Bałtyk Gdynia is a Polish football club from
Gdynia
Gdynia is a city in northern Poland and a seaport on the Baltic Sea coast. With an estimated population of 257,000, it is the List of cities in Poland, 12th-largest city in Poland and the second-largest in the Pomeranian Voivodeship after Gdańsk ...
. The club is named after the
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...
. They currently compete in the
IV liga Pomerania, the fifth tier of Polish league competition.
History
The club was established in 1930 by football enthusiasts from the developing city. Bałtyk is the oldest football club from Gdynia, which still plays with its original name.
Bałtyk played seven seasons in the Polish first league and 19 in Polish second league. They also appeared once in the
Intertoto Cup, in 1983. In 1977, Baltyk's U-19 team won bronze in the Polish Championship, and in 1982, Baltyk won silver in the U-19 championship of Poland.
In 2019 and 2020, the club fell victim to a career fraudster causing the club to sign player contracts promising money that did not exist. The perpetrator was never caught however the club managed to negotiate a recovery plan and by 2021 the club was solvent again.
Fans
The fans are known as "Kadłuby" ''(The Hulls)''. Once one of the strongest fan groups in the 80's, as the team started to fall down the leagues only a handful of loyal supporters now remain in Gdynia and several smaller towns in the region.
In the past the fast used to have short-lived friendly relations with fans of
Lech Poznań
Kolejowy Klub Sportowy Lech Poznań S.A., commonly referred to as KKS Lech Poznań or simply Lech Poznań (), is a Polish professional football club based in Poznań and currently competing in the Ekstraklasa, the nation's highest division.
...
,
Pogoń Lębork and
Ferencváros
Ferencváros (, ) is the 9th district of Budapest (), Hungary.
Name
The southern suburb of Pest was named after King Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor, Francis I on 4 December 1792 when he was crowned king of Hungary.
History
The developmen ...
at various points in their history. Currently they have good relations with fans of
Kotwica Kołobrzeg and
Cartusia Kartuzy.
The two
Tricity derby rivals
Lechia Gdańsk and
Arka Gdynia are considered the most fierce. The games against Arka, also known as the
Gdynia derby have a long history and the fans often contend for dominance in the city. The controversy surrounding the two club's stadium use is also a serious cause of tension between the two.
Due to Bałtyk languishing in the lower leagues for several years, the club has developed rivalries with other clubs, mainly
Gryf Słupsk.
Bałtyk in Europe
Current squad
Former players
*
Lawrence Papaleo
Lawrence Papaleo (born 22 December 1989) is an American real estate agent and former professional Association football, soccer player who played as a Forward (association football), forward.
Career
He netted his first college goal for Syracuse ...
References
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baltyk Gdynia
Association football clubs established in 1930
1930 establishments in Poland
Sports clubs and teams in Gdynia
Football clubs in Pomeranian Voivodeship