LEGIA WARSAW - WOJSKA POLSKIEGO - 15,400 ALL SEATER
About the Stadion Wojska Polskiego The very hard to pronounce Wojska Polskiego stadion is more commonly known as the Polish Army Stadium and is one of the stadiums that has been chosen for the Euro2012 tournament that Poland are co-hosting with Ukraine. The new stadium (artists impression below) will be a 31,000 all seater stadium with a roof and be similar in design to a number of English stadiums.
It will be a million miles away from the stadium today with its single covered stand, high fences and uncomfortable seating. The fans do generate some impressive noise come matchday, but during the long Polish winter it is a very cold place to watch football. Opposite the covered main stand is a large uncovered stand that only runs half way down the pitch, and has the Legia picked out in seats.
It is unlikely that the fences that run around the pitch will be removed at any point during the future due to the likelihood of crowd trouble – especially when arch rivals Wisla Krakow visit.
Who plays there? The stadium is home to eight times Ekstraklasa champions Legia Warsaw. The club were originally formed during the First World War as the team of the military, and have become the most successful Polish club. Aside from these championships the club also became a feared adversary during the 1970’s on the European stage when they reached the semi-finals of the European Cup in 1970. The following season they reached the last eight, losing to Atletico Madrid.
After winning the title in 1970, they had to wait twenty three years before they lifted the title again in 1994, although the previous season they did actually win the title but were stripped of their honour after accusations of match fixing were brought against the club. Since then they won the title again in 2002 and 2006, as well as winning two further Polish Cups. In terms of European success, they did reach the quarter finals of the Champions League again in 1996.
How to get there The Stadium is located close to the river in the south western part of the city. It sits just south of the main E30 East to West route that runs across most Lazienkowski. The nearest metro is a 10 minute walk westwards at Politechnika along Aleja Armii Ludowej, which is one stop south of the Centrum stop.
Bus routes 100, 502 and 514 also run from Centrum to the north end of the stadium every few minutes, although expect a crush the nearer to kick off you leave it.
For a more detailed view on who plays where in Warsaw then go to Footiemap.com.
Getting a ticket Ticket prices are generally the same irrespective of the opposition (currently on games versus Cracovia are more expensive). For a seat in the covered Przed stand a ticket will costs between 40 and 68Zloty, whilst a seat in the Otwarta opposite is 15Zloty. Tickets cannot be booked online at the current time, but with average attendances of less than 10,000 there are always a few tickets available on the day from the kiosks on the main road.
POLONIA WARSAW - STADION POLONIA - 6,100 CAPACITY
About the Stadion Polonia Coupled with the frequent inhospitable weather in Warsaw, the Stadion Polonia is not one of the most comfortable stadiums to watch games in. It is an open bowl of a ground with one single covered stand, and a large open stand opposite. There is little in the way of comfort for spectators and when the wind and rain start falling it can be a very uncomfortable experience. With little money available for investment on the field, the changes of any developments being made off the field shortly are negligible.
Who plays there? Polonia Warsaw were formed in 1911 as a rival to the much larger Legia club. They entered the Polish leagues for the first time in 1921, and the club finished runners up. After a couple more 2nd place finishes in the next decade the club had to wait for the 1946 championship before they were able to record their first ever league title win.
Once the whole country came under Eastern bloc rule the club were forced to change their name to Kolejarz (meaning railroad worker) as well as their colours from their traditional all black to red. In 1955 the club were relegated from the top division for the first time.
It took another forty years for them to return to the top flight in 1993, although they went straight back down within 12 months, unable to cope with the new professional era of Polish football. Two seasons later they were back again, and in 1998 they finished second in the league. Less than two seasons later they surprised everyone by not only winning the Championship, but also the League cup and the Super Cup all within a few months. Their Champions League campaign lasted only one round as they lost to Panathinaikos in the second qualifying round, having beaten Dinamo Bucharest in the first round.
How to get there The stadium is located in the north of Warsaw close to the Arkadia shopping centre that runs along the 634 ring road, and the Wybrzeze Gdanskie highway that runs north along the west bank of the river Wisla. The stadium sits almost equi-distant between Ratusz –Arsenal metro station (to the south) and Dw Gdarski metro station (to the north). From the latter head in a south eastern direction down Bonifraterska and the stadium will be visible on the left hand side. There is also a tram stop just north of the stadium called KS Polonia.
For a more detailed view on who plays where in Warsaw then go to Footiemap.com.
Getting a ticket With attendances hardly reaching the 2,000 mark, you will have no problems buying tickets from the ticket booths at the north and south ends of the stadium. On relegation to the 2nd level of Polish football, ticket prices fell to 15Zloty to a standing place behind the goal, and 80Zloty for a covered seat in the main stand.
Getting around The city has an extensive public transport network with over 300 routes criss-crossing the city centre. Buses and trams are safe and cheap and run between 5am and 11pm. Tickets cost 2.40Zloty although you can buy a day ticket from the yellow kiosks next to major stops for 7.20Zloty. The city also has a metro which runs through the city centre (the main stop is Centrum) to Kabaty in the south.
Located close to the city centre in the area of Okęcie. It is Poland's busiest airport and handles daily flights from London Heathrow with BA, London City with BA City Flyer, Gatwick, Stansted and Manchester with Centralwings and of course flag carrier LOT from London Heathrow and Manchester. The airport has recently opened another terminal which will exclusively handle budget airline arrivals from the UK in the form of BMI Baby from Cardiff and East Midlands and Wizzair from Belfast, Durham, Glasgow, Liverpool and London Luton.
The easiest way to reach the city centre from the airport is via bus 175 which runs from 5am. Tickets (2.4Zloty) can be purchased from the kiosk inside the arrivals hall - remember to validate them on entering the vehicle. Be warned that pickpockets work this route regularly. If you wish to use a taxi make sure you use a licenced cab that wait outside the arrivals hall. A ride into the centre of the city should cost no more than 40Zloty.
About the Stadion Wojska Polskiego
It will be a million miles away from the stadium today with its single covered stand, high fences and uncomfortable seating. The fans do generate some impressive noise come matchday, but during the long Polish winter it is a very cold place to watch football. Opposite the covered main stand is a large uncovered stand that only runs half way down the pitch, and has the Legia picked out in seats.
About the Stadion Polonia