Basketball. Stal's Troubles, Hope for Spójnia?

All 16 Orlen Basket Liga clubs have received licenses to play in the 2025/2026 season, but Stal Ostrów is in trouble. There is speculation that the club from Greater Poland may not participate in the competition, and its place will be taken by PGE Spójnia Stargard, which has been relegated to the first league.

Sixteen clubs have successfully completed the licensing process to play in the 2025/2026 ORLEN Basket League. The following clubs will play in the Orlen Basket League in the 2025/2026 season: AMW Arka Gdynia, Anwil Włocławek, Arriva Polski Cukier Toruń, Dziki Warszawa, Energa Czarni Słupsk, Górnik Zamek Książ Wałbrzych, King Szczecin, Legia Warszawa, Miasto Szkła Krosno, MKS Dąbrowa Górnicza, PGE Start Lublin, Tasomix Rosiek Stal Ostrów Wielkopolski, Tauron GTK Gliwice, Trefl Sopot, WKS Śląsk Wrocław, and Zastal Zielona Góra," reads a statement from the Polish Basketball League (PLK) published on the league's official website on July 23.

A day earlier, Stal Ostrów issued a statement online in which, among other things, it expected the city to help repay its debt of PLN 1.8 million or for Ostrów to purchase its shares in the club.

"After 11 seasons of playing at the highest level in Poland, we find ourselves at a crucial moment – a moment that requires decisive action and broad dialogue with all who care about basketball in Ostrów," the club said in a statement. The club's debt currently stands at PLN 1.88 million, which represents just 2% of its total budget from the last 11 years of operation in the top league. Ninety-eight percent of the funds that have passed through the club during this time have been repaid and accounted for. While the situation is challenging, it is neither unique nor hopeless – many sports clubs in Poland have faced similar challenges," Stal wrote in the statement.

The city authorities responded that the club could not count on additional financial resources.

"The City of Ostrów Wielkopolski maintains its declared support for the 2025/2026 season in the amount of PLN 2,500,000.00, which constitutes a significant contribution to the Club's operations. We will not accept any other proposals, including increasing support or acquiring shares in STAL SA, as the Club's president and owner were informed of a week ago," the Ostrów City Hall wrote in a statement.

Whether these problems will force Stal to withdraw from the competition or sell their OBL spot to another club remains to be seen. Under new coach Marek Popiołek, Spójnia is building a roster with the goal of playing in the first league and fighting for promotion. Jalen Ray, Igor Wadowski, Szymon Szmit, Paweł Kikowski, Wojciech Czerlonko, and Jarosław Mokros have already signed contracts with Spójnia.

(voivodeship)