Editorial staff: We’ll start with congratulations and words of recognition for the successes of the past season. The Lower Silesian First League championship was won, the playoffs were won, and promotion to the Second League has been secured. Did you manage to achieve all the goals set before the season?
Kamil Razik: I think we can confidently say that we managed to accomplish all our objectives, and even do more than we had initially planned. When I became club president a year ago, I set myself a clear goal—to win the league and, within two seasons, gain promotion to the Second League. I am tremendously happy that we managed to achieve this in our very first season. This is a historic moment for our club. For the first time, we won the Lower Silesian First League, and then performed very well in the playoff tournaments.
We finished first in the semifinal tournament in Namysłów, while in the final tournament we ended the competition in second place. Most importantly, after the second match we were already certain of promotion to the Second League, so during Sunday’s match the coach could rotate the squad more extensively and give all the players an opportunity to play. I am overjoyed and very proud of the entire team, staff, and everyone involved in the club’s operations. It is the result of enormous work carried out over many months.
How long did the promotion celebrations last, and what were they like? They probably started already in Słubice…
In fact, the promotion celebrations began after the second day of the final tournament in Słubice. As I mentioned earlier, the standings meant that both we and Norwid Częstochowa were already guaranteed promotion to the Second League at that point. The emotions were huge because we all realized that we had achieved something truly exceptional.
We officially ended the season last weekend during a gathering held at one of our partners—the Grill ale Bale restaurant. It was a great opportunity to sum up the entire season and celebrate together with the players, staff, sponsors, and everyone involved in the club’s life.
BTS has been promoted. What is currently happening at the club? What is the schedule for the near future? Is there a risk that the team will not enter the Second League competition?
We are currently in the midst of very intensive talks—with both our current sponsors and new partners who could support the club next season. The most important issue is, of course, the budget and securing the funds needed for the team to operate comfortably at Second League level. As I mentioned earlier, to enter the competition safely and cover all basic costs—such as hall rental, refereeing fees, transport, and match organization—we need a budget of approximately PLN 250,000–300,000. At this point, we are still missing a significant part of that amount. That is why some time ago we also launched a fundraiser on the Zrzutka.pl portal. We hope that fans and people who care about the development of volleyball in Bolesławiec will help us achieve this goal. Contributions are coming in gradually, and we believe there will be more of them over time.
Despite the difficult situation, we are looking at everything optimistically and preparing for the season as normal. On our Facebook profile, you could see that the first tryout training session for the Second League team has already taken place, and we are planning another one next week. We will also begin talks with the players about the upcoming season. As for the risk of not entering the Second League competition, unfortunately we have to say openly that such a risk exists and is considerable. The coming week will be crucial for us. The players are waiting for concrete declarations from us, while at this point we are not yet able to guarantee everything one hundred percent because we still do not know what the club’s final budget will look like. A management board meeting is planned for next Monday, during which we will carefully analyze all the financial options. I think that by the end of next week we will make the final decision regarding our participation in the Second League.
Will there be any changes? The squad, coach, management board, president?
Certainly, because if we decide to play in the Second League, some changes will simply be necessary. As club president, my primary goal is to retain the core of last season’s team. We would like to preserve the foundation of the team that secured promotion while strengthening the squad with several new players. We expect between three and as many as five or six volleyball players to join the current squad, raising the team’s sporting level and helping us compete at Second League level. As for coach Krzysztof Dobek, we have already reached an agreement regarding next season. Of course, everything depends on whether we enter the Second League competition, but our plan is to continue working together and carry on with the project we started jointly.
Of course, we also have to say honestly that if we withdraw from the Second League, the situation could become very difficult. There is a risk that the senior team in its current form will simply disband and may no longer operate next season. As for the management board, I am not planning any change in the president’s position. However, one important organizational change has already taken place. Radek Pawlus has left us, and Radek Makówka has joined the management board—a man who supported Cuprum Lubin for many years and was involved in organizing volleyball at the highest level of competition in Poland. We are strengthening the club on every level—not only in sporting terms but also organizationally. I am convinced that Radek Makówka’s experience and knowledge will be a great asset to our club both now and in the future.
What about the second team? Will it continue to compete, and if so, where will it play its matches?
The situation with the second team is similar. We would very much like it to continue operating because we want to create a place for our oldest youth players to develop and enable them to compete at senior level. We have several boys aged 15–18 who train regularly and are making great progress. The problem is that they are not players from a single birth year, but from several different age groups, which makes it difficult to register them for a specific youth competition. That is why we would like to give them the opportunity to play regularly in a second senior team.
Our plan is to register the second team in the Lower Silesian Second League. Here too, of course, everything depends on the budget, because the priority remains the first team and ensuring its stable operation at Second League level. If we manage to carry out both projects, the second team will no longer play in Gromadka, but in Bolesławiec under the name BTS Elektros Bolesławiec II. It is also quite possible that we will return to our roots and play our matches at Komuny Paryskiej Street. For now, these are still plans and assumptions, but I hope we will manage to finalize everything and operate at two competition levels next season.
What about the other sections? Is reactivating the women’s team still planned? Will you continue training children and young people? How many people in total train volleyball at BTS and BAS (Bolesławiecka Akademia Siatkówki)?
At this point, I would not yet like to comment more broadly on the reactivation of the women’s team. We are working and doing what we need to do, and we will see what the situation looks like in the future. We are certainly not closing the door on the subject and would like to develop the club on every level; however, our current priorities are entering the Second League with the first team and continuing to develop youth training. It is also worth explaining how cooperation between Bolesławiecka Akademia Siatkówki and BTS Bolesławiec works, because many people ask about it. The academy is a place where children aged 5 to 12 primarily learn, have fun, and develop their volleyball skills. Then the players are to move smoothly from BAS to BTS in order to maintain continuity of training and the opportunity to continue playing in league competitions.
Already now, boys training at the academy who take part in regional tournaments are registered as BTS Bolesławiec players. This will help us avoid formalities related to transfers in the future, and the entire training process will be more consistent. Our goal is to create a model in which children from Bolesławiec and the surrounding area can develop from their earliest years all the way to senior level. We would like our youth teams in the future to be based mainly on players developed in the city and Bolesławiec County. It would also be a dream for the first senior team one day to consist mostly of players from Bolesławiec. At present, around 150 children aged 5 to 12 train at BTS and BAS. We will do everything we can to ensure that this number continues to grow and that more and more children have the opportunity to develop their passion for volleyball.
What would you like to say in closing to everyone who will read this interview?
First of all, I would like to thank all the fans for the entire season and for turning up to our matches in such large numbers. At times, it exceeded our wildest expectations and showed that Bolesławiec has a community that truly loves volleyball, enjoys coming to matches, and wants the sport to continue developing here.
I would also like to sincerely thank all the sponsors and everyone who supported us during the past season. Without their help, we would not have been able to create such a strong team and organize the entire season so well. Once again, thank you to everyone who was with us throughout the season. I hope that next year we will fight together for survival in the Second League. If there are companies or individuals who would like to support our club or discuss possible forms of cooperation, I warmly invite you to contact us by phone at 609 338 264.
Thank you for the interview.
Thank you.
And once again, here is the fundraiser link: zrzutka.pl/wjea52
The club needs support—you can help
