Football in the South-Eastern Borderlands of the Second Polish Republic in the Light of the periodical Sport (1922–1927). An Outline of the Issues

Abstract

The aim of this article is to present football in the South-Eastern Borderlands of the Second Polish Republic as reflected in the periodical Sport(1922–1927). Sport served as the press organ of the Lwów District Football Association (LZOPN). The Lwów ZOPN’s territorial scope covered the Stanisławów and Tarnopol voivodeships and a large part of the Lwów voivodeship. It is worth emphasizing the fairly dynamic development of the Lwów ZOPN and its internal structures—one of the most organized districts in Poland. Between 1922 and 1927, the number of football clubs within the LZOPN increased. The Lwów ZOPN ran Class A, Class B, and Class C competitions. The leading football teams included LKS Pogoń Lwów, 1. LKS Czarni Lwów, Hasmonea Lwów, and Lechia Lwów; among the “provincial” sides were Polonia Przemyśl and Rewera Stanisławów. From 1922 to 1926, the strongest team in the LZOPN—and in Poland—was Pogoń Lwów, which won the Polish championship four times. The breakthrough year for the sport was 1927, when the Polish Football League was inaugurated. Among the fourteen top clubs, the LZOPN was represented by three sides (Pogoń, Czarni, Hasmonea). Players from the Lwów ZOPN also took part in matches of the Polish national team and participated in intercity fixtures as well as international and domestic games (inter-club friendlies).