The 1st of January is a special day, and even more so for the Cracovia community, who gather at the stadium to celebrate the new year through a game of football, which goes under the name of New Years Training - Cracovia first team takes on the reserves. Cracovia junior teams goalkeeper coach Marcin Cabaj, who used to play for Pasy from 2003 until 2010, has talked to us about the longtime tradition.

- You played eight times in Cracovias New Years Training. What makes this game so unique?

- The New Years Training is a very special tradition, which goes back to the early 1920s. In the last couple of years some clubs followed in our footsteps and also organized games on the 1st of January, however at Cracovia it is an integral part of the clubs history. The atmosphere at New Years Training is always great, everyone is happy to see one another.

- As a Cracovia player you must have been really happy to be able to participate in New Years Trainings?

- Yeah, for sure! We would always get some time off before Christmas, so it was nice to get together on the first day of a new year and play some football. After New Years Eve parties we were not on our top form to say the least, which made it all even more fun.

- What else do you remember about the games played on 1 January?

- For a very long time the New Years Trainings were refereed by our first team administrator Maciej Madeja, who passed away two years ago. I think he was a referee in more than 40 games. For as long as he had the strength he would run on the pitch together with us, later on he refereed the games from the sidelines.

- Which game do you remember best?

- Probably my first one in 2004, Cracovia first team won 6-3. The game was all the more unusual because of the weather conditions. The pitch was covered with 20 centimeters of snow, so we might have looked a little bit silly. It is nice to take a stroll down the memory lane, those are good times to remember and cherish.

- You are a goalkeeper but during one New Years Training you scored a goal.

- Yeah, those games are all about having fun so I would get a chance to play as a forward. In 2009 I found a net, however it wasnt the first goal of the new year.

- Will you kick off 2017 at the Cracovia stadium?

- Thats the plan! Cracovia first team goalkeeper coach Maciek Palczewski asked me if I wanted to play, but I decided Im going to let the youth show what they can do. Eight times is enough, this year Ill be cheering from the stands!

- Which team?

- The better one!