The Polish Ekstraklasa League is the top professional football league in Poland. It was founded in 1927 and currently consists of 16 teams. Here is a brief overview of the history, system, stats, players, and audience of the Ekstraklasa League:
History
The Ekstraklasa League was established in 1927, making it one of the oldest football leagues in Europe. It has undergone several changes over the years, including a switch from a spring-fall schedule to a fall-spring schedule in 2001. The league has produced some of the best football players in Polish history, including Zbigniew Boniek, Grzegorz Lato, and Wlodzimierz Lubanski.
System
The Ekstraklasa League operates on a promotion-relegation system. The bottom two teams at the end of the season are relegated to the I Liga, while the top two teams from the I Liga are promoted to the Ekstraklasa. The league consists of 16 teams, and each team plays each other twice during the regular season, for a total of 30 matches per team. The top eight teams then enter the championship round, while the bottom eight teams enter the relegation round.
Stats
The most successful team in the history of the Ekstraklasa League is Górnik Zabrze, with 14 titles. Lech Poznań and Legia Warsaw follow closely with 11 titles each. The league’s all-time leading scorer is Ernst Pohl, who scored 186 goals during his career.
Players
The Ekstraklasa League has produced some of the best players in Polish football history. Notable players include Zbigniew Boniek, Grzegorz Lato, Wlodzimierz Lubanski, Robert Lewandowski, and Arkadiusz Milik. The league is also home to many foreign players, including those from Brazil, Argentina, and Spain.
Audience
The Ekstraklasa League has a large following in Poland, with matches regularly attracting tens of thousands of spectators. The league’s average attendance for the 2019-2020 season was over 9,000 per match. The league has a dedicated fan culture, with each team having its own group of ultras who support the team
