Aluminium Konin

Beginnings and rise

Football in Konin can be traced back to the early 20th century. The current club's predecessors have been active since 1945, after many mergers till 1954 when the Koło Sportowe Górnik was founded, which 3 years later, in 1957 became today's Klub Sportowy Górnik Konin, its registration is officially recognised as its founding date. The club spent the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s oscillating between the voivodeship-level leagues and the third tier of Polish football. In the 1991–92 season, Górnik finally gained the long-awaited promotion to the second division for the first time, despite coming close several times before.

Name change and the 1998 Cup Final

In 1996–97, the main sponsor of the club, the local coal mine "Konin" withdrew its funding, and the club was transferred under the wing of the local aluminium foundry. The new owners however made the very unpopular decision to change the club name to Aluminium Konin, despite many fan-protests. The following 1997–98 season was the most successful in its history, however considering the amount of funding the club received and the fact that its ultimate aim was promotion to the top tier, the season was still classed as disappointing.

Even reaching the Polish Cup final did little to please fans, as despite Aluminium being by far the better team, Amica Wronki won in controversial circumstances, with many officiating mistakes made by the referee Marek Kowalczyk. Aluminium players initially refused…

Like most Polish clubs during the Polish People's Republic era, the club has undergone many name changes. The club was also officially known as Aluminium Konin for 12 years:

(1957) – KS Górnik Konin (18.03.1968) – MZKS Zagłębie Konin (19.11.1979) – KS Górnik Konin (20.01.1997) – KS Aluminium Konin (19.02.1999) – KS Aluminium SSA (June 1999) – KP Konin SSA (first team only – junior and reserve team were called "KS Aluminium SSA") (2000) – KS Aluminium Konin ("KP Konin SSA" disbanded) (June 2008) – KS Górnik Konin (2008–09) – KS Avans Górnik Konin (1 season-long sponsorship name) (2009) – KS Górnik Konin

II liga Runners-up: 1997–98 Polish Cup Finalists: 1997–88