Passion, tradition and a championship goal – meet the ZW Automation Dwójka Świerklany team

Supporting local champions – why do we play on the same team?

We are proud to support the Club by funding league fees, training hall rentals and professional equipment. We invest in authentic values: perseverance and the drive to be the best – qualities that guide us every day in our engineering work. Discover the story of “our” Dwójka – from local courts to record-breaking championship titles. We talk about life on and off the court with the team leader, Mateusz Świstak.

Volleyball is in our DNA. An interview with Mateusz Świstak

ZWA: Dwójka Świerklany is already something of an institution. How did the name and the team come about?

Mateusz Świstak: That’s right – we’ve been around for 25 years! The team was founded by two brothers, the Błatoń brothers. At the time, there was already a team called “Jedynka Jankowice” – our long-standing rivals. When the brothers set up their squad in the neighbouring village of Świerklany, they cheekily chose the next number in line. And so “Dwójka” was born. Over the years the name has evolved alongside our sponsors – it was once Projtrans, a company belonging to one of the brothers, and today we proudly compete as ZW Automation Dwójka Świerklany. The eldest of the founders, Damian Błatoń, is still with us – he plays and handles organisational matters as the team’s “guardian angel”. We started out in a regional league covering Rybnik and the surrounding area, and today our reach has grown considerably – we play and travel across the whole of Silesia and beyond.

Your squad includes quite a few “old guard” players, but also young talent. What does your roster look like?

The team currently numbers between 16 and 20 players. We have a unique mix – some of our players have come through professional clubs such as Jastrzębski Węgiel, including our coach Marek Pyza, outside hitter Sebastian Żarłok, and several others, myself included. On the other hand, we also serve as a talent pipeline – our players regularly move on to the first and second professional leagues. The average age is around 30, but the spread is wide: from 24 to 50-year-olds.

What do you do when you take off your volleyball jerseys?

In everyday life we are a genuine cross-section of society. We have a traffic police officer, construction company owners, manufacturing plant employees, real estate agents, car salespeople, and a physiotherapist from Jastrzębski Węgiel.

You are the most decorated team in the history of the Atlas Tours Amateur Volleyball League. Where does this dominance come from?

We have won the league 12 or 13 times, and we have reached the final on nearly 20 occasions! That is a remarkable achievement, because Silesia is the heartland of volleyball in Poland and the standard here is genuinely high. Our strength lies in experience and composure. Even when our opponents are consumed by nerves in a final, we hold that mental edge. At one point we had a run of 54 consecutive matches without a defeat – that streak lasted more than two full seasons!

But that is not the only competition you take part in?

Our ambitions reach further. We regularly feature on the podium at the Smoki Wawelskie tournament in Kraków, we compete in the Carnival Tournament in Krzeszowice and in the mixed-gender competition in Rabka-Zdrój. We also represent the company at the prestigious Polish Corporate Championships (Business Volley Cup) in cities such as Gliwice and Twardogóra. Volleyball is a year-round pursuit for us.

What role does coach Marek Pyza play in the team?

Marek is the “spirit of the squad”. He has forgotten more about volleyball than most people will ever know – he was a four-time Polish academic champion in beach volleyball. He is an authority and an outstanding tactician who reads the game superbly. In difficult moments he knows exactly how to motivate us, and when the situation calls for it, he can cool the tension and restore calm. He is a leader who ensures that, despite our amateur status, we maintain a professional approach to every single match.

It sounds as though volleyball means more to you than just training sessions?

Absolutely. We are a group of friends. We meet up privately at weekends, go out together after tournaments and socialise off the court. Those conversations away from the game can be genuinely refreshing, and it is precisely in those moments that real bonds are formed – bonds that show up clearly when we are playing. We support one another not only in sport but in everyday life too.

For three seasons now the ZW Automation logo has featured on your jerseys. How did this partnership begin?

We got to know Maciek Włodarczyk (President of ZWA) through mutual acquaintances. He liked the way we played, joined us for the post-match get-together, and one thing led to another – he and the coach worked out the sponsorship arrangement between them.

What has this support changed in your volleyball lives?

Thanks to the partnership with ZWA and TKKF Jastrzębie Zdrój we have professional organisation fully taken care of. That gives us enormous peace of mind. We have custom-made professional kits, a paid-for hall and referees. We no longer need to run collections for basic items such as balls or equipment. We can simply enjoy the game and represent the company, knowing we have a solid support structure behind us – which allows us to focus entirely on training and on the sheer pleasure of playing. We are also very taken with the new crest and colour scheme you designed for us – it is clean, sharp and elegant.

What are your goals for the coming months?

The priority is the Atlas Tours league final, which takes place in May. Although we have recently gone through squad rotations and the inevitable injuries, we trust in our mental edge. In the play-offs, which get under way in March, we will give everything we have.

Three words that describe ZW Automation Dwójka Świerklany?

Combative, always smiling and… able to lose with grace.

What would you like to wish you at the close?

We would like to thank all ZW Automation employees. It is thanks to your work that we are able to pursue our passion and fly the company flag on the courts. Cheer us on as we make our way to the final!