In 1996, shortly after the club was reactivated and the team squad assembled, Miejski Klub Sportowy Bobrzanie Bolesławiec entered football competition in Class C. From the very beginning, the Bobrzanie squad was based on its own youth players. They formed the team’s core. Despite difficult playing conditions (the poor technical condition of the pitch and a lack of facilities), the players and club officials did not give up. Their persistence and determination eventually produced the desired result. Bobrzanie were first promoted to Class B, and later moved up to Class A. In 2005, Mariusz Rutkowski joined the team.
The former BKS Bolesławiec player, who had been with the club for many years, became a player-coach. People at the club increasingly began talking about promotion to the regional league.
Per aspera ad astra
The people associated with Bobrzanie did not lack determination on the way to realizing their dreams. “We organized everything using our own resources,” recalls Mariusz Rutkowski. “We brought containers (portable changing rooms—as noted by the editorial team) from Germany and renovated them ourselves to provide reasonably normal conditions for playing,” the coach adds. Meanwhile, the players grew increasingly confident, and the club had strong backing. The team’s main lineup was based on its own youth players. Juniors who stood out through their good performances in matches in their age category appeared in the senior team. Bobrzanie finished the first round of the 2006/2007 competition in first place in the table. Bolesławiec had a three-point lead over Leśnik Osiecznica, who were second in the table. “At that time, together with the board, we decided that we had to win promotion and that the money to play in the regional league would be found,” says Mariusz Rutkowski. “The company Automatyka helped us by becoming the team’s sponsor,” the coach adds. After four matches of the second round, Bobrzanie had a seven-point lead over the second-placed team. Four matches before the end of the competition, the team maintained the same gap.
Promotion getting closer
Throughout the final season of the competition, Bolesławiec faced pressure from Leśnik Osiecznica and Victoria Ruszów. Both teams were also fighting for promotion to the regional league. “With two matches left, Ruszów were two points behind us,” Rutkowski relates. “The penultimate match against Leśnik was the toughest for us. In addition, the team was going through a crisis. Overconfidence caused us to lose through our own fault to GKS Tomaszów Bolesławiecki, and we stumbled in Wykroty, where we drew. In Osiecznica, the team showed character and we won 3–0, securing promotion.” In Mariusz Rutkowski’s view, Bobrzanie’s promotion was the result of the efforts of everyone associated with the club: the players, officials and supporters. Grzegorz Faltyn was Bobrzanie’s assistant coach, while Leszek Markowski was the team manager. The team manager’s wife, Agata Markowska, also worked for the club. MKS Bobrzanie Bolesławiec president Henryk Szewc did invaluable work for the club; he worked for Bobrzanie from Class C all the way to the “regional league”.
A new club, new shared goals
In the coming season, the BKS Bobrzanie Bolesławiec senior team, which will compete in the regional league, will feature players who have so far played in Class A. Mariusz Rutkowski will remain the team’s coach, although he will be “playing less”. Starting next season, the coach wants to focus more on the team’s play and direct it from the sidelines. Asked what goal the team has for the coming season, Mariusz Rutkowski replies: “We want to stay in the fifth division and give more young players experience in it.” For now, it is not known whether the team will be strengthened. “We are very happy about the promotion. We have successfully completed this stage of Bobrzanie’s activities. Together with the president (Henryk Szewc—as noted by the editorial team), we were given a vote of confidence, and I think we have not disappointed anyone,” says Damian Sawczak, vice-president of MKS Bobrzanie Bolesławiec.
“The most important thing for every football club is the training of children and young people. Training should take place at the highest possible level, using the experience of leading European clubs. A special training center should be established for this purpose. If a club is aiming for a high level of senior football, it must start with youth development in order to have a foundation for building a strong team,” explains Damian Sawczak. Asked, “What goals should the board and the new president of BKS Bobrzanie Bolesławiec set for themselves?”, Sawczak replies: “The goal should be the juniors’ quick return to the Lower Silesian Junior League competition and the senior first team’s fight for promotion to the third league.”
(information and photos by MZ)