User:D T G/Ruch

Foundation
1920, April 20, Polski Komisariat Plebiscytowy (Polish Plebiscite Commision) based in Bytom called forth the public to found new clubs in Upper Silesia region. The main originator of this idea was the Silesian activist Alojzy Budniok. Under the lead from Komisariat Plebiscytowy the club in Wielkie Hajduki was being organized by Teofil Paczyński. He was predestined to this role by two factors: firstly, he was a Komisariat Plebiscytowy commisioner in Hajduki/Bismarkhuta, secondly he was a member of old Upper Silesian Count family, rulling the municipality for over 200 hundred years. He persuaded few players and sports activists of local BBC club (Bismarckhütter Ballspiel Club). Thanks to his involvement, 22nd of February 1920 on the meeting in the Lomnitz hotel in Bytom, where new clubs where discussed the representative of Hajduki/Bismarkhuta was also there, namely Bernard Skop. 3rd of April 1920 Jan, Józef and Franciszek Bartoszka; Bernard and Augustyn Skop and August Kiełbasa took part in the meeting organised by Paczyński. They set the date tp 20th of April of clubs constitutional gathering where the supervisory board was to be elected. That day 40 people in Dom Związkowy in Hajduki/Bismarkhuta chose 9 members: Paweł Kiełbasa (vice-chief executive), Edward Supernok (finances), Franciszek Bartoszek (sports director), Bernard Skop (secretary), Paweł Skop, Sylwester Golasz, Teofil Paczyński, Jakub Szweda, Stanisław Sojka. The first CEO was Paweł Koppa, a teacher from Klimzowiec.

The fact of major importance that helped to found the club, was that in February 1920 that first alliance forces were set in the region after Treaty of Versailles agreements. The preperations to referendum, that was to determine the border between Weimar Germany and Poland, started. So far spontaneous clubs foundations movement got more support from Polski Komisariat Plebiscytowy, which created a new internal branch for physical education (headed by Maksymilian Wilimowski). Founding new clubs and giving them support was believed to be a way to attract local youth on their side. Majority of Upper Silesians did not yet have a crystallized national identity. In 20th of February 1920 the leader of PKP, Wojciech Korfanty was aware of aproaching final arbitration."Na Śląsku trwała prawdziwa walka o „rząd dusz”, toteż często organizowano tu mecze z udziałem polskiej czołówki. Była to wspaniała propaganda polskości " 20th of March 1920 under patronate of PKP Górnośląski Związek Towarzystw Sportowych (Upper Silesian Sports Societes Association) was founded. In 4th of August 1920 a new organization seperated from GZTS, Górnośląski Związek Okręgowy Piłki Nożnej (Regional Upper Silesian Football Association) based in Bytom which Ruch entered as well.

Origin of the name and the first success (1920-1922)
During the initial meeting in 20th of April the club's name was chosen. The actual name of "Ruch" (literally movement) came from an idea by Edward Supernok. The name was to be connected with Silesian Uprisings. But one cannot forget that this word itself has more meanings. Additionally it is not fully explained in written documents what was the actual full name of the club in its first years of existance. In the years 1920-1922 the borders in the area were not yet determined and so officially the names where billingual, Polish and German, e.g. "Bismarckhütte Oberschlesien/Bismarkhuta Górny Śląsk", and in local, colloquiall daily use was the original name of the village - Hajduki, which was set as official in 1st of January 1923 (precisely Hajduki Wielki, lit. Great Hajduks).

The colours of the club were chosen on 20th April meeting to be: blue and white. They were to be connected to colours of Silesia. From the beginnings the nickname Niebiescy (The Blues) was sticked to the players already in 1920s.

Before 1939 Ruch Chorzów was clearly associated with Silesian insurgents and Polish patriots. During Silesian Uprisings Ruch goalkeeper Brol died, additionally Józef and Jan Bartoszek, Józef Wieczorek, Sylwester Golasz and Wilhelm Kałuża were insurgents. But one has to be aware that national identity in Upper Silesia was complicated. In the border conflict in Upper Silesia that broke out in 1919 Ruch founders took a Polish side. When analyzing national identity issues of football clubs from the area in that time one has to remember, that in cities majority of citizens voted to stay within German borders. So Ruch founders were Silesian supporting Polish option. It was not by accident that the first Ruch match was in 3rd of May, the day of Polish Constitution from 1791. . This first play was against Orzeł Józefowiec, won by Ruch 3:1. Wiktor Prukop scored the first ever goal for Ruch.

In may 1920 Ruch joined Górnośląski Związek Towarzystw Sportowych (later transformed into Górnośląski Związek Okręgowy Piłki Nożnej), which allocated Ruch into Bytom subgroup. In order to earn money for train tickets (to travel to opponents' stadium) players organized amatour theater and were personally making performance there. . The newly founded club besides money also lacked sports equipment. PKP had given only one ball and six pairs of shoes. In the autumn 1920 Ruch players won Królewska Huta district qualifications and promoted to first, but unofficial season of Silesian A-Class, where total 14 teams competed. . The season was not finished cause next year the 3rd Silesian Uprising broke out, Ruch was back then placed 3rd. In 1922 The Blues became the first champions of the freshly adjoined to domestic pyramid Upper Silesia football district, and so they became the first club from the region to compete in Polish domestic championships. The first domestic match was played 29th of July 1922 at 17 p.m. against defending Polish champions from last year - KS Cracovia. It ended 2:8 (both goals for Ruch were scored by Maksymilian Koenig]]). The other oponents were Pogoń Lwów and WKS Lublin, among those Ruch was the weakest and finished on last place, but they managed to win its first game on that level on away game in Lublin (3:2).

The solid squad from the earliest years was: Herman Kremer, Franciszek and Maksymilian Koenig, Wiktor Prukop, Konrad Kusz, Józef Sobota, Jerzy Hyla, Walter Russ and Hubert Imioła.

Fusion with Bismarckhütter Ballspiel Club and appearances in A-Class (1923-1926)
After the international borders in the region were finally determined, and Upper Silesia became divided between Germany and Poland the clubs that were members of German associations were questioned. In 7th of August 1922 in Królewska Huta (Chorzów) Niemiecki Związek Piłkarski (German Football Association) - Wojewodschaft Verband was founded that associated 143 clubs from Polish Silesian voivodeship, as those clubs wanted to continue to compete in the German leagues. Polish authorities were not favorable towards this organization, as they considered it to be a "state within a state". In this new political situation those clubs (considered to be ethnically German) had to choose - take a new Polish name and compete in Polish leagues or not changing and risking to be dislegalised. The other option was to fuse with other club already associated in PZPN structures. Some of the clubs earlier consider German (e.g. Verein für Raumschiffahrt - AKS Chorzów or Preussen Kattowitz - 1.FC Katowice) renamed themselves into Polish and joined Polish leagues, other merged with "Polish" clubs from the same municipalities. This was the case in Lipiny (Świętochłowice), where Naprzód merged with Silesia, or in Katowice where Pogoń merged with Victoria, and also in Hajduki Wielkie, where BBC merged with Ruch. As a result in autumn 1923 A-Class was reorganized, in 1924 it consisted of 8 clubs.