Postage stamp for the 100th anniversary of the Lech Poznań club
On the 100th anniversary of Lech Poznań's registration within the union, on March 19, 2022, Poczta Polska will introduce a commemorative stamp entitled "100th Anniversary of KKS Lech Poznań." This collector's item will be available in a limited edition of 135,000 pieces in a five-stamp sheet with a tag.
Agnieszka Sancewicz, the designer of the anniversary stamp, featured a colorized photo of the "Kolejorz" team from 1922. In the background is the Lech Poznań stand on Bułgarska Street. In the upper left corner is the first historic coat of arms, and in the center of the design is the name of the issue, "100th Anniversary of KKS LECH POZNAŃ," and a star symbolizing the number of "Polish Champion" titles. The tag features the anniversary version of the club's logo.
" For several years now, we've accustomed our customers to stamps honoring the anniversaries of Poland's biggest football clubs. This time, we're giving customers and fans a stamp dedicated to Kolejorz – the pride of Poznań. This is another football stamp, following Legia Warsaw, Ruch Chorzów, Jagiellonia Białystok, and Polonia Warsaw. In this way, Poczta Polska continues to promote healthy behaviors and character building through sport and healthy competition. I believe that thanks to our sports stamps, every fan will find something close to their heart in our offer, " says Wiesław Włodek, Vice President of Poczta Polska.
The issue is accompanied by a First Day of Circulation (FDC) envelope featuring a photograph by Adam Ciereszko depicting the Poznań Stadium. The colors throughout the design reflect the club's colors.
Lech Poznań is the most popular and successful football club in Greater Poland. Throughout its history, it has won seven Polish Championship titles, five Polish Cups, and six Polish Super Cups. It ranks fifth in the all-time league table, which covers seasons from 1927 to 2022 (autumn round) in Poland's top division.
Club history
The club's origins trace back to the Catholic Youth Association, an organization from Dębiec—a settlement inhabited by Poznań railway workers and not directly connected to sports. Finally, in 1920, these young football enthusiasts decided to formalize their sporting activities and establish a football club. They elected officers and named the team TS Lutnia. The team's name came from its treasurer, Jan Dyzman, who sang as a hobby in a choir called Lutnia. The club was registered with the Poznań District Football Association on March 19, 1922, on a Sunday—the day when football authorities in the region met. This date symbolizes the club's official birth.
In January 1925, the settlement of Dębiec was administratively incorporated into Poznań, and the club changed its name to the Poznań Liga Sports Association. It was then that the forerunner of Lech Poznań became one of the leading teams in its district. In 1927, it won 17 of 22 matches (drawing three), and in one of them, on April 10, 1927, the Poznań Liga Sports Association defeated Helios Czempin 9-0. That season, the Poznań Liga Sports Association achieved promotion to the B-class. Promotion to the top teams in the district would not come until 1932, when regulations allowed the League to be placed in the A-class, which allowed entry into the qualifying rounds for the national first league. Before the war, Dębiec players had failed to achieve this. For several years, due to the ongoing war and the fact that many of the team's players were deployed to various fronts, league play had to be suspended. League play resumed in early July 1945. On January 16, 1957, the club was renamed Lech Poznań Sports Club, a name that was changed several times over the following years. Since May 30, 2006, the club has been known as KKS Lech Poznań.
About the stamp:
designer: Agnieszka Sancewicz
number of stamps: 1
value: PLN 4.50
circulation: 135,000 pcs
printing technique: offset
stamp format: 40.5 x 40.5 mm
paper: fluorescent
sales sheet: 5 stamps + tag
date of introduction into circulation: March 19, 2022