Hutnik Kraków

Hutnik Kraków is a Polish football club from the Nowa Huta district of Kraków. They currently play in the II liga, which is the third level of Polish football. The club was founded in 1950. Over the years, Hutnik has spent seven seasons in the top division. Their best result came in the 1995–96 season, when they finished third in the Ekstraklasa. That finish earned them a spot in the UEFA Cup. In that competition, they beat Khazri Buzovna of Azerbaijan (9–0 and 2–2) and Sigma Olomouc of the Czech Republic (0–1 and 3–1), before being eliminated by Monaco (0–1 and 1–3).

Financial troubles led to the club being dissolved in 2011. It was then refounded by supporters as Hutnik Nowa Huta and allowed to start in the fifth division. The England national team used Hutnik’s training facilities ahead of the Euro 2012 tournament. Several well-known players began their careers at the club’s youth academy, including Marcin Wasilewski, Zbigniew Płachecki, Jan Karaś, Marek Koźmiński, Dariusz Romuzga, Łukasz Sosin, and Michał Pazdan.

The club has undergone several name changes. It was known as Stal Nowa Huta from 1952 to 1956, then Hutnik Nowa Huta until 1984, and Hutnik Kraków from 1984 to 2010. After the refounding, it was called Hutnik Nowa Huta from 2010 to 2017, before reverting to Hutnik Kraków.

In terms of honours, the club’s best league finish is third place in 1995–96. They reached the semi-finals of the Polish Cup in 1989–90. Their youth teams have also been successful, winning the Polish U-19 championship in 1985, 1993, and 1994, and the Polish U-17 championship in 1997.

Traditionally, Hutnik is seen as the third biggest club in Kraków, behind rivals Cracovia and Wisła. Most of their fans come from the Nowa Huta district. The club has three fan clubs: Igołomia & Pobiednik, Szczyrzyc, and Górale (which includes supporters from Zakopane and Nowy Targ). Because the team has spent much of its recent history in lower divisions, city derbies have often been against reserve sides. Instead, Hutnik has developed rivalries with Unia Tarnów, Resovia Rzeszów, KSZO Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, and Stal Stalowa Wola (the latter two are part of the Steelworks derbies).

The fans have friendly ties with supporters of 1. FC Magdeburg, which began after a Magdeburg fan joined a Hutnik online forum.