PZPN

The SUPPORTERS UNITED sector is present at every Poland national team match played in our country. Coordinators of the local centres often plan trips in such a way that, in addition to the match itself, there is also time to spend the day together and explore the city.

During the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, representatives of the centres in Lublin, Wrocław, Białystok, and Bełchatów appeared in the SUPPORTERS UNITED sector. The Wrocław group arrived with young players from the Śląsk Wrocław football academy, the Lublin centre invited children from the Pogodny Dom children's home to the match, and the Białystok representatives were joined by female players from the "Lambada Girls" Football Academy, run by the Lambada Choroszcz Association.

Two weeks later, the sector once again filled with fans from various parts of the country. SUPPORTERS UNITED centres from Legnica, Poznań, Szczecin, and Chorzów travelled to the match against Romania. The Szczecin centre brought children from the Getbol football academy, children supported by the Caritas of the Archdiocese of Szczecin-Kamień, and young fans from various backgrounds to the PGE Narodowy. For the other centres, however, the visit to Warsaw did not end with the match. Children from the Family Support Centre and care homes in Chorzów visited the Copernicus Science Centre, and later spent time in the very centre of Warsaw, around the Palace of Culture and Science. Children with whom the Legnica SUPPORTERS UNITED centre works on a daily basis also travelled to Warsaw with their parents. For them, the trip was an opportunity not only to support the team together, but also to take a walk around Warsaw's Old Town.

For many young fans, however, the most important part of such a trip remains the match itself. A trip with a local centre is often the first opportunity to see the Poland national team live. The PGE Narodowy, singing the national anthem together, the support, and the emotions in the stands create a completely different experience from watching a match on television. However, the role of the SUPPORTERS UNITED sector does not end there. There is something else that is difficult to capture in a standard match report - a gathering of fans who are divided by their club colours on a daily basis. This is because fans from various clubs and backgrounds sit in the same sector. They compete against each other at league stadiums, but at the PGE Narodowy, they all share a common goal: to support the Poland national team.

It is in such moments that the idea behind the SUPPORTERS UNITED Programme is most visible. Children, young fans, and adults associated with different clubs and cities come together in one sector. They might be divided by club colours on a daily basis, but during a national team match, they are united by their shared support for the White and Reds. And it is exactly such gatherings that show that football can be a space for building relationships beyond club rivalries.