AKS Chorzów

AKS Chorzów (formerly also named VfR Königshütte, FV Germania Königshütte and Budowlani Chorzów) is a sports club in Chorzów, Poland. The AKS stands for _pl. "Amatorski Klub Sportowy" or "Amateur Sports Club". It is one of the earliest sports organizations in Upper Silesia and is still well-known nationally for its football and handball teams. The club also made its mark on the international stage: Halina Richter-Górecka was part of the gold-medal winning women's 100m relay team at the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games; tennis player Danuta Wieczorek appeared at Wimbledon as a junior.

History

The origins of the club go back to the founding of the German football club "VfR Königshütte" on 22 August 1910 in what was at the time the coal mining city of Königshütte in Germany. In the early 20s the region became part of Poland and the city was re-named, with the football club becoming "Amatorski Klub Sportowy Chorzów"

In 1927 "AKS" was the proud owner of one of the most modern stadium facilities in Poland at Chorzów's Wyzwolenia Hill. The stadium was sometimes shared with another famous local team — "Ruch Chorzów".

The club won championships of Polish part of Upper Silesia ("Silesian A-Class") in 1924, 1930 and 1936, and in 1937 advanced to the Polish first division where they became an immediate success. They finished as vice-champions and the team's Jerzy Wostal was the top scorer in the league with 12 goals. Wostal and teammate Leonard Piątek were among several players who played for the Polish national side in the 1930s.

After the outbreak of World War II in 1939 Germany occupied the western half of Poland. "AKS" became "Fussball Verein Germania Königshütte" and in 1940 joined Germany's first division Gauliga Schlesien and finished atop the table. Piatek Germanized his name to Piontek and was a key player as "FV Königshütte" became the dominant side in its division, far outperforming state-supported rival "1. FC Kattowitz". The club earned division titles in the Gauliga Oberschlesien in 1942, 1943, and 1944, advancing to play in the German national championship rounds, where they were put out in the early going each year. "Germania" also made first round appearances in play for the Tschammerpokal, predecessor of today's German Cup, in 1941 and 1942.

After the war, the club re-assumed its Polish name and continued to be a power in the country's football earning third place results in 1946 and 1947. In 1948 "AKS" joined the newly re-established Polish first division as "Budowlani Chorzów" and played there for seven years until being relegated after the 1954 season. The club played second division football until 1958 then faded into obscurity, with some supporters claiming that team's German origins and history of success in the Nazi-sponsored Gauliga put it into disfavour with Communist Poland's sporting authorities, contributing to the team's decline.

In the 60s the "Chorzów"'s once beautiful stadium burned to the ground to be replaced by a supermarket. In the early 1990s the club merged with "Chorzowianka Chorzów" and plays today as the seventh division side "AKS Wyzwolenie Chorzów".

Honours

"as AKS Chorzów"
* Polish Upper Silesia champions: 1924, 1930, 1936
* Polish vice-champions: 1937

"as FV Germania Königshütte"
* Gauliga Schlesien champions: 1941
* Gauliga Oberschlesien champions: 1942, 1943, 1944

Handball

Formed before the World War II, the club's handball department came to prominence after 1945. The team drew crowds of 5,000 at the height of its popularity and in the 1980s won several national titles.

Honours (handball)

*Polish champions: 1981, 1982, 1988
*Polish vice-champions: 1960

Trivia

* The team was nicknamed the "Green Clovers".