Mieszka W Polsce: Living in Poland – How to Buy tickets for Lechia Gdańsk as a Foreigner

In my series Mieszka W Polsce (Living in Poland), I give detailed and personal experiences from things I do in Poland as a foreigner or immigrant to become part of the culture. I’m not here to change Poland – I love it how it is – I’m here because life took me here and it feels like home now. I am doing this series for two reasons –
1.To share my stories and
2.To help others move to Poland or understand living in Poland easier.

As a football fan, some of these posts will undoubtedly overlap with my football stories. Today’s post tells you how to Buy tickets for Lechia Gdańsk as a foreigner.

While living in Gdańsk I wanted to go and watch some local football. Gdańsk boasts lots of options, a few stadiums as does nearby Sopot and Gdynia. Here are some of the teams you can watch:
Lechia Gdańsk (seen them 5+ times)
Arka Gdynia (seen them 5+ times)
Sopot
WK Wybrzeze Gdańsk (seen them once)
Polonia Gdańsk (seen them once)
Jaguar II Gdańsk (seen them once)
UKS Klukowo (seen them once)
Bałtyka Gdynia
Klub Piłkarski Starogard (seen them 5+ times)

Do you need a “Fan Card” to buy a Lechia Gdańsk ticket?

The good news is no. But don’t be an idiot. You are buying a Lechia Gdańsk ticket and they play in green and white hoops in a huge vociferous stadium. So DO NOT wear yellow and blue. That is the main tip here. If you don’t know why, then do some research. 2017 Polish Cup winners, Polish Super Cup winners and UEFA Cup qualifiers Arka Gdynia are the HUGE rivals here. The two teams hate each other, so wear green and white. You will only need a fan card if you want a season ticket, or if you start going regularly (to save hassle and time) or to go to away games. For a one-off match, you do not need a fan card.

Places That Sell Lechia Gdańsk tickets

The great news is – you don’t have to go to the stadium to buy Lechia Gdańsk tickets. You can buy Lechia Gdańsk tickets at many many locations!! This includes stores not even in Gdańsk  – like in Malbork, Prabuty, Tczew and Starogard Gdański! They even sell them in Sopot, BUT NOT and NEVER in Gdynia – note this! I really liked this aspect of Polish culture when I realised you can buy tickets in other towns where locals lend support to that side. As when I lived in Bournemouth, I could ONLY buy AFC Bournemouth tickets from the actual stadium itself. These are just some locations that sell the tickets:

FULL list of venues that sell Lechia Gdańsk tickets (on that link are ALL of them), here are just some:

• Stadion Energa itself
• Biedronka, Starogard Gdański
• Ul. Legionistów 12 – Wąbrzeźno

• Ul. Reja 7 – Prabuty
  

• Galeria Madison
  The central shopping centre, Galeria Madison sells Lechia Gdańsk tickets on the top floor. This is where I went to buy mine. There is also a mini fan shop here for souvenirs. It was so easy, so friendly here…

What do you need to buy Lechia Gdańsk tickets?

You need any kind of photographic ID. Personally I always carry a driving licence or passport. Do it. No address was needed, though I actually lived in Gdańsk at the time and had proof of that. So if you are a tourist for a few days, you won’t need any proof of living there – just your real ID! Just the passport and the payment – that is it. You can pay in cash or by card. In 2016 when I went to my first Lechia Gdańsk match (v. Lech Poznań), I paid in cash. Tickets cost 35 złotych (£7 or 8.3 Euros) at the time and they vary of course. Yes – I paid 35 złotych at the time and went into the GREEN section – it kind of fitted me…

Where to sit at a Lechia Gdańsk match

As a foreigner you are advised to sit in any stand except the away end (OBVIOUSLY). Polish football is very divisive. The fans don’t mix and mingle with each other before the match, it’s not like Glentoran v. Ards!! You can go to the hardcore behind the nets if you wish, but be sure to know some Polish, be a nut and join in! I went to the green section just beside it where I could also sing and go nuts with the fans, but not quite as insane. I was in Sektor Y, Row 22 (my lucky number always) and seat/place 163. The atmosphere was brilliant. I spoke to only 3-4 Lechia fans during the experience and they all knew I was foreign, but they had no issues. I must also stress, I was on my own as my Polish friends didn’t go – most of them support Legia Warszawa, Arka Gdynia or Lech Poznań. Check this out:

Don’t wear Yellow and Blue

Please take my advice. Don’t wear Yellow and Blue ever to a Lechia Gdańsk match. Unless of course you are in the away end supporting bitter rivals Arka Gdynia. The nearby city of Gdynia is where Arka play. Both teams are currently in the top flight of the Polish League system. Arka were very successful in 2017. You don’t wear yellow and blue to a Lechia match. Not even by coincidence. YOU WEAR GREEN AND WHITE. Oh, and this is Arka…

Do/ Please wear Green and White

As a long time Northern Ireland football supporter I have plenty of green and white attire. I love it. I could blend in easily. If you have a Sporting Lisbon or Glasgow Celtic shirt you will blend right in as Lechia Gdańsk wear the same green and white hoops. I called them the Green and White Army for the day. My friends of other teams will disown me, but Lechia were brilliant to me and very happy and passionate football fans. I still don’t know whether the infamous Karolina really supported Arka Gdynia or Lechia Gdańsk…

Getting to the Stadium – Stadion Energa

I used to live in Gdańsk and found the public transport network very efficient and effective. To get to the huge stadium, the Stadion Energa (43,615), use tram lines 5, 7, 10 or buses 188 or 283 (these can change) and get out at Stadion Energa or anywhere near Nowy Port and walk it. I got out at Stadion Energa every time…

• Tram 3 also goes nearby – http://www.ztm.gda.pl/rozklady/linia-3.html

For once my local friends didn’t go with me. Most of my friends supported Legia Warszawa (many articles to come Rafi) or Arka Gdynia at the time so I was a bit alone. For this, Lechia Gdańsk fans I thank you. As hard to believe that will be for my Legia and Arka mates, I had fun here!!

Murals of Lechia Gdańsk

One thing of beauty in Poland are (is) the murals. The Gdańsk neighbourhood of Zaspa is undoubtedly one of the most artistic housing estates in Europe. But these also exist…

Irish Fans in Gdańsk

My friend Martin from Dublin is a great lad – a true gent who I met up with on many journeys on the road. He once told me that the Irish (Republic of) fans sang loudly and partied in Gdańsk in 2012 during the Euros. And they did!! They were here four years before me and my reputation was good because of them and they sang “low lie the fields of Athenry” in this exact stadium, fair play lads, from a Northern Irish Belfast Child.

“Low lie the Fields of Athenry , where once we watched the young free birds fly. 
Our love was on the wing, we had dreams and songs to sing, it’s so lonely round the Fields of Athenry. “

 

I really had fun here at the stadium and hope I can help other tourists and followers go to watch this team, Lechia. Life has changed for me though, since 2016 – I now follow KP Starogard in the fourth tier and Legia Warszawa in the Ekstraklasa. I also take my flags to the matches, as Travelling Northern Irishman and Northern Ireland flag on my journeys through 180 countries.

Here are some videos from the Lechia Gdańsk match v. Lech Poznań in 2016: