Motor Lublin (Polish pronunciation:[ˈmɔtɔrˈlublin]) is a Polish professional football club based in Lublin. The club was founded in December 1950. Their nickname The Yellow, White and Blues reflects their official colours. They compete in the Ekstraklasa, the top tier of Polish football, following consecutive promotions from the 2022–23 II liga and 2023–24 I liga, both via promotion play-offs.
Historical names
(till 1950) Metalowiec
(since 1950) Stal FSC Lublin
(since 1957) Robotniczy Klub Sportowy Motor Lublin
(since 1998) Lubelski Klub Piłkarski
(since 2001) LKP Motor Lublin
(since 2010) Motor Lublin SA
History
Lublin derby match between Motor Lublin and KS Lublinianka in 1960
The history of Motor Lublin dates back to December 1950, when a group of sports enthusiasts decided to form a football team, supported by FSC Lublin Automotive Factory.[1] Motor was at first called Stal (Steel) Lublin, and its team began playing in the lower level of Polish football tier (also called Class B). After one year, the team won promotion to Class A, which was the equivalent of the 4th Division. In the spring of 1953, Stal FSC Lublin debuted in the third level, the so-called Lublin-Rzeszów Inter-Voivodeship Class (Lubelsko-Rzeszowska Klasa Miedzywojewodzka), but was relegated after one year.[2]
Stal FSC returned to the third level in 1955, and in 1957, the club changed its name into Robotniczy Klub Sportowy (Workers' Sports Club) Motor. In 1960, Polish leagues switched to the autumn-spring system, and in August 1961, Motor lost playoffs against Start Łódź, failing to win promotion to the Second Division.[3] In 1964, Motor became the champion of the Lublin region, and in the playoffs, it beat Włókniarz Łódz, KS Warszawianka, Mazur Ełk and Warmia Olsztyn.[1] They did not win promotion, as two of their games were voided - this was because one of Motor's players was not registered.[3]
In the 1964/65 season, Motor once again won the local championships, qualifying for the playoffs. Since both Motor and CKS Czeladź finished in the first position in the playoff round, an additional game was necessary between the two teams. This game took place on August 5, 1965 in Łódź. Supported by 7,000 fans, Motor won 3–0, winning promotion to the second level of Polish football.[1] Motor was relegated after one season, but in the early summer of 1968, they returned to the Second Division, where they remained until 1972.[3]
In 1973, the Polish Football Association decided the Second Division would consist of two groups, with 16 teams each. This decision helped Motor, as it won promotion, and in the 1973/74 season, the team from Lublin was a success, almost winning promotion to the Ekstraklasa.[1] For the remaining part of the 1970s, Motor remained one of the top teams of the Second Division. Finally, in the 1979/80 season, Motor, managed by Bronisław Waligóra, won promotion to the top level of Polish football system.[3] Despite finishing 10th in the 1980–81 Ekstraklasa, they finished last in the 1981–82 Ekstraklasa, and were relegated back to the Second Division.[1] Motor also played in the 1982 Intertoto Cup, against Lyngby Boldklub, MSV Duisburg and FC Lucerne, finishing third in their group after winning once in six matches.[4]
1989-90 Motor Lublin team
After relegation, most of the players remained in Lublin. In the 1982/83 season, Motor, managed by Lesław Ćmikiewicz, rivalled Resovia Rzeszów for promotion. After 28 games, Resovia was ahead of Motor by just one point. On June 19, 1983, Motor routed Resovia 4–0 in Lublin, with 30,000 people in the stands, and once again won promotion to the Ekstraklasa, where they remained before being relegated in the 1986-87 Ekstraklasa season.[1] Motor returned to the Ekstraklasa in August 1989, after winning the play-offs against Pogoń Szczecin (2–3, 2–0).[1] They remained there for three years, before being relegated after the 1991-92 Esktraklasa season.[3] In June 1996, Motor was relegated to the Third Division, and were relegated two years later to the Fourth Division.[1] In the meantime, to escape debts, the club was renamed as Lublin Football Club (Lubelski Klub Pilkarski, LKP). This name remained in use until 2001, when it was changed into Lublin Football Club Motor.[3]
