A page from the Wisła calendar: 97 years since Wisła's first league match

Exactly 97 years ago – on April 3, 1927 – Wisła Kraków played its first league match.

The first edition of the national league took place in Poland in 1927. Previously, the national championship was played in a two-phase system: in the first half of the season, competition took place in districts. Only the winners of the individual local competitions advanced to the final phase to decide the Polish Championship title. This system had numerous drawbacks, including the fact that the level of sporting performance in each district varied. The champion of one district was not necessarily superior to the teams eliminated from the competition in another. As a result, many matches were one-sided and therefore uninteresting for the audience. Most teams no longer played competitive matches in the second half of the season, which also reduced public interest and negatively impacted club finances.

Many teams recognized the need for change – Wisła Kraków was also at the forefront of the reformers, with its officials (Adam Obrubański, Aleksander Dembiński, Zygmunt Bieżeński) actively working to organize a new competition format. The Polish Football Association vetoed the changes. However, club officials were determined, and even threats from the football headquarters, which requested FIFA to disqualify the reformers, didn't deter them. It was in this tense and uncertain atmosphere that the first league games began…

Wisła began their competition with a prestigious match: the Kraków derby. However, the opponent wasn't "Pasy" (Pasy), but Jutrzenka. Cracovia had boycotted the league (its president, Edward Cetnarowski, was also the president of the Polish Football Association). On April 3, 1927, at 3:45 PM, the first league whistle sounded in the town near Wawel. Wisła were clearly the better side. Stanisław Czulak scored the opening goal in the 21st minute, followed by two more by Józef Adamek, and just before the final whistle, Henryk Reyman sealed the score.

A 4-0 win in the first round was a strong start, but in this competition system, maintaining consistent and high form throughout the season was paramount. And Wisła Kraków rose to the challenge… the best in Poland! At the end of 1927 (the competition was held in a spring-autumn format), Wisła Kraków topped the table and achieved the title of Polish football champion, while Henryk Reyman became the top scorer with a record of 37 goals, which remains unbeaten to this day!