I liga
Stadion Miejski w Niepolomicach
June 20, 2020
And finally the spectators can return to the Polish stadiums. I had so many plans before the lockdown, I was supposed to visit Zabrze and Gliwice and maybe even watch a couple of games within the same day but alas, the plans all fell through before the quarantine even began. And it's mostly my own fault, I should be more proactive and easy-going but I easily get dreary and just stay a home.
Niepolomice is a little town in the outskirts of Krakow and in fact it belongs to greater Krakow. You can get there just using local municipal buses. Niepolomice is known for its historic castle and for the forest nearby. It's a charming little town with a market square and a cathedral in the centre. Basically everything you can expect in a Polish town.
It took me an hour and a half and one change of buses to get to Niepolomice from my place. I think it might be quicker to get to the airport using public transport. Unfortunately the castle was still closed to the public due to coronavirus but I still took a pleasant stroll around the town.
I did not follow Puszcza at all before and I am not sure about their usual attendance but I think it was never high despite the fact that the team plays in the 2nd tier of Poland which is really something for such a small team. It was the first weekend with spectators allowed and with all health and safety measures, the ground was attended by 250 people. Ticket offices are closed and I bought my ticket online. You are supposed to wear a mask inside the stadium but it's not really enforced. I had my hands sprayed with disinfectant after I passed the turnstiles and quickly proceeded to take my seat.
Puszcza stadium was rebuilt to accommodate more people when the team got more successful. Now its capacity is slightly over 2000 people which seems quite adequate. It's right in the center of the town and you can see floodlights from basically anywhere. The stadium is very close to the residential houses which is always a bonus for me. It has one big grandstand and one scaffolding metal stand behind the goal, usually occupied by the visiting fans. My seat was very central on the grandstand, just a few meters from the pitch. There were no away fans and throughout of the game I heard random chants from a few local ultras, however I could not see them as they gathered on the opposite side of the stand. Most of the people who came were middle aged with kids or seniors. Some of them had old red-green-yellow scarves with what I assume was the old team crest. It irks me a lot that the team plays in blue while their crest has no blue in it.
I have to tell you that despite such a long break without football, the game itself did not draw my (or anyone's) attention. It was just brutally boring with no chances or anything even remotely exciting. Both teams were equally awful. Frankly, I missed the only goal of the game because casually browsing internet on my phone was definitely more interesting than anything happening on the pitch. There are still a few games I'm planning to see this season and I hope they will be more exciting than this.
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