1st League celebrates its 75th anniversary!

Almost exactly 75 years ago, on March 20, 1949, the inaugural round of the second tier of football in Poland was played. Therefore, the 24th round of Fortuna 1 Liga games and the coming days will be dedicated to celebrating this important anniversary for the league.

In the first season, the league consisted of two groups - northern and southern, while a year later the division was changed to eastern and western groups, in which the clubs currently playing in the 1st League were Lechia Gdańsk (then called Budowlani Gdańsk) and Zagłębie Sosnowiec (Stal Sosnowiec).

The competition changed rapidly over the years. In the 1952/1953 season, the league had as many as 40 teams and was divided into four groups. However, the leagues were most often divided into two groups: north-south or east-west, and the number of competing teams fluctuated rapidly.

After numerous changes before the 2002/2003 season, the final number of clubs was set at 18, a figure that remains unchanged to this day. Six years later, the league was reorganized, resulting in the second tier of Polish football being renamed the 1st League.

In 2014, the Polish Football League (which had been operating since 2001) was replaced by the First Football League (PLP), based at the Polish Football Association, which organizes the competition. Since its inception, the PLP 1 Liga has grown in both reputation and quality. Since the 2018/2019 season, Fortuna Zakłady Bukmacherskie has been the title sponsor of the competition, and for even longer, since 2015, broadcasts of matches have been available on Polsat Sport. At the beginning of the partnership, Polsat broadcast only one match per round, but currently, up to six matches can be watched on Polsat TV's sports channels, and all matches are available online on the Polsat Box Go platform or via pay-per-view (PPV). The production of a signal from each match from at least four cameras allowed the introduction of the VAR-Light system for the 2021 competition.

In recent years, players in the Fortuna 1 Liga have been playing with an official ball manufactured by Select. The clubs receive ongoing support from companies such as INEA, Suzuki, Zarys, and FoodCare. Previously, the first-division community could also count on the support of numerous other companies, such as Nice, OSHEE, Zakopiańska, and Galicjanka. The Fortuna 1 Liga has gained increasing media attention each year, driven by the participating clubs and the competition format, which includes playoffs for promotion to the PKO BP Ekstraklasa for teams finishing third through sixth. First-division clubs continue to be an important part of local community life, supported by numerous CSR initiatives and youth training programs.

The success of the First League wouldn't have been possible without the owners, presidents, and all club employees. This special day is both their celebration and the celebration of all fans! You are a vital part of our First League family. Football wouldn't be the same without you. We hope you can enjoy the success of your favorite teams in the coming years. We're happy that together we're doing valuable things, because, after all, the First League is a way of life!