I rarely talk about my local club woso stuff, because people who follow me aren't here for that, but something big happened and I believe that some FBL fans could find it interesting as well due to who has showed up, so rare Legia posting it is wooooo
Yesterday Legia Warsaw women's team celebrated their promotion to the top flight and, to mark the occasion, played at the Legia's main stadium. This is a rare occurrence, as the girls usually play at a training centre 1.5 hour journey from Warsaw by public transport, so I took the opportunity to finally see them in action this season.
(The fun fact is that I actually met the players at the beginning of the season, because we took the same bus from Katowice to Warsaw after GKS Katowice played the UWCL qualifier with FC Twente. We all kinda complained about Legia playing their home games so far away from the city, so it was nice to finally see them again haha)
Right before the game Legia dropped a video that they're announcing a big signing during the halftime break and I was like oh? 👀 And BOY IT WAS BIG IT WAS DOMINIKA GRABOWSKA COMING BACK HOME FROM BUNDESLIGA
You know, the same Dominika Grabowska who played at Hoffenheim and scored against Bayern, scored against Germany, or assisted Ewa's iconic goal that sent Poland to their first ever Euros (and she played at the Euros too!).
It's a statement signing. Firstly, for the league: in the recent years more and more players were leaving to play abroad. POLWNT got to the point in which 90% of the players called up to the national team played in foreign leagues. Because good players were leaving and the league wasn't attractive enough to lure good players from abroad, the Polish clubs were struggling in Europe - and I'm not talking about progressing to the group/league phase of the UWCL, they struggled even to get through the first qualifying round. For old fans fondly remembering Medyk Konin's runs in the Champions League (Medyk was regularly kicked out by no other but prime Lyon) it was clear, that even though the national team was growing, Ekstraliga started to lag behind. Getting back good players, creating new stars of the league that young players can look up to and fans can look forward to watch live, is the first step to catch up.
Legia’s entry into the top flight with such a signing could also mark the beginning of a period of dominance by major men’s clubs in the Ekstraliga - something we've been seeing in Europe for several years now. Until now, the league has been dominated by women’s clubs, or by clubs whose men’s teams were not among the country’s top sides. Now, in the Ekstraliga, we already have Lech Poznań (Legia’s great rival - the interest around Ekstraliga can be boosted by the rivalry between the two), Pogoń Szczecin, Śląsk Wrocław, GKS Katowice, and, in addition, Widzew Łódź has recently invested in their women’s team. These teams have much greater organisational and financial resources, which allow them to compete with other teams in Europe. From what I’ve heard, they’re already able to offer conditions comparable to, or even better than, those of mid-table teams of the French, Spanish or German leagues, so it’s very possible that Grabowska’s transfer to Legia will be the first of many similar moves. It’s a shame about the history of women’s clubs; they need to be appreciated and remembered, but I think that overall this is a positive change for the league and the development of woso in Poland. It will allow the league to attract fans not only with big club brands, but also with higher-quality football.
Secondly, it's a statement signing for Legia. Grabek coming to Legia is a bit like Poppi’s move to BVB (keeping things in proportion of course): she was born in the outskirts of Warsaw and, as a junior, played in Warsaw, she's also been a Legia fan, so this is a homecoming for her. Great story for Dominika, for Legia, for its fans, and for me too, as she's one of my favourite players and I'm a Legia fan as well :) I hope Legia doesn't spoil it, the women's section will grow, and we will see other similar signings in the future (like Weronika Zawistowska, also Warsawian and also a Legia fan and Dominika's best childhood friend; or, looking at other teams, Lech Poznań signing Kasia Kiedrzynek, or Wisła Kraków/Cracovia signing Natalia Wróbel, etc.).
Coming back to the match: Legia lost 1-3, but I'm not mad tbh, Ślęza played great and Legia have already reached their goal for the season. Alicja Materek (used to play in the Liga F) was awesome to watch on the wing, there were a couple of amazing golazos, I high-fived a few players after the game, so we're good. Also Magdalena Pionsa celebrating a goal that secured Ślęza Wrocław's promotion to the Ekstraliga like that at Ł3 of all places had sick aura