RTS in the consciousness of Łódź residents, or how Robotnicze Towarzystwo Sportowe took shape

Every resident of Łódź knows well the two largest clubs uniting athletes. These are Łódzki Klub Sportowy and Robotnicze Towarzystwo Sportowe Widzew. Fans of these organizations often compete with each other. This time we'll take a closer look at the latter. What do Łódź residents actually know about Widzew?

A bit of history

The origins of the club date back to November 5, 1910, the day of registration of the Society of Enthusiasts of Physical Development in Widzew. The football team under the colors of this club participated in Łódź championships. Unfortunately, it lost to Łódź's Victoria 0:1. After regaining independence, the club was brought back to life, but under the name RTS Widzew. On January 24, 1922, activists from Łódź's PPS at a general assembly founded Robotnicze Towarzystwo Sportowe Widzew, with Bolesław Świerożewicz as president. The club had two sections, football and athletics. On April 2, 1922, Widzew footballers played a match against ŁKS, which they lost 2:4. In 1930, the club's pitch opened. It was located on Rokicińska Street (now Piłsudskiego). Unfortunately, RTS Widzew struggled constantly with serious financial difficulties, which resulted in poor performance by athletes. Despite this, in 1932, Widzew won the Polish championship for workers' clubs in football. The next records appear only after the end of World War II. In 1947, Widzew was promoted to the first league. The debut in the top division took place at the ŁKS stadium and RTS played against ZZK Poznań. The match ended with a victory for the Łódź team 4:3, and Bolesław Fornalczyk scored the first goal. Unfortunately, over the following years RTS mainly recorded defeats. The tide turned only in the 1970s. In 1969, activists Stefan Wroński and Ludwik Sobolewski joined Widzew. The club was strengthened by subsequent players such as Wiesław Surlita, Paweł Janas, Tadeusz Błachno, Andrzej Pyrdoła. Until the mid-1980s, Widzew achieved successive successes, such as qualification for the UEFA Cup or the Polish championship. The next laurels had to wait until the mid-1990s. In the 1995/1996 season, RTS won its third Polish championship. Statistics show that it was the best season for this team. Not a single match was lost, 27 victories were achieved, and only 7 times the result was a draw. Today the club is in a rebuilding phase, perhaps it will manage to achieve success again. 

Widzew's achievements

A list of the club's achievements is quite closely linked to the names of officials and the RTS president – it was the efforts of Ludwik Sobolewski and Stefan Wroński that led to successive victories. These included:

• four-time Polish champions in 1981, 1982, 1996, 1997; additionally, the club finished as runners-up in the country seven times;

• in 1985, Widzew won the Polish Cup, and eleven years later won the Super Cup;

• RTS reached the semi-final of the European Cup of National Champions in 1983; 

• in 1996, it reached the group stage of the Champions League;

• it also won the Intertoto Cup twice, in 1972 and 1982.

Moreover, several matches played by RTS Widzew have been written into the history of Polish football: one of them was the 1997 encounter with Legia Warszawa for the Polish championship. The Łódź players were losing for most of the match, but in extra time managed to score three goals and win the match. In European cups, Widzew beat teams such as Borussia Dortmund and Juventus Turin. At almost every turn, the players showed their indomitable character and fighting spirit.

The most important figures

Robotnicze Towarzystwo Sportowe had in its ranks extraordinary people whose names are often on the lips of fans today. The most magnificent activists have already been mentioned, now for the players. One of the most recognizable representatives is Zbigniew Boniek, who transferred to Widzew from Bydgoszcz, and during his debut match in the colors of this club scored two goals and became the hero of the match. RTS was playing Manchester City at the time, and the game ended in a draw. In 1982, Boniek transferred to Juventus Turin, and today he is the President of the Polish Football Association. Another outstanding footballer was Włodzimierz Smolarek, who played 181 matches in Widzew colors, scoring 61 goals. A player of strong character, he served in the military at Legia Warszawa, but had no intention of continuing his career in those colors. When the club officials learned about this, they moved him to the stables. Smolarek, so as not to lose his form, allegedly raced with horses. This figure was commemorated in Łódź – one of the streets near the Widzew stadium has borne his name since 2017. 

Undoubtedly rising to stardom at RTS was Marek Citko, this young man scored the first goal in Widzew's history in the Champions League, and is also the author of a goal scored from 40 meters, in a match against Atlético Madrid. Unfortunately, after suffering an injury, Citko never returned to his previous glory.

RTS Widzew functions in the consciousness of Łódź residents to this day, they know the names of athletes and officials perfectly. The biggest fans know the club's history well and proudly pass on their knowledge to successive generations of football lovers.