Blind Football: Mission accomplished! Title defended!

Last weekend marked a moment in our club's history, with Wisła Kraków BF defending the PGF Blind Football League Polish Championship title they won a year ago. Coach Foryś's side were unrivaled, despite some challenges they faced throughout the 2025 season.

On September 13th and 14th, the final round of the national blind football competition was played at the stadium located at Plac Na Groblach 23. The White Star BF team needed just a point to become champions of the national league for the second time in its history. Our team's players didn't settle for anything less, and in their two matches, against Warta BF and ARTS Warszawa BF, they collected full points.

"It's a phenomenal feeling! Last year we were the first to reach the top, and now we're the first to stay there. It's the result of hard work and gritting our teeth in the face of significant personnel problems that have been building up in our ranks over the past few months," says Rafał Kurlit, the Polish Champions' second-in-command coach.

The match against Warta BF started in a surprising way, even for the White Star BF players. Martin Jung needed less than thirty seconds to capitalize on a failed attack, converting it into a devastating counterattack. It was the first of four goals for the top scorer, and the only one that Peter Moore and his wife didn't have the opportunity to witness live.

It was surprising, motivating, and incredibly gratifying for all of us when, during the match, we received news that President Jarosław Królewski had arrived at the stadium with some special guests. I'm delighted that we showcased Krakow's 'blind' football at its highest level," emphasizes Martin Jung, the best striker in Polish BF history.

The match against the team from Poznań ended with the score 4-0, and after the referee's final whistle the players and staff gave themselves over to well-deserved joy, although without bottles of champagne yet, because despite winning the title, there was still a Sunday match against the debutants from the capital to play.

The match was purely about improving their stats, so the coaching staff decided to experiment and rotate player positions throughout the match to practice different options under pressure. Jung, in good form towards the end of the season, had several good opportunities to score more goals, but the ARTS goalkeeper or the posts stood in his way. However, Ignacy Łukasiewicz, making his debut in the competition, saved our striker. The 14-year-old reached the ball from Domagała and beat the opposing goalkeeper from very close range. It was his first goal in his second match for the White Star BF.

The guys and I were laughing on the bench that we celebrated Ignacy's goal more than winning the title. It's phenomenal and encouraging for all of us that we have young people in our ranks, hungry for the game, eager to pursue their passions despite their disabilities," notes Mateusz Krzyszkowski, who didn't play in the match against ARTS.

Two wins added to their points tally, giving them a season-ending total of 22 points. Seven more than second-place Śląsk Wrocław BF and two fewer than a year ago. The Lower Silesian team was the only one this season, and the first in the competition's history, to challenge our division and take points from it.

"You can't win everything, you can't avoid conceding goals forever. Every streak and every streak comes to an end, but it's these moments that drive you to work harder and sober you up. We made the most of that slip-up, resulting in our second league gold," concludes Marcin Ryszka, captain of the defending champions.

Gold medals were adorned around the necks of the staff and players, and Martin Jung received three individual awards. The striker won the top scorer (10 goals), team MVP, and tournament MVP awards.

Although the league season has ended, this doesn't mean a break in training and play. On September 21st, some of Wisła BF's players and staff will travel to India, where they will take on the challenge of competing with the world's best teams in their national colors during the Nations Cup. Shortly after returning, they will face another difficult challenge – this time, once again with the White Star on their chests, during the Polish Cup finals, which will be held for the first time in Bielsko-Biała, scheduled for October 18th and 19th.

We congratulate our section on another great triumph enriching the history of our club and we keep our fingers crossed for a successful fight to defend the gold in the Polish Cup 2025!