2024 Season Summary – Panthers Juniors

The 2024 season for Panthers Juniors was definitely one full of emotions, intense training, and valuable experiences. Although the team didn’t win the Polish Junior Championship, their progress and achievements are worth highlighting.
The team finished the season as runners-up, losing in the final to the well-prepared Warsaw Mets 6:29.

Defensive coordinator, Przemek Lewszyk, rated the season very positively, noting the large recruitment of young players, including 14-year-olds, who played as starters this year.
"I assess the season very positively; the large recruitment of young, 14-year-old players who already played as starters this year gives us great hope for the coming years. Moreover, thanks to regular recruitment, we now have a roster of around 100 players, so we can be confident about the future. Our goal, as every year, was to develop impeccable work and training culture in our players, which will not only result in better performances on the field but also in school and later in life – regardless of the path they choose. The rest – the medal around the neck and good sports results – are merely the outcome of the entire training process. We are happy to see how much the young players enjoy playing football and how much joy it brings them. Today's youth has it tough – the number of opportunities and stimuli they face can often be overwhelming, so we’re glad we found a place for them where they can forget about everything and focus only on the game and their teammates."

Miłosz Maćków, the head coach of the team, also emphasized the importance of the progress made by his players.
"We are extremely proud of the progress our players have made. During every junior competition, we fight to give them as much playing time as possible, because at this stage of development, that time is invaluable. Every year, we fight for the playoffs and the final primarily for this reason – it’s additional time on the field for our players. We’ve had a whole year of preparation, strength, motor, and football training. As the coaching staff, we can say with full responsibility that our players worked very hard this year and are much better than they were in December 2023 when they started their preparations. Of course, 'fun is in the winning,' and it would have been wonderful to cap off the season with another championship, but that’s not the most important thing at this stage of development. It’s getting comfortable with full-contact football, gaining experience, and every second spent in game situations that matter. It’s well-known that it’s the losses and setbacks that teach the most in sports, so I’m sure that our players also took an important lesson from the last game, and they will turn their disappointment and sporting frustration into motivation to keep working. There are more challenges ahead, another year of junior competitions, but also the first season of the Polish Football League, which kicks off this spring!"

The 2024 season is another step in the right direction – successful recruitment combined with a preparation process tailored to the recruits' abilities. Although the team didn’t win the championship, they showed tremendous commitment and potential, which is just waiting for further development!
The offseason is ahead of us, where players can return to full health, and in just a few weeks, we’ll be back to training and preparing for the upcoming seasons – both in the junior league and in the senior competitions.