Stal Mielec

Stal Mielec () is a Polish football club based in Mielec, Poland. The club was established on April 10, 1939. Historically, the club has enjoyed great successes within Poland's Ekstraklasa, winning the title twice (in 1973 and 1976) but had undergone significant management changes and financial difficulties within the past two decades, which forced the club from participation in the Poland's top league. After winning the third-tier II liga title in 2016, Stal Mielec was promoted to I liga. After finishing first in I liga in 2020, Stal Mielec was promoted to the Ekstraklasa for the first time since the 1995–96 season.
History.
1939–1945 - the beginning and interwar period.
The football club was one of the first two (next to the volleyball club) at the PZL Mielec, established in 1939. The team was made up of players playing in other clubs in Mielec and employees of the PZL, an aerospace company. In the first match played, the team defeated the Gymnastic Society "Sokół" Mielec with 4–1 victory. Three more matches were played against Dzikovia Tarnobrzeg (2–1), Metal Tarnów (3–1) and a team made up of players from an ammunition factory in Nowa Dęba (6–1). The match against Okęcie Warszawa planned for September did not take place, because World War II started and any sports games were forbidden. However, the matches were played illegally in the meadows beyond the communal forest and in other towns (including Dębica, Kolbuszowa, Sandomierz). The only official match was played against a German military unit and ended with the score 1–2.
Stadium.
The construction of the club's current stadium, Stadion Miejski w Mielcu, was concluded in 1953. The stadium underwent a major renovation, completed in 2013. It maintains a seating capacity for 7,000 spectators. Before the 2013 renovation, it maintained seating capacity for 30,000 spectators, and hosted numerous European Champions Cup, UEFA Cup, and Polish national team matches, including FIFA World Cup and UEFA European Championship qualifiers.
Individual Player Awards.
Ekstraklasa Top Goalscorer
Award given by "Piłka Nożna":
Award given by "Przegląd Sportowy"
Award given by "Sport"
Award given by "Tempo"
Reserves.
The club operates a reserve team which currently plays in IV liga Subcarpathia, the fifth tier of the league pyramid. Moreover, there is the Stal Mielec III team, as they play in liga okręgowa (sixth tier) and participate in the 2020–21 Subcarpathian Rzeszów–Dębica Polish Cup edition.