May 2024 turned out to be a dark month for fans volleyball in Lubin. The local Cuprum, the fourteenth team of the last PlusLiga season, officially moved less than 200 kilometers north to Gorzów Wielkopolski. This happened as a result of the decision of the city of Lubin, which stopped supporting the volleyball project and dealt the club a fatal blow.
Big move in PlusLiga
Activists from Gorzów took action. Negotiations regarding the merger of Cuprum Lubin with third-league Stilon Gorzów lasted a long time, fans from the Lower Silesian city protested. However, in the end, their opposition did not help much. On May 15, 2024, exactly the establishment of Cuprum Stilon Gorzów SA was announced.
“The club will be based in Gorzów Wielkopolski, and matches home games will be played in the Arena Gorzów Sports and Entertainment Hall. From the 2024/2025 season, we will have a first team playing in the highest league, a second team serving as a support team and playing matches at the II League level, and a Volleyball Academy for the youngest adepts of this discipline,” we read in the official announcement at the time. All previous players from Lubin moved to Gorzów.
KGHM to End Project Before It Has Even Begun? A Devastating Decision
Now, however, a “bomb” has fallen on the newly created project. As reported by “Gazeta Lubelska”the main sponsor, KGHM, withdrew from financing the club. From the very beginning, the Polish industrial giant was the main supporter of the entire club, which was to be registered for the competition as KGHM Cuprum Stilon Gorzów. Ultimately, nothing will come of it. KGHM was to provide the club with as much as PLN 3.5 million out of a budget of PLN 7.5 million. Even the KGHM Communication Department expressed its opinion on the matter Poland Copper SA.
“KGHM was the sponsor of the KGHM Cuprum Lubin volleyball club until the end of July this year. Current budget possibilities and the ongoing review of sponsorship projects in the company result in the lack of continuation of some projects concerning sponsorship,” company representatives wrote for “Gazeta Lubuska”.
The president announces a fight. Stilon does not want to follow in the footsteps of the Szczecin Shipyard
Does this mean that Gorzów volleyball will end up like the infamous project in Szczecin? Let us recall that in 2018, Stocznia Szczecin loudly announced the construction of a powerhouse in the PlusLiga and brought many stars from Bartosz Kurek at the forefront. It ended up that they operated without a specific budget, and when sponsors did not pay as much as expected, the project collapsed and after a few rounds of the 2018/19 season, it withdrew from the competition.
Things aren't supposed to be that bad in Gorzów. KGHM's loss will hurt, and hurt a lot, but according to president Tomasz Tycel, the club will start the games as planned, and will also fight to change KGHM's decision. – We know KGHM's latest position and we are in talks with them. We have arranged meetings, and final, binding decisions should be made next week. We will issue an official statement on this matter by the end of August – Tycel announced.
– The budget is constructed safelythere are no arrears in payments today and there will be none in the future. We maintain financial liquidity and it will remain that way. Fans can rest assured: the first league match with Trefl Gdańsk, scheduled for September 14 at Arena Gorzów, and all the others will definitely take place – said the club president for “Gazeta Lubuska”.