KSZO Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski
KSZO Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski () is a Polish football club based in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, Poland. It was founded on August 11, 1929. History. Initially, a club called "Ostrovia" existed in the city. It was established between 1922 and 1924 and dissolved in 1926. KSZO was established in 1929. The construction of the club's stadium began in 1931 and finished in 1934. As a result of the Nazi invasion of Poland, the club's activities ceased in 1939. The club activities resumed in 1945. Between 1949 and 1956, the club was called "Stal". In 2012, the club declared bankruptcy . The same year, it was reorganized under the same name and badge. League history. KSZO joined the "C klasa", the lowest level of regional leagues in Poland at the time, in 1932 gaining promotion to "B klasa" the same year. In 1934, the club was promoted to "A klasa", the top regional level. In 1937, it was moved to the Kraków Regional Football Association as the regional association based in Kielce the club hitherto belonged to was disbanded. Having resumed activity after World War II, the club participated in lower-level regional leagues. In 1950, KSZO (then called "Stal") was  merged with another local club, "Związkowiec". The management of the steelworks decided to focus on building a better football team. From the 1960s until the early 1980s, KSZO took part in third-level competitions several times. However, the club wasn't able to advance further or maintain their place for more than a few seasons. In the early 90s, the steelworks became more committed to financing the club's activities. In 1990, the club was promoted to the "III liga", the third level of Polish association football at the time, once again. Five seasons later, KSZO was promoted to the  second tier for the first time. In 1995/96, the first season after promotion to the eastern group of "II liga", KSZO finished 13th out of 18 teams, avoiding relegation by just 3 points. However, at the end of the following season, the club was ranked second behind Petrochemia Płock and won promotion to the top tier of Polish football. 1997/98, the first season of KSZO in Ekstraklasa ended in relegation as the club only managed to finish 17th out of 18 teams. Having returned to the second level, KSZO was fourth in the eastern group 1998/99. Next season, both groups  were merged to create one 24-team second division. That year, KSZO was 12th. In 2000/01, the club finished second behind RKS Radomsko and was promoted to the top tier for the second time. The 2001/02 season was played according to an unusual formula, the teams being divided into two groups ("A" and "B") of 8 teams each. Top four teams from each group advanced to the "championship group", the bottom four proceeded to the "relegation group". At the end of the first stage of the season, KSZO was ranked 6th out of 8 in group A which meant it  took part in the "relegation group". There, KSZO finished 5th out of 8, which meant 13th place at the end of the season. Playoff matches against Górnik Łęczna followed, both of which were won by KSZO. In 2002/03, after a promising start, financial problems became more and more apparent. In addition to that, a conflict between the club management and the players, that ended in most players from the first team refusing to play and leaving the club, had a detrimental effect on the club's result. A completely new squad was formed based on players from junior teams and  lower-level clubs but it proved to be inadequate for the top tier. Not managing to earn even a single point during the spring round, the club was directly relegated, ultimately being ranked 15th, ahead of only Pogoń Szczecin - a club that was also experiencing major difficulties at the time. KSZO started the 2003/04 season at the second tier but withdrew at the halfway stage of the season, its results being annulled. Due to huge debts, the association underwent liquidation. The club was then recreated on the basis of another second-tier club, "KS Stasiak Ceramika Opoczno". From that point  onwards, the club took part in second division matches as KSZO SSA (sports p.l.c.) finishing mid-table for three seasons in a row. However, in 2007, the club was expelled from the second division (effectively relegated to the third level) and fined because its former chairman, Mirosław Stasiak, was accused of bribery. KSZO finished the 2007/08 season in sixth place despite having 6 points deducted due to the aforementioned corruption accusations. Due to the reorganization of the Polish football leagues, the club was moved to the eastern group of the new "II liga", which still was the third tier. KSZO  won its group without losing a single match at home and was promoted to the second tier, now called "I liga", again. In 2009/10, KSZO finished 8th out of 18 teams. However, the following season, the club was ranked only 16th, losing the relegation battle by a single point. KSZO participated in third-tier matches in 2011/12 but withdrew after 20 out of 30 legs and was therefore ranked last. This marked the end of KSZO SSA. In 2011, the new club, called KSZO 1929, was formed and joined the regional group of the "klasa okręgowa", the sixth level of  Polish association football the same year and won promotion. The following season, KSZO 1929 won the fifth-level competition and was promoted to the "III liga, group IV" (the fourth division), where the club has been playing since. Fans. Although KSZO supporters' nickname is "Świętokrzyscy Rozbójnicy", i.e. the Holy Cross (a reference to the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship) Reavers, they are known for outstanding atmosphere and high attendance during the matches. KSZO fans have a fellowship with fans of Lech Poznań (since 1992), Slovan Liberec (since 2000-2016), Arka Gdynia (since 2004) and Stal Sanok (since 2005). Their biggest rivals are regional  opponents Korona Kielce with whom they contest the Holy Cross Province derby. Other rivals include Hutnik Nowa Huta and Stal Stalowa Wola with whom they contest the steelworks derbies They also have a strong dislike of Radomiak Radom. Players. Famous players. "Player who have played in the top-flight"