Korona KielceKorona Kielce is a Polish football club founded on 10 July 1973 through the merger of two local teams, Iskra Kielce and SHL Kielce. The newly formed club adopted a four-pronged metallic crown as its emblem, referencing the metal industry with which the sponsoring factories were associated. Supporters still call the team Złocisto-Krwiści (The Golden-Blooded) or Koroniarze, and the club's yellow-and-red colours have remained unchanged for decades.
For most of its history, Korona was a lower-division club, spending a combined 14 seasons in the second tier and 17 in the third tier of Polish football. A turning point came in 2002, when the club was taken over by the company Kolporter S.A., enabling it to build a stronger squad and infrastructure. Three years later, in 2005, Korona was promoted to the top flight for the first time in its history, and its league debut — a goalless draw with Cracovia on 26 July 2005 — opened a new chapter in the club's story.
The club's greatest sporting achievement came in the 2006–07 season, when it reached the Polish Cup final. Along the way, Korona eliminated Górnik Zabrze, Lech Poznań and Wisła Płock, but lost the decisive match 0–2 to Dyskobolia Grodzisk Wielkopolski. The following year brought one of the darkest chapters in the club's history: in 2008, Korona was relegated to the second tier as a result of Poland's football corruption scandal. Korona has never won the Polish championship, and its best league finish remains fifth place in the Ekstraklasa, achieved three times — in 2006, 2012 and 2017.
Since 2006, the club has played its home matches at the venue now known as Exbud Arena, which has recorded one of the highest average attendances in the Polish league for years. Korona's traditional rival in regional derbies is KSZO Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski. Notably, the handball section spun off from the club in 1991, now operating as KS Industria Kielce, has achieved success unmatched by the football section, winning the EHF Champions League title in the 2015–16 season.