2017 2018 EKSTRAKLASA REPORT - PKO BP Ekstraklasa
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2017 2018 EKSTRAKLASA REPORT
CONTENTS
04 | EKSTRAKLASA AS A COMPANY
- HISTORY OF EKSTRAKLASA SA
- SHAREHOLDERS' STRUCTURE OF EKSTRAKLASA SA
- ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE OF EKSTRAKLASA SA
- KEY BUSINESS PURPOSES
08 | EKSTRAKLASA AS A LEAGUE
- SEASON 2017/2018
- THE LEAGUE SYSTEM
- VIDEO ASSISTANT REFEREE (VAR)
- ADVANCED MATCH STATISTICS
12 | EKSTRAKLASA AS A BRAND
- MEDIA RIGHTS
- VIEWERSHIP
- MATCH ATTENDANCE
- MARKETING RIGHTS
- DEDICATED PRODUCTS
- MARKETING ACTIVITIES
- MOBILE APPLICATION
- SOCIAL MEDIA
- ESPORTS
- PUBLIC ACTIVITY
- EXTRA CLASS ACADEMIES / EXTRA TALENT
- CSR (SOCIAL INITIATIVES)
- EKSTRAKLASA LEGENDS GALLERY
26 | EKSTRAKLASA FINANCES
28 | EKSTRAKLASA CLUBS
2 2 | EKSTRAKLASA REPORT 2017/2018
amongst football fans and generating extra revenues for the league, it has turned
out to be a major success in the field of new technology. Right now, the
Ekstraklasa mobile application is the second best reviewed official mobile
application of a professional football league in Europe. All the above-mentioned
projects are to be further developed in the forthcoming seasons.
As a professional football league, we are highly engaged in any initiatives geared
towards targeting and winning the youth, and attracting them to local football
scene, as well as promoting football and general physical activity among children
and young people. We pursue all these goals, as well as discover and coach
football talents, through our programmes conducted in cooperation with
Ekstraklasa football clubs and financially supported by the Ministry of Sport and
Tourism. Under these programmes, we organise a series of professional football
trainings intended for children aged 3-11, which are run by the coaching staff of
the Ekstraklasa football clubs under the name “Extra Class Academies”
(“Akademie Klasy Ekstra”, as well as the “Extra Talent” (“Ekstra Talent”)
tournaments in the U-12 category held at the Ekstraklasa clubs' stadiums and the
“Extra Club” (“Ekstra Klub”) sports activities intended for primary school pupils,
which are organised in the form of open groups by the coaching staff of the
Ekstraklasa clubs. In the years to come, we will enjoy an opportunity of increasing
our engagement in the training of young football players to an even bigger scale.
It wouldn’t be possible without contracts that had been signed with Totalizator
Sportowy, our long-term sponsor and owner of the LOTTO brand (Title Partner of
Ekstraklasa), and PKO BP (Main Partner of Ekstraklasa) prior to the start of the
current season. Our main focus in the seasons to come is the development of
strong presence of the Ekstraklasa league games on the eSports market as we
see how truly passionate the youth is about electronic sports. For several months
now, we have been preparing for the full launch of the eSports project following a
number of successfully completed tests of eSports league games, which were
conducted in cooperation with EA Sports Poland, a publisher of the FIFA game.
In addition to our great involvement in the initiatives pursuing the development
of the Ekstraklasa league and football as sports discipline, and the promotion of
physical activity amongst children and the youth, we have constantly strived, as
Dear Readers a company, to provide our shareholders with guaranteed highest possible
revenues. Only this season, on account of organisational changes and an increase
I have a great pleasure to present you with this report summarising the
in commercial revenues, Ekstraklasa SA distributed a record-breaking sum of
operations of Ekstraklasa SA in the 2017/2018 season. To us, it was the time
nearly PLN 163 million to its shareholders, out of which more than PLN 156
abounding in organisational and financial successes and distinguished by
million ended up directly with the clubs. We are already undertaking activities to
high-powered growth of our football league.
provide the Ekstraklasa league with even greater cash inflows in the forthcoming
seasons. One of our key projects, which pursues this goal, is a new tender
Owing to innovative projects launched in the previous year and carried out in
proceeding regarding media rights to the broadcasting of the Ekstraklasa
close cooperation with our football clubs, the LOTTO Ekstraklasa league is now
competitions in the country and on international markets. We expect that, due to
considered a leading football league in Central and Eastern Europe – an
an innovative structure of our packages, which also cover the sales of online
ambitious and energetic organisation undertaking countless audacious
broadcasting rights and rights to Near Live Clips enabling the broadcasting of
initiatives at the confluence of sports and technology with a continuous increase
goal replays on mobile devices shortly after they have been scored before the end
in its value in mind.
of a match, the top-class Polish football league will not only break its financial
record in the coming years, but also will join the top 20 European football
Poland was one of the very few European countries where, last year, in
leagues, earning even higher revenues from the sale of media rights.
cooperation with ChyronHego, we introduced the TRACABTM tracking system,
which is also used by the German Bundesliga and the English Premier League. The
To sum up this season, we can take pride in the fact that, owing to great
system enables us to track players and ball moving on the football pitch, and
engagement of all Ekstraklasa football clubs, we have launched numerous
provides us with access to players’ fitness data. Only then, based on this data, is
innovative projects that will serve our football league in organisational, financial
it possible to identify the number of sprint or kilometres run by individual players
and sports terms for many years to come. Being well aware of multiple challenges
and by the team as a whole. The fitness data is also a source of trivia shared with
ahead of us, including but not limited to the improvement of football level and
football fans through TV broadcasts and online channels owned by the LOTTO
greater security on the Polish stadiums, I am also truly convinced that, with close
Ekstraklasa league. Another crucial technological project completed this season
cooperation among all football clubs and sports organisations, we will not only
was the implementation of the VAR (Virtual Assistant Referee) system. Under
succeed in all the aforementioned areas but will also attract even more ardent
this project, Ekstraklasa Live Park (a subsidiary of Ekstraklasa SA) acts as a
football fans passionate about the clubs’ competitions. Together, we will enjoy
technical partner of the Polish Football Association (PZPN) and a supplier of
the achievements of our teams both on a local playground and on an
video signal. Next year, as a result of intense efforts made by our production
international level.
company, selected Ekstraklasa league fixtures will be broadcast in the 4K/Ultra
HD quality, which wouldn’t be possible without the purchase of a new,
technologically advanced 4K/UHD outside broadcasting van.
Yours sincerely,
Marcin Animucki
This season, we have also launched a mobile application, which has already
President of the Management Board
reached more than 130,000 users. Aimed at popularising the Ekstraklasa games
Ekstraklasa SA
EKSTRAKLASA REPORT 2017/2018 | 3
EKSTRAKLASA
AS A COMPANY
HISTORY
OF EKSTRAKLASA SA
For the first time, the Polish football championships
were held in 1920. Seven years later, the league
system was introduced and the “Ekstraklasa” term
meaning the highest-level football competitions in
Poland has been in use ever since. For a long time, it
functioned as an equivalent for the “first league”. It
was not until seventy years later that “Ekstraklasa”
stopped being a colloquial term and started to be The contract entered into force on 18 November 2005. The first
match played under the auspices of the company was the
used as an official name for the top-class Polish fixture between Legia Warszawa and Górnik Zabrze. Until the
football league. end of the 2017/2018 season, the total of 3,296 matches were
played in the Ekstraklasa league and thirteen Polish
On 14 June 2015, during a constituent meeting in Warsaw, champions were selected. The currently binding contract
the representatives of sixteen Ekstraklasa football clubs between Ekstraklasa SA and the Polish Football Association
participating in the 2005/2006 season competitions (PZPN) for the management of the top-class Polish football
transformed the Polish championships into a professional league is valid until June 2021. Within the framework of its
football league. At that time, the similar organisational competence, the company also managed the competitions of
structure had already been introduced in such countries as the Young Ekstraklasa (“Młoda Ekstraklasa”) over the years
Italy, England, Germany, Scotland, Portugal, Greece, Belgium, 2007-2013 and three editions of the Polish Super Cup.
Austria, France, Russia and the Netherlands.
In 2007, Ekstraklasa became the member of the European
A newly established joint-stock company, Ekstraklasa SA, Professional Football Leagues (EPFL), currently known as the
became the organiser of a professional football league. The European Leagues, which brings together European
company was set up by sixteen top-tier football clubs in professional football leagues from 24 countries. Twice in
Poland and the Polish Football Association (Polski Związek history (in 2008 and 2015), Ekstraklasa SA hosted the General
Piłki Nożnej, PZPN). Two months after the constituent meeting Assembly of this organisation, which took place in Warsaw.
in Warsaw, the company was registered by the court. On 12 Since 2016, it also has had its own representative in the
August 2005, following the completion of any and all official organisation's authorities. The first representative of
procedures, the Polish Football Association (PZPN) and the Ekstraklasa SA in the European Leagues was Dariusz Marzec
representatives of a newly formed organisation signed a who was later replaced by Marcin Animucki, President of the
mutual contract, which entrusted Ekstraklasa SA with the right Management Board of Ekstraklasa SA, as the Member of the
to manage the football competitions. Board of Directors.
4 | EKSTRAKLASA REPORT 2017/2018
SHAREHOLDERS' the last five years. In the previous term, Karol Klimczak acted
as the Vice-President of the Supervisory Board. In this term,
STRUCTURE this role is performed by Cezary Kulesza, President of the
Management Board at Jagiellonia Białystok. The current
OF EKSTRAKLASA SA Secretary to the Supervisory Board is Maciej Bałaziński, a
representative of Lechia Gdańsk.
The other members of the Supervisory Board are: Dariusz
When granting Polish sports organisations with the possibility Mioduski (Legia Warszawa), Krzysztof Zając (Korona Kielce),
of creating professional leagues, the legislator stipulated in Jarosław Mroczek (Pogoń Szczecin), and Zbigniew Boniek,
the act that football clubs may participate in such leagues President of the Polish Football Association (PZPN).
exclusively in the form of a joint-stock company. All of sixteen
games participants have such a legal form, simultaneously
acting as the shareholders of Ekstraklasa SA. Each football
club owns 5.8% of shares in the company. The
seventeenth shareholder with 7.2% of shares in
the company is the Polish Football Association
(PZPN).
The supervisory body of Ekstraklasa SA is its Supervisory
Board elected at the Ordinary General Meeting of
Shareholders, which is convened once a year (usually in ORDINARY GENERAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS
September). One of many objectives of this gathering is to
decide on the composition of the Supervisory Board, which is
usually consisted of the following: 16 CLUBS
one representative from each of the four
5,8%
shares
top clubs in the final league table of the per club
previous season,
two representatives elected among POLISH FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION
themselves by the representatives of the
remaining twelve clubs, 7,2%
shares
one representative of the Polish Football
Association (PZPN).
The Supervisory Board elects the President and the
Vice-President, and the Secretary to the Supervisory Board,
among its members.
For the 2017/2018 term, the President of the Supervisory
Board is Karol Klimczak, President of the Management Board
at Lech Poznań. He replaced Maciej Wandzel, a former
co-owner of Legia Warszawa, who had performed this role for
ORGANISATIONAL
STRUCTURE
OF EKSTRAKLASA SA
The appointment of the Management Board of Ekstraklasa SA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
lies with the Supervisory Board. In October 2017, before the
end of its three-year term, the Supervisory Board decided to 4 2 1
remove Dariusz Marzec, who had acted as the President of the representatives representatives representative
Management Board since 1 July 2015, and Jacek Bednarz, who of the best 4 clubs chosen by the other of the Polish
was appointed the Member of the Management Board on 1 July from previous season 12 clubs Football
Association
2016, from their posts. Marcin Animucki, who had performed
the role of the Vice-President of the Management Board since
March 2012, was entrusted with the duties of an officer acting MANAGEMENT BOARD
as the President of the Management Board until the
completion of an administrative competition procedure. Logistics Communication, Finance Administration
Department Marketing & Sales Department Office
Department
In November 2017, as a result of a completed competition
procedure, Marcin Animucki was appointed the President of
the Management Board at Ekstraklasa SA. For the time being,
the company has a one-person management board. In July 2018, the two-year term of office of the League
Committee came to an end. It was composed of the following
In the past reporting period, several significant changes were members: President – Zbigniew Mrowiec, Vice-President –
made to the organisational structure of Ekstraklasa SA. On 1 Robert Błaszczak, Secretary – Tomasz Szczerbatko, Members –
July 2018, Marcin Stefański, the then Director of Logistics, was Antoni Libiszowski, Filip Jańczuk, Przemysław Plewiński and
entrusted with the position of a Chief Operating Officer, while Jarosław Bączyk, who was elected in November 2016. In July
Krzysztof Bauza, the then Chief Financial Officer, was 2018, Jarosław Poturnicki was appointed the President of the
appointed the proxy of the company. Also, the number of the League Committee and the other members of the League
Departments was modified. Two separate departments, i.e. the Committee were re-appointed for the new term.
Sales and Marketing Department and the PR and
Communications Department, were replaced with one Ekstraklasa SA is also the founder of the Ekstraklasa
Department of Communication, Marketing and Sales in charge Foundation. Its tasks are connected with CSR practices, as well
of all company's operations in these areas. The new as the popularisation and development of football as sports
Department is now headed by Marcin Mikucki, the Director of discipline among children and the youth. Since 2016, the
Communication, Marketing and Sales Department. The other Ekstraklasa Foundation has cooperated closely with the
Departments in the organisational structure of Ekstraklasa SA Ministry of Sport and Tourism, implementing such projects as
include the following: the Department of Competition Logistics “Extra Club” (“Ekstra Klub”), “Extra Fun” (“Extra Fun”),
(headed by Marcin Stefański) and the Department of Finances “Extra Talent” ("Ekstra Talent"), and “Extra Class Academies”
and Organisation (headed by Krzysztof Bauza). (“Akademie Klasy Ekstra”). These projects involve such
actions as the proceeding of ministerial applications, the
An independent disciplinary body in Ekstraklasa SA is the organisation of events in cooperation with football clubs, and
League Committee, which was established in 2005. Its purpose raising funding for the above purposes. The President of the
is to ensure independent and transparent jurisprudence on Ekstraklasa Foundation is Marcin Stefański.
cases related to the Ekstraklasa games. The League Committee
is appointed for a two-year term of office by the Supervisory Ekstraklasa SA is the owner of a joint-stock company
Body of Ekstraklasa SA, i.e. by the joint representation of all Ekstraklasa Live Park sp. z o.o., which has produced TV signal
Ekstraklasa clubs and the Polish Football Association (PZPN). from all the Ekstraklasa league matches since 2011. By the end
The League Committee performs a judicial role by deciding on of the 2017/2018 season, it had carried out 1,976 broadcasts.
any and all cases related to the Ekstraklasa games at the first Since December 2012, the President of this company has been
instance. The appeal body is the Supreme Appeal Board of the Leszek Miklas. The Chief Operating Officer of Ekstraklasa Live
Polish Football Association (PZPN). Park is Marcin Serafin.
6 | EKSTRAKLASA REPORT 2017/2018
Owing to the technological advances of Ekstraklasa Live Park system facilitates the tracking of players and the ball moving
sp. z o.o., the Ekstraklasa games, as a product, are on the on the pitch, providing access to entirely new fitness data of all
European forefront in terms of TV production. The season of players from all matches played in a given season.
2017/2018 was the seventh year of business activity
performed by the producer of TV signal for the top-class Polish As was the case last year, the TV production portfolio of
football league. The cameras registered each and every minute Ekstraklasa Live Park also included the PGNiG Superliga
of 296 fixtures, broadcasting the TV signal worldwide. The handball games. In 2016, Ekstraklasa Live Park concluded a
following entities hold the rights to broadcast the games on a contract with ITI Neovision for the production of TV signal from
national level: ITI Neovision (the owner of the brand CANAL+ the Polish championships in this sports discipline. The
and the nc+ platform), Eurosport and Polish Television above-mentioned contract is valid until the end of the
(Telewizja Polska). The TV production realised by the company competitions in the 2018/2019 season. In each and every
also covers any match-related events, the production of season, the cameras owned by Ekstraklasa Live Park produce
promotional materials, feature materials and league TV broadcast from 184 matches.
documentaries. The company performs the whole of TV
production related to the operations of Ekstraklasa SA and
produces materials for its partners and sponsors.
KEY BUSINESS
PURPOSES
The key business purposes of Ekstraklasa SA are defined in its
articles of association. These specific goals include the
following:
• organising and managing the top-class men's football
competitions,
• selling centralised media rights,
• selling centralised marketing rights,
• building the image of the Ekstraklasa league, its clubs and
the company itself.
Since 2013, the TV production of each fixture is carried out with
the use of at least ten cameras. In 2018, Ekstraklasa Live Park
strengthened its potential in the TV production area. In July As it follows from the substance of the company's existence,
2018, it signed a contract for the purchase of a 4K/UHD HDR the overarching objective of Ekstraklasa SA remains to be the
outside broadcasting van (the Streamline and Alphaline maximisation of revenues for clubs participating in streamlined
model). It will be manufactured by NEP (USA) and Broadcast and standardised high-level professional league games. The
Solutions GmbH (Germany). It is scheduled to be ready for use company has been established to manage the competitions
in November 2018. Over the last few years, Ekstraklasa Live and to sell centralised media and marketing rights.
Park has tested 4K technology at the LOTTO Ekstraklasa
league matches. In 2019, this TV broadcast standard may
become part of Ekstraklasa on a permanent basis. The first
matches in the Ultra HD quality will start to be broadcast at the
beginning of the spring round in February 2019.
In 2017, Ekstraklasa Live Park signed a contract with
ChyronHego, a leading supplier of sports fitness data. This
cooperation enabled the installation of a TRACAB™ tracking
system on the stadiums of all football clubs playing in this
season's LOTTO Ekstraklasa league. The aforementioned
EKSTRAKLASA REPORT 2017/2018 | 7
EKSTRAKLASA
AS A LEAGUE
The responsibility for managing the Ekstraklasa SA competitions first stage of the competitions was won by Lech Poznań, which
lies within the Department of Competition Logistics. Prior to each was one point ahead of Jagiellonia Białystok and Legia Warszawa.
season, its team develops the rules for competitions and the
framework match schedule taking account of the all-seasonal For the team of Legia Warszawa, it meant winning the title of the
football calendars of the national team and other international Polish champion for the third season in a row. It was the first
games. The Department also takes decisions concerning the such achievement in the history of this football club. Earlier, a
course of competitions, including the establishment of detailed similar feat was noted on its account by Wisła Kraków in the
dates and times of fixtures, the authorisation of players, and the years 2003-2005. Apart from these two teams, the following
analysis of the fixtures based on the reports submitted by the clubs finished at least three consecutive editions in the first place
referees officiating the Ekstraklasa matches and the delegates at least twice: Ruch Chorzów (1933-1936 i 1951-1953) and Górnik
assessing, among others, security at football matches and their Zabrze (1963-1967 i 1985-1988). Winning the gold medal, Legia
organisation. became an independent leader in terms of the number of medals
won. There are already thirty seven medals on its account. Since
Another task performed by the Department in relation to the 2006 until now, the leader of this ranking had been Wisła
matches is the monitoring of pitch quality in Ekstraklasa. A Kraków. Now, it has one place on the podium less than Legia
project dedicated to greenkeepers is currently being developed Warszawa.
with a view to improving this component of infrastructure. The
Department of Competition Logistics also provides administrati- For Jagiellonia Białystok, it was the third medal in the history of
ve support for the works performed by the League Committee. its participation in the Ekstraklasa league and it was its second
The management of competitions is also directly connected with silver medal. Thanks to the above, it moved up the ranking to the
continuous works in the area of security policy including, among 20th place in the all-time medal table. Whereas, Lech Poznań
others, the cooperation with the General Police Headquarters finished the competition third on the podium for the sixth time in
(Komenda Główna Policji, KGP), the participation in the works history. In total, the team won fifteen places on the podium so far.
carried out by the Permanent Expert Group attached to the
Minister of the Interior, and active prevention against match- Legia Warszawa also reached for the Polish Cup. As it won the
-fixing. double, the place in the European cups was also given by the
fourth place in the final table. In the end, it was taken by Górnik
Zabrze, for which it was the first season in Ekstraklasa after its
promotion from the first league. Górnik Zabrze returned to play
THE SEASON OF 2017/2018 on an international level after twenty three years of absence.
It was the fourth consecutive season where the case of who Previously, the newcomer team managed to join the top 4 teams
should win the Polish championships was resolved in the last in the 2015/2016 edition, when the competition was finished
matchweek. Ultimately, the title of the Polish champion was with KGHM Zagłębie Lublin occupying the third place after its
defended by Legia Warszawa, which was ahead of Jagiellonia promotion to the Ekstraklasa league.
Białystok by three points. The third place was taken by Lech
Poznań. While Górnik Zabrze was one of the leading teams in the table,
the second newcomer, Sandecja Nowy Sącz, exited the Ekstrakla-
Therefore, the podium looked the same as in the previous edition sa league in its début season. Previously, the same happened to
of the competitions, both in terms of its composition and the Górnik Polkowice and Świt Nowy Dwór Mazowiec as newcomers
sequence of winners. Last time, such a situation took place in the in the 2003/2004 season. The second team disqualified after
1985/1986 season when Górnik Zabrze, Legia Warszawa and three seasons in the top-class league was Bruk-Bet Termalica
Widzew Łódź occupied the first three places in the same ranking Nieciecza. The degradation of the “Elephants” was decided only
as they did in the previous edition. Legia Warszawa was the first by the last match.
team in the history of the ESA37 format, which launched an
effective attack on the Polish championships in the final round, This season, the 17,000th match was played in the history of the
rising from the third place occupied after the main round. The top-class Polish football league. It was a fixture played between
8 | EKSTRAKLASA REPORT 2017/2018
Legia Warszaw and Górnik Zabrze in the 36th matchweek, as part against Lechia Gdańsk, Marcin Robak, the forward of Śląsk
of a multileague. This match started a few seconds later than any Wrocław, scored its hundredth goal on this league level. He
other matches, therefore, there was no doubt as to which fixture became the 31st player with one hundred goals on his account in
should have the jubilee status. the Polish championships. Thus, Marcin Robak became the first
player in this group since Marek Saganowski in 2014. In this
In the 2017/2018 season, there were 781 goals scored in total. It classification, he is the third player who won the Top Scorer prize
was the fifth consecutive edition of the games with the total in two different football clubs.
number of goals scored exceeding 750. In the history of Ekstraklasa,
no such series had ever happened before. For this entire time, the In the 2017/2018 season, 472 players participated in the Ekstraklasa
average number of goals scored was not lower than 2.6 goals per football league, which is by 25 people more than in the previous
one match. For the last time, in five consecutive campaigns, this competitions. For the first time in history, the players born in the
result was higher over the years 1962-1966. In the previous 21st century have presented themselves on the pitch. In this
games, the exact average number of goals scored was 2.64. context, the leading position is taken by Mateusz Żukowski from
Lechia Gdańsk (born 2001). Several matchweeks later, Michał
It was the season for snipers. For the first time since the Rakoczy from Cracovia (born 2002) made his début in the
2013/2014 season, three players have scored twenty goals. This Ekstraklasa league. In total, there were 90 young players (born
trio – Carlos Lopez, Igor Angulo and Krzysztof Piątek – won 68 in 1996 or later) who played in this season, which constitutes
goals in total. In this context, it was the best result in the entire 19.1% of all players. The overall number declined by six players in
21st century. Besides, two other players (Christian Gytkjaer and this age group, as compared to the games in the 2016/2017
Marcin Robak) scored nineteen goals, while Marco Paixao and season. As a percentage, this indicator decreased by 2.4%.
Jakub Świerczok having won sixteen goals. Thus, in total, as However, the number of foreigners in the Ekstraklasa league rose
many as seven players crossed the limit of fifteen goals. significantly – from 164 foreign players in the 2016/2017 season
to 206 in the 2017/2018 season. As a percentage, it constitutes
In the end, the title of the top scorer was awarded to Carlos Lopez 44% of all players (an increase by 7%).
who finished the competitions with 24 goals scored. For the
nineteenth time in history, the top scorer prize was won by a
player from Wisła Kraków. The Spaniard also became the seventh THE LEAGUE SYSTEM
foreigner and the first representative of his country with such an For the first time since the introduction of the ESA37 format in
achievement. In total, as many as 222 out of 472 (47%) players 2013, the points have not been assigned after the end of the
who played at least once entered the list of scorers. Six players main round. Therefore, the clubs proceeded to the final stage
lacked to equal the record-breaking competitions with regard to with their whole acquis won during the earlier thirty
the number of scorers (2017/2018). For the second consecutive matchweeks. The Supervisory Board of Ekstraklasa SA
season, the youngest scorer was Sebastian Szymański (18 years recommended this change to the rules to the Management Board
and 109 days old), while the oldest scorer was Marcin Wasilewski of the Polish Football Association (PZPN) in May 2017.
(37 years and 187 days old).
This season, the group of players with three-digit number of
goals scored in the Ekstraklasa league expanded. In a fixture
472 206
of them were
players participated foreign players
in the 2017/18
season
90
were youth 222
players (born in players scored
1996 or later) a goal during
the 2017/18 season
The first eight teams in the table after the main round competed Owing to the introduction of the video verification system (in
in the Group A in the final stage for the title of the champion and short: VAR) by the Polish Football Association (PZPN), it was
participation in the European championships. The teams which possible to eliminate many controversial situations in the LOTTO
occupied any place from 9 to 16 competed in the Group B, where Ekstraklasa games. At the majority of the matches, the main
the main goal was to avoid an exit from the league. In the main referee had the possibility of following the guidance offered by the
round, the all-play-all system was applied (match and rematch). referees who observed the competition in a van equipped with a
In the next stage, the teams that won 1st – 4th place and 9th to dedicated system for monitoring the course of a match and
12th place played four home and three away matches with
watching match replays at the stand specially prepared for this
competitors from their half of the table. An opposite proportion
purpose.
was used among the remaining teams. In the case of the same
number of goals, the place in the final table was decided by the
goals scored in the main round and, next, the balance of head-to-
-head matches from the main round.
The season began on Friday, 14 July 2017, with the match
between Wisła Płock and Lechia Gdańsk. It ended on Sunday, 20
May 2018, with four parallel matches in the Group A. The title of
the Polish champion was the gateway to the 1st qualifying round
of the UEFA Champions League in the 2018/2019 season. The
second and the third place meant promotion to the 1st qualifying
round of the UEFA Europa League. However, as Legia Warszawa
won the double, one spot in the 2nd qualifying round of the UEFA
Europa League, which belongs to the winner of the Polish Cup,
opened up. Therefore, the Polish Vice-Champions joined the
competition at this stage and an additional fourth team in the
table got qualified to the 1st round. The two last places in the
table meant degradation to the first league. Soon, distinctive for the LOTTO Ekstraklasa football pitches was
the gesture of the main referee drawing the sign of a square in the
air. It means that the referee wishes to use the VAR system. The
LOTTO EKSTRAKLASA 2017/2018 TABLES referee had the right to make such a gesture in the case of any
TEAM NAME POINTS WON / DRAWN / LOST GOALS FOR
- GOLAS AGAINST
doubts in situations that are vital to the course of the match,
Legia Warszawa 70 (54) 22 / 4 / 11 55-35 including goals, penalties, player identification, and red cards. The
Jagiellonia Białystok 67 (54) 20 / 7 / 10 55-41 video verification was introduced in accordance with the IFAB
Lech Poznań 60 (55) 16 / 12 / 9 53-34
Górnik Zabrze 60 (47) 16 / 12 / 9 68-54
protocol. The technical implementation of this initiative was the
Wisła Płock 57 (49) 17 / 6 / 14 53-45 responsibility of Ekstraklasa Live Park, which performed this task
Wisła Kraków 55 (44) 15 / 10 / 12 51-42 on the commission of and in cooperation with the Polish Football
Zagłębie Lubin 52 (43) 13 / 13 / 11 45-42
Korona Kielce 49 (45) 12 / 13 / 12 49-54
Association (PZPN).
Cracovia 50 (39) 13 / 11 / 13 51-52 The first training aimed at preparing Polish referees for the opera-
Śląsk Wrocław 50 (31) 13 / 11 / 13 50-54 tion of the VAR system was conducted in Spring 2017. It was carried
Pogoń Szczecin 45 (31) 12 / 9 / 16 46-54
Arka Gdynia 43 (40) 11 / 10 / 16 46-48 out by David Elleray, a former referee of the Premier League. The
Lechia Gdańsk 39 (30) 9 / 13 / 15 46-58 VAR system premièred during a fixture between Korona Kielce and
Piast Gliwice 37 (30) 8 / 13 / 16 40-48 Legia Warszawa in May 2017. The official début of this technology
Bruk-Bet Termalica Nieciecza 36 (29) 9 / 9 / 19 39-66
Sandecja Nowy Sącz 33 (25) 6 / 15 / 16 34-54 also took place at the stadium in Kielce, the capital of the Święto-
krzyskie Voivodeship, during a fixture between Korona Kielce and
KGHM Zagłębie Lubin. The referee was Szymon Marciniak. He was
supported by Paweł Gil and Marcin Boniek, assistant referees who
VIDEO ASSISTANT REFEREE (VAR) observed the match from a dedicated van.
The 2017/2018 season brought a major revolution to the judging of
the games. From the very beginning of this season, the referees At the beginning, the VAR system was used in one match per
have used a specialist Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system, matchweek. On the six remaining stadiums, the video verification
which helped them in resolving the most crucial issues. was conducted offline, i.e. without communication with the field
10 | EKSTRAKLASA REPORT 2017/2018referee. The IFAB protocol required the referees to have participa- For the first time, the league provided its clubs and fans with such
ted in at least three matches in such a “dry” role. a rich package of football match statistics.
From the fourth matchweek, more than one match per As from the 2017/2018 season, the official supplier of match
matchweek was covered with the VAR system. From the tenth statistics is the company called InStat. In the 2016/2017 season,
matchweek, three (out of eight) matches were refereed with its as many as fourteen clubs signed individual contracts for the
assistance. From the twelfth matchweek, already seven provision of data with this company. Addressing the clubs' needs,
matches per matchweek were carried out with the use of the the Management Board at Ekstraklasa SA made a central purchase
VAR system. After the winter break, the VAR system was a of these tools and made them available with no additional costs to
standard solution supporting all matches played on the all teams, which significantly reduced the overall costs incurred by
Ekstraklasa stadiums. In total, the VAR system accompanied the clubs. Similar products are used, among others, by such teams
referees in 204 matches of the 2017/2018 season, including as Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City, Liverpool FC and AS
118 out of 128 matches in 2018. The video verification system Roma. The contract has been signed for two seasons (2017/2018
was not used in any off the fixtures only in the thirtieth and 2018/2019) with possible extension for two further years.
matchweek of the multileague (where parallel fixtures are
played simultaneously), pursuant to the decision taken by the In this edition, InStat provided detailed data concerning, among
Polish Football Association (PZPN) due to logistic considera- others, goals, fouls, cards, offsides, passing, tackling (including
tions. dribbles, ball reception and ball losses). The available statistical
data also provides information on ball possession, the manner of
The first referee who decided to not accept the goal after having conducting attacks (sides, pace of action) and game set pieces.
used the VAR system was Szymon Marciniak. Based on video
recordings, he annulled two goals for Cracovia in its fixture with The match data is collected to create reports, which are published
Lechia Gdańsk in the 2nd matchweek. on the www.Ekstraklasa.org website following each matchweek –
it is made available to all fans and distributed to journalists. InStat
In January 2018, the representative of the IFAB, Lukas Brud, creates a separate document for each club, match, and matchweek,
presented conclusions from the first period of using the VAR and a summary report for the entire season. After the 15th, 30th
system. Until then, in Poland, there had been, on average, 7.3 and 37th matchweek, there were shared extensive publications
situations per one match verified with this system but the majority summarising these season stages on the basis of statistics
of them was verified without consultation with the main referee. In provided by InStat. The above-described data was also used on
6.2% of situations, there was a need for an additional video social media on a regular basis.
verification with the referee. Most verifications (73%) concerned
situations in goal areas (penalties) and scored goals. The statistical possibilities of the LOTTO Ekstraklasa competitions
were also enhanced with fitness data provided by ChyronHego, a
Owing to swift actions taken by the Polish Football Association leading company on this market. Ekstraklasa Live Park signed a
(PZPN), Ekstraklasa was one of the first European top-level contract with this company in 2017. In the winter break, the
football leagues, in which this solution has been introduced. TRACAB™ tracking system was installed on all fifteen stadiums
Concurrently, the VAR system was launched in the German Bundes- used in the 2017/2018 season. It comprises two cameras, one
liga, the Portugese Primeira Liga and the Italian Series A. The high computer and one server with additional devices. This technology
degree of specialisation of Polish referees in this field was proved uses images to establish the position of all “moving objects” on
by the invitation of Paweł Gil to work with this system at the FIFA the pitch – players, referees and the ball. This allows for generating
World Cup, where it was used for the first time. In this role, he a message with the coordinates of the above-mentioned “objects”.
supervised the course of sixteen matches of the FIFA World Cup, The aggregate data from the system were presented graphically
which was the absolute record among his colleagues. during match broadcasts on a regular basis.
All Ekstraklasa clubs receive fitness data of players immediately
ADVANCED MATCH STATISTICS after the end of a match. They are also widely presented on social
media channels of the LOTTO Ekstraklasa competitions and on the
[CHYRONHEGO / INSTAT] website. This data include but are not limited to the number of
The season, which ended in May 2018, was definitely the best
kilometres run, the number of sprints, the pace of moving on the
analysed edition in the history of the Ekstraklasa competitions.
pitch, the maximum speed or the position occupied on the pitch.
EKSTRAKLASA REPORT 2017/2018 | 11EKSTRAKLASA
AS A BRAND
MEDIA RIGHTS
A. TV AND INTERNET
The centralised media rights owned by the organiser of the
competitions are the main source of revenues generated by
Ekstraklasa SA for the clubs participating in the competitions.
The basic package of television rights, which is distributed by
Ekstraklasa SA, is the package of live matches for pay TVs in
the territory of Poland. It gives the right to the broadcasting of
all 296 matches per one season within the current league system.
The 2017/2018 season was the twenty third season of
cooperation between the top-class Polish football league and
Canal+, now the owner of the nc+ brand. At the same time, it
was the third year of validity of the current agreement for the
exploitation of the licensing rights on the national and
international market by a television partner. This contract was The packages of television rights are news access rights (for
concluded in cooperation with MP & Silva, an international the use of match fragments in news sports services) owned by
consulting agency. It is the highest television contract in the TVN, Polsat and the Polish Television (TVP).
history of Ekstraklasa SA. It remains in force until the end of
the 2018/2019 competitions. Based on this contract, the nc+ The main broadcaster also shares match broadcasts online in
platform broadcasts six matches per one matchweek (usually: the Internet. All nc+ subscribers with access to Canal+
Fridays - 8:30 p.m.; Saturdays - 3:30 p.m., 6:00 p.m., 8:30 channels in their packages can watch matches on the computer
p.m.; Sundays - 3:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.). screen and on mobile devices owing to the nc+ GO service. A
similar service is offered by Eurosport Player. On the IPLA
The contract also stipulates the possibility of sublicensing and platform, football fans can watch the fifth and the sixth match
transferring a portion of the rights to broadcast live matches to of each matchweek.
other entities. Under the currently binding contract, two
matches of the LOTTO Ekstraklasa league are broadcast also on The package of digital rights, which is distributed separately
the Eurosport 1 and Eurosport 2 channels (usually: Fridays - 6 and has been purchased by the RAS Group Poland (Onet), gives
p.m. and Mondays - 6:00 p.m.). its owner the possibility of using match highlights in online
services and mobile applications. However, the owner of this
Moreover, in order to promote the competitions on a greater package must not broadcast live Ekstraklasa matches. In this
scale, Ekstraklasa SA offers a package of rights for television context, the RAS Group (Onet) is the exclusive licensee for the
on open channels. The currently binding contract for the sales years 2015-2019. The long-term effect of this cooperation is
of the rights contains one live match per season, five-minute the Ekstraklasa.tv online service. It contains highlights of all
chronicle of the games with match highlights broadcast twice a fixtures, which are published directly after the final whistle.
week and a TV magazine broadcast once a week. This package The goals and the most interesting actions from each
is owned by the Polish Television (TVP). matchweek can be found on the Ekstraklasa.org website.
12 | EKSTRAKLASA REPORT 2017/2018 EKSTRAKLASA RAPORT 2018 | 11Thanks to the embedded service, they are also available on VIEWERSHIP
the websites of the Onet-RASP Group, including Onet.pl, Taken together, the past competitions counted 128 match days.
Fakt.pl and PrzegladSportowy.pl. Both Ekstraklasa and the It is three times more in comparison with the 2016/2017
teams participating in a given match publish teasers on their season. All 296 matches of this season were broadcast live and
Facebook profiles. At the same time, Ekstraklasa SA runs a were watched by 36.7 million viewers.
dedicated channel with archival materials concerning the
league competitions on its YouTube page. The goals from the The matches broadcast on nc+ antennas attracted nearly 23.5
previous seasons can also be viewed in the Ekstraklasa million viewers. They were watched by 99,500 football fans on
mobile application. Apart from the online service, the average. On the Eurosport channel, the total viewership of the
Onet-RASP Group also offers the Ekstraklasa.tv mobile matches was 8.77 million viewers. On the Eurosport 1 channel,
application in cooperation with Ekstraklasa. Each Monday in they were watched by 145,000 people on average. On the
the season, Onet.pl broadcasts an official online magazine – Eurosport 2, the average viewership rate was 112,500 viewers.
“Ekstraklasa Magazine” (“Magazyn Ekstraklasy”).
The match of the last matchweek, which was played between
From the 31st to the 37th matchweek, the mobile application Legia Warszawa and Lechia Gdańsk, was additionally
of Ekstraklasa also contained Near Live Clips, i.e. goals replays broadcast by the Polish Television Programme 2 (TVP2). The
that were published several minutes after a goal has been match broadcast on an open television channel broke the
scored. It was the first solution of this kind on the Polish record of viewership for these games. To see the games,
market of sports applications. The video materials covered one 1,113,000 viewers sat in front of their TV sets. A similar result
match per each matchweek. was achieved by a fixture between Legia Warszawa an Lechia
Gdańsk in the 37th matchweek, which was also broadcast in
B. PROTECTION OF RIGHTS OWNERSHIP the public television and reached 1,114,000 viewers.
One of the main responsibilities of Ekstraklasa SA as a
company is to uphold the interests of media rights' owners, On the nc+ platform, the highest audience was attracted by a
including the fight against common piracy, especially on the fixture between Lech Poznań and Legia Warszawa played in the
Internet. This process is implemented by the company on a 11th matchweek. It was viewed by 263,000 users on the Canal+
permanent basis, with involvement of all its partners and with channel. This season, the station also decided to decode a
the use of any and all available resources. Similar actions are fixture of the 28th matchweek played between Legia
also undertaken by such football clubs as, among others, Warszawa and Wisła Kraków. It reached 253,000 viewers.
Bundesliga, Ligue 1, La Liga an Premier League. Among the Ekstraklasa matches, another viewership record
has been broke by a fixture between Bruk-Bet Termalica
C. INTERNATIONAL RIGHTS Nieciecza and Wisła Kraków played in the 17th matchweek,
The Ekstraklasa matches are broadcast outside Poland on which attracted 235,000 viewers.
different principles. They are available under the package of
international rights offered by Ekstraklasa SA. It provides a
purchaser with the freedom of the further distribution of the
licence for the broadcasting of the Ekstraklasa matches. A
gradual increase in the importance of this segment is notice-
able. For the time being, it represents more than 10% of total
profits from the sale of the rights. All Ekstraklasa live matches
can be watched outside Poland for free on the Dailymotion
channel (Dailymotion.com/Ekstraklasa). All fixtures are archi-
ved and made available for the Ekstraklasa fans abroad.
The commercial use of this service lies within the responsibility
of Vivendi, a French media company. This channel is available
24 hours a day, with full match schedule, match highlights and
magazines.
The international rights to Ekstraklasa are also owned by IMG. A positive aspect is an increase in the number of LOTTO
It owns a licence for broadcasting matches in legally operating Ekstraklasa online viewers among the subscribers of the nc+
chains of betting shops.
EKSTRAKLASA REPORT 2017/2018 | 13platform. However, much greater audience was attracted by
matches broadcast by NC+ Go and CANAL+ SPORT Online. The
MATCH ATTENDANCE
All 256 matches played in the 2017/2018 season of the LOTTO
number of unique users of these services grew by 24% as Ekstraklasa attracted nearly 2.8 million spectators to the
compared to the 2016/2017 season and amounted to 209,000 stands (the total turnout was 2,794,779 spectators). It has
users. An enormous increase was also noted in the number of been the second highest total number of fans in one edition of
match views. This indicator jumped from 4 million views in the games since the introduction of official statistics by
2016/2017 season to more than 7 million views in the Ekstraklasa SA.
2017/2018 season (which means an increase by 76%). The
most viewed match on the NC+ GO platform was a fixture The above figure gives way only to the total turnout for the
between Wisła Kraków and Legia Warszawa, which was previous edition, which amounted to 2.85 million spectators.
followed by almost 39,000 users. Nonetheless, the match attendance in the 2017/2018 season
was by 5.77% higher than it was in the 2015/2016 season. It
On the Dailymotion.com channel, the total viewership of live was the second consecutive season in which the match
matches reached 750,000 users. This season, the match attendance figures exceeded 2.7 million spectators. At the
broadcasts intended for foreign viewers were also made beginning of the season, the expected attendance was likely to
available in the Ekstraklasa mobile application. The organiser be even higher as the first million of spectators was reached
of the competitions conducted a social media campaign with much faster than ever before. However, adverse weather
the participation of foreign players who encouraged their conditions in the winter slowed down the growth in match
fellow countrymen to watch the games via this channel. attendance.
In total, this season's games were watched by over 37.6 million
viewers through nc+, the Polish Television (TVP), Eurosport,
NC+ Go and Dailymotion.com platforms.
The Polish Television (Telewizja Polska, TVP) resigned from
broadcasting its GOL magazine this season. The most
important match highlights were available to the viewers of
this TV station in the Gol Ekstra magazine. It was broadcast 19
times and its average viewership was 184,900 viewers. In
total, the magazine attracted more than 3.5 million viewers to
TV screens.
Among the magazines owning rights to the presentation of
goals and football actions in the 2017/2018 season, the
highest growth was achieved by the Monday's “Ekstraklasa
After Hours” (“Ekstraklasa Po Godzinach”) programme, which
was broadcast on the nc+ platform, despite a decrease in the At the turn of February and March 2018, exceptionally low
overall number of broadcasts (from 33 to 29). In total, it temperatures did not attract many spectators to the stands.
attracted 468,000 football fans to TV screens, which gives an Due to extremely tight schedule of fixtures, which resulted
average audience of 16,100 viewers per one episode. This from the preparations to the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the
means an increase by 15.5% compared to the previous season. organiser of the games decided to not postpone any matches.
The iconic “Liga+ Ekstra”, which is broadcast on Sundays, also All matches were held in accordance with the match schedule
observed a surge. Thirty three broadcasts were watched, on but they were attended by approximately 50,000 spectators
average, by 751,200 people, which means an increase by 2.9% less as compared to the previous year.
per one episode. In total, it was watched by almost 2.5 million
people. The third programme offered by nc+, the “Liga+” However, the attendance figures reached in the final round
programme broadcast on Saturdays, attracted, on average, were successful. At this stage of the games, there were, on
45,300 fans to TV screens. Summing up, the total viewership of average, 10,444 spectators in the stands per one fixture. It has
these programmes was about 1.5 million people. been the highest turnout at this stage of the games since the
introduction of the ESA37 format. In the whole edition of the
In the Ekstraklasa mobile application, very good results were competitions, the match attendance was 9,442 spectators per
obtained by Near Live Clips materials, i.e. goal replays that are one fixture, which is the second highest result since the
made available several minutes after they have been scored. introduction of official statistics by Ekstraklasa SA.
These materials included one match from each matchweek of
the final round and the total number of views of these The highest average turnout across the whole season was
materials in this period exceeded 221,000 views. noted by Lech Poznań, which was the only club with match
14 | EKSTRAKLASA REPORT 2017/2018attendance exceeding 20,000 spectators. On average, one one of the statutory activities performed by the company
match played on the stadium located at the Bułgarska street managing the league. The responsibility for any and all
was viewed by 20,697 fans in the stands. This season, the next projects in this field lies with the Department of
two stadiums with the highest turnout were Górnik Zabrze Communication, Marketing and Sales. The key responsibilities
(18,920 spectators) and Legia Warszawa (16,987 spectators). of this Department include a regular cooperation with business
partners, the bundling of marketing offers, and marketing
This season, the average stadium occupancy rate was 43.62% communications carried out within the framework of the
compared to 44.88% in the 2016/2017 season. The highest share strategy for the development of sponsorship cooperation areas.
in this result was attributable to Górnik Zabrze. Coming back to
Ekstraklasa with a new stadium, this team of fourteen-times
Polish champions joined the top of the league not only in sports
terms, but also in terms of match attendance. On average, as
much as 77.02% of seats were occupied per one match played by
Górnik Zabrze. In October 2017, the stadium occupancy rate was
higher than 98%, which positioned this team in the top-tier of
the leading European football teams.
Górnik Zabrze was also the leader as regards the number of
sold-out matches. As many as nine fixtures were played at the
Roosevelta street with full stadium occupancy. This figure was
better than the total outcome for all other remaining football
clubs. Two such matches were played by Bruk-Bet Termalica
Nieciecza, while one such match was played by Arka Gdynia,
Korona Kielce, Pogoń Szczecin, and Wisła Kraków.
The list of matches with the highest attendance rate starts with a TITLE PARTNER
fixture between Górnik Zabrze and Lech Poznań, where the first The Title Partnership is the sponsorship package that
team played as guests in this record-breaking match. In the last generates the highest effectiveness measured by the
matchweek of the main round, there were 36,941 spectators in the advertising equivalent. This package contains the right to
stands of the INEA Stadium. The second place on the list is taken introduce a brand name or a product name to the name of the
by another match played on this stadium – a fixture between games for a definite period of time. It also covers an
Kolejorz and Legia Warszawa played in the 11th matchweek and integration of a brand logo with the logo of the Ekstraklasa
watched by 36,829 fans. The last place on the list is taken by the competitions. The brand owned by the Title Partner generates
match played between Wisła Kraków and Legia Warszawa in the high return on investment thanks to the strategic distribution
13th matchweek and watched by 33,000 spectators. of the Partner's exposure on the stadiums and during the
broadcasts. Due to the huge interest in the Ekstraklasa
Apart from Górnik Zabrze, the average stadium occupancy rate matches, the Title Partner's brand combined with the league
exceeding 50% was also noted on the stadiums owned by name appears in media coverages and materials dedicated to
Legia Warszawa, Arka Gdynia and Bruk-Bet Termalika the top-class football competitions in TV, radio, press and
Nieciecza. Out of fourteen clubs, which participated both in the online. The average total number of publications is almost
2016/2017 and 2017/2018 games, the highest growth in match 1,000 per week. This sponsorship package provides the Title
attendance was noted by Śląsk Wrocław (by 1,659 spectators Partner with wide presence during matches on all Ekstraklasa
more, on average). This indicator has improved also for Lech stadiums, including among others, the presence on T-shirts of
Poznań, Pogoń Szczecin, Wisła Kraków, Arka Gdynia, and all teams, LED bands and adverts on the football pitch, as well
Korona Kielce. as press walls dedicated to TV interviews. At the same time, it
offers an opportunity of creating fan products with the use of
The 2015/2016 and 2016/2017 seasons brought new records in the Ekstraklasa brand. This sponsorship package builds a strong
terms of the total turnout. Although this indicator did not brand association with the most popular sports discipline in the
improve in the 2017/2018 season, it was the second season world and the top-level football league in Poland.
with the total turnout of more than 2.7 million spectators.
For the second consecutive season, the Title Partner of Ekstra-
klasa was LOTTO. Following one year of cooperation under a
mutual contract, this partnership was positively evaluated by
MARKETING RIGHTS the new management board of Totalizator Sportowy. The
Under relevant contracts, the clubs transferred their parties signed a letter of intent concerning this matter in July
centralised marketing rights to Ekstraklasa SA. Their sale is 2018. One month later, based on a one-year contract, the
EKSTRAKLASA REPORT 2017/2018 | 15Partner reserved its right to use the combined league name OFFICIAL BALL SUPPLIER
and its own brand, and the logo of Ekstraklasa. This coopera- The key technical partner of Ekstraklasa is its Official Ball
tion led to the second edition of a dedicated LOTTO Ekstraklasa Supplier. Its main task is to design and manufacture official
scratch card with the jackpot exceeding PLN 17.4 million and
balls, with which all Ekstraklasa matches are played, and to
the circulation of six million copies.
deliver them to the clubs. Under the cooperation with
Ekstraklasa, the partner can promote the official ball and sell
Under this contact, the logotype of the LOTTO Ekstraklasa
it through its own sales channels.
games remained unchanged. It was used, among others, on the
sleeves of the players' T-shirts, advertising bands on the
Adidas remains to be the Official Ball Supplier of Ekstraklasa.
stadiums and on press walls. The logotype of the competitions
The current contract is valid until the end of the 2019/2019
was also presented in TV broadcasts from matches, TV
season. The product of this brand has become the official ball
productions and online communications.
of the Ekstraklasa games for the fifth time.
OFFICIAL PARTNER
Another sponsorship package, which offers wide exposure on
the Ekstraklasa stadiums, is the title of the Official Partner.
Within this sponsorship package, the Official Partner has the
right to use the title and the logo of the Official Partner of
Ekstraklasa, together with the emblems of all sixteen clubs in
a given season, in its marketing communications. This
sponsorship package is enriched with TV benefits, which
guarantee effective consumer reach. In each business
cooperation with its partners, in addition to the benefits
related to brand exposure, Ekstraklasa also conducts activities
that directly support the business development of its partners.
This season, Ekstraklasa continued the cooperation with two
Official Partners, which were known in the previous seasons. It
was OSHEE, a manufacturer of isotonic drinks, and ZM Henryk
Kania S.A., a manufacturer of meat products. Based on the
contracts, both brands appeared in various advertising
The previous official ball from Adidas, Krasava, hit the net as
formats on the stadiums of all Ekstraklasa clubs. The
many as 807 times in 304 Ekstraklasa matches. It was the best
promotional activities also included the use of the partnership
outcome among all official balls in the history of Ekstraklasa and
logo, the presence on the Ekstraklasa social media channels,
the first official ball to exceed the limit of 800 goals. On average,
and numerous television benefits.
it crossed the goal line 2.65 times per one fixture. At the same
time, the number of goals scored with Adidas balls in the top
The OSHEE brand was also displayed on the LED bands,
Polish football league already shows nearly three thousand goals.
advertising banners hanging on the goalposts during match
breaks and next to the substitute bench. In addition, the
Krasava was then followed by Telstar18, which was, at the
logotype of the company was displayed on graphic visuals
same time, the official ball of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. It was
during match broadcasts, including the names of players and
played on the Polish football pitch for the first time on 9
team managers. OSHEE, whereas, as part of joint promotional
February 2018. With an embedded near-field communication
activities, continued the distribution of dedicated Ekstraklasa
(NFC) chip, Telstar18 is currently the most modern product in
products – isotonic and energy drinks marked with the league
the ball segment and the most innovative ball in the world.
logotype and the emblems of each football team. The contract
This technology transmits data to Android and iOS
with OSHEE remains in force until June 2019. At the beginning
smartphones. It is enough to move a smartphone supporting
of July 2018, the contract with Ekstraklasa SA was also
the NFC technology closer to the ball in a sales version. Apart
extended by ZM Henryk Kania SA until the end of the
from its modernity, the manufacturing of the ball is also based
2018/2019 season.
on the use of recycled materials.
16 | EKSTRAKLASA REPORT 2017/2018You can also read
