„Niepodlegla” on the IBB Polonia London match shirts

As in the last two seasons, IBB Polonia London will commemorate a historic event on the match shirts for the whole season. Previously the Champions of England showed the remembrance for the Polish fighter pilots of the Battle of Britain as well as the „unseen” soldiers from the second world war. This season, the logo will feature „Niepodlegla”; this indicates the 100 years since Poland gained its independence in 1918. The shirt design will be visible during league matches as well as cup matches in England. In addition it will be on show during the club NEVZA championships during the 2017-2018 season. This was a joint initiative between The Club and the Polish Cultural Institute in London.

– Poland celebrates its 100 years of independence in the coming year. A century ago saw the beginnings of contemporary Poland; and thanks to the generations brought up since then, our patriotic values have remained in place. They saw very tough times when Poland was occupied during the second world war and afterwards during the entire communist regime. We are pleased that the sports club of Polonia want to take part in marking this important anniversary and will have the logo of “Niepodlegla” proudly displayed on their chests. Through this, modern generations can feel as though they are part of this commemoration despite living overseas in the UK. – said Robert Szaniawski, the Director of the Polish Cultural Institute in London.

The logo of independence will take the form of a rosette surrounding the number of the player on their shirt. The red and white ribbon is the symbol of Poland used during the most important events in Poland.

– The regaining of Polish independence is the latest in the continuation of three years of symbols worn by IBB Polonia London players that show the union between the UK and Poland. Being able to represent these historic events is a very important privilege for The Club. We hope to show the respect and memory that we have for those who gave their lives fighting for our independence. The logo will remind us of the values held by our predecessors and will motivate us to work hard with pride. – said Club Chairman, Bartek Luszcz.

The start of the new season is awaiting the players. The squad has now been finalised. IBB Polonia London will be made up of players from many European countries as well as the USA and Brazil. The most numerous country represented is Poland. The Club is looking rejuvenated and made up of young ambitious players and hopes that the core will be the future of volleyball talent in this country. This season’s team can be seen here.

November 11th is a public holiday in Poland commemorating independence. In 1795, after the third partition, Poland vanished from the map and for 123 years (until 1918) found itself divided up by Russia, Prussia and Austria. In 1914, the First World War began and one of the results was the rebirth of a nation and Poland became a country in its own right once again. In 2018 the anniversary of the regaining of independence will be marked.

The club holds 2017 England Super 8 Champions and English National Cup titles. IBB Polonia will be representing English Volleyball in European tournaments – NEVZA Club Championships. Last year the team was ninth in CEV Challenge Cup.