are popularized by football

In Kalisz, they had a great women’s volleyball team that won the national championship and played in the Champions League. – However, I will not compare these successes with what KKS achieved in the Polish Cup. This is the semi-final though. Out of a thousand teams, only four remained. This is without a doubt a historic event in Kalisz football. On the way to the semi-finals, KKS eliminated three Ekstraklasa teams: Widzów Łódź, Górnik Zabrze and Śląsk Wrocław. The path to the semi-finals is unique and unrepeatable, – emphasizes Bowie Vigil.

April 4, 2023 will be written in golden letters in Kalisz football history. – There has never been such a match in the history of South Wielkopolska. We didn’t have a Polish Cup semi-final match. Although in 1956 Start Kalisez, which later became Kalesija, played in the semi-finals of the Polish Cup, this match took place in Warsaw. This will be the first match in history in the region. It will definitely be a great vacation for Kalisz – Trzęsała assures.

Marketing trip to space

For a League Two club, this sweet cup adventure is not just an extravaganza, but a well-deserved financial injection into the budget. Prizes from PZPN are one thing, the proceeds from match day are additional income from ticket sales. – Before the season we had big problems closing the budget. At the moment, the interest of sponsors is much greater. In addition to the proceeds from the Polish Football Association, we got a new important sponsor in the form of … fans. After all, there is no such audience at league matches on a daily basis. As a rule, their number is about a thousand people, and sometimes two thousand, – explains Robert Terzacia.

The KKS president thanks the fans for being present at the matches, but at the same time he appeals to the Polish Cup fans to stay with the club also for the league matches. – If we want to have the first football league in Calis, there must be a presence. Each fan can make a small contribution in the form of a ticket purchased. The more fans, the more interested the sponsors – Trzęsała emphasizes.

They play beautiful football

The appointment of coach Bartosz Tarachulski to the KKS turned out to be a magnet. – Jarosław Kołakowski played a big role in this, – explains Robert Trzęsała. – The coach came to us thanks to Mr. Garrick and it was really an excellent move. As a matter of fact, we have not achieved anything yet, except for matches in the Polish Cup. We would like the coach to write a promotion to the first league in his resume – confirms the Kalisz club president.

Collaboration with Arka Gdynia is key to Kalisz’s current achievements. – If a player has a problem getting into the team in the first league, and he comes to us in the second league and shoots here, he will go further. Fabian Hiszpański’s example shows that we can be a starting point. He was with us, he went to Arka Gdynia, now he plays with Stal Mielec in Ekstraklasa – enumerates Trzęsała.

In the last round of the Second League, KKS drew 2:2 with Stomil Olsztyn. More on this match here. This result did not particularly please the residents of Kalisz, who are in a plethora of teams fighting for promotion to the first league.

– The fans who attend the matches leave the stadium satisfied, even when coach Tarachulski doesn’t win this team for playing offensively. Score beautiful goals. There are no outstanding players and individuals, but it is very well organized. Given the style of play, the number of goals, attacking football, it is interesting to watch, – evaluates journalist Bowie Vigil.

Legia will not underestimate the KKS

– I don’t know exactly what the Legia Warsaw budget is. I bet over PLN 100 million. We may not even get to 5 percent of their budget. The question of how this budget is calculated, whether with the academy or just the first team – answers the question of comparing the budget of both clubs by the KKS president.

The Polish Cup is a window for most KKS players. – I don’t think any of them played at this level in the Polish Cup. We calmly hope that the experience gained will bear fruit in the future in league matches, – adds our interlocutor.

KKS 1925 Kalisz is the killer of major league teams. He’s already knocked out three elite teams on his way to the semi-finals.

Legia are aware of that and will definitely take this match seriously. This is a very professional club to come to Kalisz and lose. I am sure they will help us well enough to avoid surprises. On the other hand, we want to take advantage of the fact that we are playing in front of our audience. I hope that through the cheering and atmosphere in the stands, we will equalize the class difference at least a little bit. We have already done more than we ever dreamed of in the Polish Cup. “I think this will make it easier for us to play,” says the Calis president.

Organizing a match against Legia is a big task for a Serie B club. We will have a full audience. Legia Warsaw fans will come. This is a great organizational challenge for the club, the city and many services, but the cooperation is so good that I am convinced that everything will work out so that we can organize this match in a perfect way – concludes Robert Trzysaka, President of KKS.

Maciej Kmiecik, WP SportoweFakty

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