Orange Ekstraklasa
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| Country | Poland |
|---|---|
| Confederation | UEFA |
| Founded | 4-5 December 1926 |
| Number of teams | 16 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | I liga |
| Domestic cup(s) |
Polish Cup Polish SuperCup |
| International cup(s) |
UEFA Champions League UEFA Europa League |
| Current champions |
Legia Warsaw (11th title) (2015–16) |
| Most championships |
Górnik Zabrze Wisła Kraków (14 titles each) |
| TV partners | nc+Eurosport 2 |
| Website | Official website |
 2016–17 Ekstraklasa season
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The Ekstraklasa (Polish pronunciation: [ˌɛkstraˈklasa]), since 2016 Lotto Ekstraklasa is a Polish professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Polish football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 16 clubs, operating a system of promotion and relegation with the I liga. The Ekstraklasa season starts in late July, and ends in May or June the following year, teams play a total of 37 games each.
The Ekstraklasa (former I liga) was officially formed as Liga Piłki Nożnej (Polish pronunciation: [ˈlʲiɡa ˈpiwki ˈnɔʐnɛj]; LPN) on 1 March 1927 in Warsaw, but Polish Championships and the Polish Football Federation PZPN (Polski Związek Piłki Nożnej) had been in existence since 20 December 1919, a year after the independence of Poland in 1918. The first games of the freshly created league took place on 3 April 1927, while first national non-league football championship took place in 1921. First, historic champion of the newly restored Second Polish Republic was Cracovia, after which Pogon Lwow was the champion in 1922, 1923, 1925 and 1926.
A total of 80 clubs have played in the top division of Polish football since the founding of the league, of which 16 clubs have won the title. The current champions are Legia Warsaw, who won their eleventh title in 2015–16.
4-5 December 1926 in Warsaw, representatives from several Polish clubs met each other. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss about possibility of creating a league. It is unknown who came up with the idea of a league. A country wide league was thought to be a much more practical solution than hitherto practiced two-stage system of regional games, followed by a national game.
To dismay of clubs' officials, PZPN did not like the idea of a league and the Association wanted to thwart it. However, it turned out that virtually all but one of the Polish clubs supported the idea. The decision to create it was made regardless of what PZPN's representatives thought of it. In late February 1927, at the PZPN's meeting in Warsaw, its officials openly opposed the formation of a league, but the clubs, allegedly egged on by some generals from the Polish Army (which, after May Coup of 1926, played a key role in all aspects of public life), proceeded anyway. The creation of the League was announced on 1 March 1927.
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