The Poland national team ended the 2016 football season with a match against Slovenia. Thanks to an initiative by the Polish Football Association (PZPN), which made it possible to obtain free tickets for the match, a group of 23 students from the School and Preschool Complex in Iwiny travelled to Wrocław to cheer on the White and Reds.
“Students from the partner Lower Secondary School No. 1 in Chojnów travelled with our group. For most of them, it was their first visit to such a large sports venue. Together, more than 40 of our voices and over 40,000 other fans supported the efforts of the 11 men running after the ball across the green pitch in white-and-red kits,” says Waldemar Socha, the trip leader. “Unfortunately, as in the title of Adam Bahdaj’s book, it was ‘0:1 at half-time’. In the second half, our team managed to make up the deficit after Łukasz Teodorczyk scored. Despite the efforts supported by several changes to the lineup made by our coach, the score did not change again. The appearances of Jakub Błaszczykowski and Kamil Grosicki on the pitch drew particularly loud applause. A draw, as befits a friendly match, satisfied both sides, although we fans had hoped for more after the ‘rich’ 3:0 victory over Romania.”
The stadium atmosphere—it was very civilised, with sporting support—certainly left a deep impression on the young fans from Warta Bolesławiecka Commune. It further fuelled some of their dreams that, in a few years, they themselves would become admired and applauded stars of Polish football.