A new football power has emerged in Inverness, thanks to the many football daft Polish workers now living in the area.
Polonia FC played their first game this week and will take part in the second division of the Inverness and District Amateur League which has just opened its season.
They opened their account with a 3-1 victory over established side Sam’s this week and now are looking ahead to their new season.
The club is the brainchild of city priest Father Piotr Rytel from St Mary’s Church on Huntly Street, who will be combining his role as club secretary and first aid man with doing a shift on the park at right-back.
He is also a friend of Celtic goalkeeper Lukasz Zaluska, having grown up in the same area of Poland.
However, he is modest about his playing ability, saying: “I’m not a superstar, I know what my skills are.”
They already have 23 players registered with the club, made up of Polish workers and students from across the Inverness and Dingwall area, with the age range stretching from 18 to 40-years-old.
They will train and play at Bught Park under the watchful eye of team manager Jakub Olubek and coach Marcin Dudkiewick.
Fr Rytel said that a number of Poles had already been playing for amateurs sides across the city, but there had been a “demand” for a dedicated new club.
He said: “There is a large Polish community already. We are a group largely made up of people working in the Inverness and Dingwall area who got together and decided to create a club.
“A lot of men play football so this is a good opportunity to get together and socialise as well as playing football.
“It’s a new thing. It hasn’t been done before here.”
The squad already has a full set of strips for the new season but received a boost this week after an offer of support and equipment from Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
The squad will received training gear and footballs from the professional club as part of their Football in the Community scheme.