First edition of the Panthers Kicking Derby is behind us!

25 competitors, 3 competitions and 4 experts. The first ever edition of the Kicking Derby, organized by Panthers Wrocław, together with the Tarczyński company and the Lower Silesian Football Association, has gone down in history. On Saturday, December 3rd, at the Olympic Stadium, in the spirit of sports competition, representatives of the Wrocław club were looking for a football talent who would like to replace soccer with American football. The winner, who was selected on December 6th, was awarded a financial prize of PLN 5,000.

This has never happened in European football before

The event aimed at selecting the future kicker of the team is a novelty not only in Poland, but also in Europe. There was no shortage of people willing to exchange soccer for American football. 25 people applied for the first edition of the competition. Among them, players not only from Wrocław, but also from all over Lower Silesia. Three fixed elements of the game were verified: kickoff (3 kick attempts to aim at the closest designated zone on the pitch), punt (kick to the target) and field goal (kick on goal).

"To our amazement, the winner of the last category, kicks on goal, was flawless in every shot. He successfully kicked the ball from every possible distance, i.e. 27, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50 and 55 yards, which is definitely not an easy task" - Jakub Samel, Sports Director of Panthers Wrocław.

The skills of the players were assessed by the jury composed of: Michał Latoś (President of Panthers Wrocław), Jakub Samel (Sports Director of Panthers Wrocław), Dariusz Ankiewicz (Team Manager and assistant coach) and Andrzej Padewski (President of the Lower Silesian Football Association).

Lower Silesia with football potential

"For the vast majority of players, Kicking Derby was the first opportunity to come into contact with an American football ball. Nevertheless, we were very positively surprised by the sports level presented by the participants, which only confirmed our belief that the football community is a perfect place to look for local talents with great potential" - Michał Latoś, President of the Management Board of Panthers Wrocław.

The ten best players received awards from the Tarczyński company and the Lower Silesian Football Association. We have also met the winner of the first edition of the event - Jakub Aldaś. The jury also awarded second and third place to Jakub Ciurkot and Sławomir Pełdiak respectively. The three players will be invited by the club's authorities to the Olympic Stadium to discuss joint development prospects within the club's structures.