Soccer in Vienna

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The football in Vienna was until the mid-20th century, almost identical to the football in Austria . Because the top division in the country consisted exclusively of Viennese teams from its introduction in the 1911/12 season to the 1937/38 season and again in the period between 1944/45 and 1948/49 .

In order to be able to classify this aspect correctly it is of immense importance that in the first half of the 20th century the serious opponents of the top Viennese teams did not come from the Austrian federal states, but from cities like Prague , Bologna and Budapest . An almost logical consequence was the introduction of the Mitropacup , which was held between 1927 and 1939 and can be seen as a kind of forerunner of the European Cup . In terms of both the sporting aspects and the number of spectators, Vienna was able to feel like a European football metropolis, especially in the late 1920s and 1930s.

The beginnings of Viennese football

The cricketers (here a team photo from 1897) are considered to be the actual initiators of the Viennese football scene.

Football came to the Austrian capital as early as the 1890s thanks to English people living in Vienna . Almost simultaneously, in August 1894, the football department within the Vienna Cricket Club, which had been in existence since 1892, and a new club called First Vienna Football Club were founded. The older club actually wanted to change its name to First Vienna Cricket and Football Club . But because the newly launched competitor was entered in the association register one day earlier, it was entitled to the designation "First". Thus the oldest football club in Austria was officially only the second oldest, which was very displeasing to the English, who were so keen on the First in their name. The British even spoke of scandal and corruption, and so a rivalry that went beyond the sporting dimension developed between the two clubs, as is characteristic of many football derbies around the world. Due to the similarity of their names, the older club was soon given the common unofficial name Cricketer . They won the first encounter with their namesake on November 15, 1894 4-0. This encounter is still referred to as the birth of Austrian football, even though two teams from the ATRV Graz competed against each other in the Styrian metropolis on March 18, 1894.

In 1897 the Challenge Cup was introduced on the initiative of the Cricketers . This cup competition was unofficially regarded as the first championship of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy . In the "anticipated final" of the first tournament in 1897, the Cricketers faced their namesake in the semifinals and struggled to a 3-2 victory, but in the final that followed they had an easy game against Wiener FC 1898 , which they defeated 7-0 .

In the following year, the Cricketers also won the jubilee tournament held on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the throne of Emperor Franz-Josef on the Hohe Warte , which went down in the city's football history as the first major tournament in Vienna.

Even if not regularly, the Challenge Cup was held until 1911 and usually took place between the most important teams from Vienna, Prague and Budapest . The most frequent winner was the team from Vienna AC , which won the trophy three times, ahead of the two Vienna teams, which were each twice successful.

The league operation

In the 1911/12 season , Austria's top division , which initially only consisted of Viennese teams, was introduced. The initial balance of power had long since shifted. The Cricketers came last with a meager record of only 2 points from 20 games and never played in the first division again in the future. The fact that such a crash had occurred was primarily due to the internal disputes that arose at the beginning of the season, as a result of which some officials and almost the entire team left the club and founded a new club with the SV Amateure . In the opening season, he finished eighth with a record of five wins, five draws and ten defeats, while his later biggest rival, SK Rapid, was Austria's first champion in the football annals.

Rapid dominated the league in the first twelve seasons with a total of eight championship titles that were won by the 1922/23 season , while the SV Amateure, forerunner of FK Austria , won its first championship title in the 1923/24 season. Even then, the aversions that existed between the two clubs occasionally erupted into crowd riots.

Until the 1937/38 season , the top Austrian division consisted exclusively of Viennese teams. For the first time in the 1938/39 season , with the railway sports club Wacker Wiener Neustadt , the SK Amateure Steyr and the Grazer SC tram teams in the first division, whose home was not in Vienna. Between 1944/45 and 1948/49 , the Austrian football championship was again limited to the Vienna area until a national league was introduced in the 1949/50 season . The 1964/65 season brought another decisive change in the former supremacy in Vienna . On the one hand, half of the league consisted of Viennese clubs (7 of 14) for the last time this season, because two Viennese clubs ( WAC and SC Wacker ) had to be relegated at the end of the season . On the other hand, the Linz ASK won the Austrian football championship for the first time not from Vienna.

The ten league, introduced in 1974/75 , marked a significant turning point for Viennese football , because it aimed for equal representation of all regions of the country and only granted two places to Vienna, which meant that the Wiener Sport-Club and First Vienna FC lost their first division status in 1894 . However, they managed to return to the elite class by winning the second division championship (the Vienna 1975/76 and the WSC 1976/77), so that in the 1977/78 season four clubs were again represented in the top division. In the following season 1978/79 even three Viennese clubs occupied the first three places in the final table: Austria ahead of the WSC and Rapid, Vienna finished the season in eighth place.

The ten league was played until the 1981/82 season and expanded to 16 teams in the 1982/83 season , whereby five Viennese clubs were initially represented in the top division, of which Vienna and the 1st Simmeringer SC, however, were immediately relegated. When the league was reduced to twelve teams just a few years later in the 1985/86 season , the WSC also lost its first division status. Nevertheless, a certain Viennese dominance was noticeable in this season when FK Austria became champions with two points ahead of SK Rapid, while third-placed SK Austria Klagenfurt ended the season 14 points behind runners-up Rapid. At the same time, the second division Sport-Club and Vienna managed to return to the upper house. The twelve-league that was held at that time was designed in such a way that after the actual season the first eight teams played in the championship round, while places 9 to 12 competed together with the four best teams in the second division in the relegation round for relegation or promotion. In the 1987/88 and 1988/89 seasons, Viennese dominance was once again noticeable in the form when all four Viennese first division clubs were represented in the championship round.

The return to the division of ten, which is still played today, in the 1993/94 season marked the definitive end of the broader football culture in Vienna. Because at the end of the season the Wiener Sport-Club had to relegate and, like Vienna, which was relegated in 1992, never returned to the upper house of football. Since the 1994/95 season , the once powerful football city of Vienna has only been represented by Austria and Rapid in the top Austrian football class. But the two big Viennese teams have long since lost their national supremacy. Their last league title dating to the seasons 2007/08 (Rapid) and 2012/13 (Austria) because they their former supremacy in recent years to the new "Series champions" FC Red Bull Salzburg , Association of the beverage company Red Bull have lost, .

Sociological Aspects

Game scene from a Vienna derby between Austria and Rapid .

Milieu-related differences between various Viennese associations were repeatedly described using the terms suburb and coffee house . The term suburb is synonymous with the districts of Vienna, which are more dominated by workers' quarters, far from the city center. Outstanding examples of this are Floridsdorf in the north, whose typical representatives were the SK Admira and Floridsdorfer AC , Hernals ( Wiener Sport-Club ) and Penzing ( Rapid ) in the west as well as Meidling ( SC Wacker ), Simmering ( 1. Simmeringer SC ) and Favorites ( Favoritner AC and FC Wien ) in the south.

Especially in the 1920s and 1930s, but in some cases until the 1950s, it was a matter of course for the residents of a district (or at least a certain quarter ) to support the football club near their home. This led to a special, district-specific Viennese football culture.

The appeal of the clubs was not limited to first division clubs. For example, SK Slovan , who is not rooted in a specific district, as a representative of the Czech minority in Vienna as a second division team in the 1948/49 season, at the end of which he won the championship of the Vienna league and the associated promotion to the top division, achieved an average of 9,400 visitors. And in the 1960/61 season, the SC Red Star Penzing even achieved an average of 10,000 in the now only third-class Viennese league .

The term coffee house tends to describe the clubs from the more middle-class inner city districts, especially Leopoldstadt , where the Cricketers , WAC and Hakoah were based and also where FK Austria often played its home games. Also in this category is First Vienna FC , based in the noble district of Döbling , which in its early days explicitly excluded “workers, craftsmen and day laborers” from membership. Because instead of popularity, the founders preferred to remain among their own kind. The elitist, detached tendency of the founding fathers, gardeners of the banker Nathaniel Meyer von Rothschild , was closely connected with the Rothschild house, whose colors blue and yellow were also adopted as the club colors. Also present at the inaugural meeting were Baron Nathaniel Rothschild and General Director Schuster from the Rothschild banking house.

But not only the First Vienna FC and the Zionist set SC Hakoah was of the Jewish community of Vienna coined, but also the WAC and FK Austria . Because Austria in particular was supported early on by patrons from the upper Jewish bourgeoisie, the first successes began as early as the 1920s. Their status was correspondingly difficult during the National Socialist rule.

Today the synonym of the terms suburb and coffee house stands for the two great rivals of Viennese football , Rapid and Austria, who embody opposing worldviews.

List of all Viennese first division football clubs

society founding district First League successes Remarks
Admira 1905 († 1971) 21st district 1919 / 20–1942 / 43, 1944 / 45–1959 / 60, 1961 / 62–1970 / 71 Eight times Austrian champion and five times cup winner Admira was created through a merger and ended in 1971 through a merger with SC Wacker . The successor club is not included in this table because his home is in Maria Enzersdorf outside of Vienna.
Austria / amateurs 1910 10. District  1 since 1911/12 24 times Austrian champion and record cup winner (27 titles) The foundation was made by dissatisfied members of the Cricketer and the name was changed to Austria on November 28, 1926.
Austro Fiat 1928 († 1940) 21st district 1938/39–1939/40 7th place in the league (1938/39) 1940 followed the connection to the neighboring association FAC .
Brigittenauer AC 1925 († 2009) 20th district 1926 / 27-1928 / 29, 1931 / 32-1932 / 33 Runner-up (1926/27) and Cup finalist (1933) The association came into being as a result of a merger and "disappeared" through a merger, because since 2009 the new association has been operating as Admira Landhaus.
Danube 1921 22nd district 1933/34 12th place in the league
Elektra 1921 2nd district 1950/51 13th place in the league Founded by employees of the Engerthstrasse power plant .
Favoritner AC 1910 10th district 1935 / 36-1937 / 38, 1983 / 84-1984 / 85 Twice 8th place in the league
Favoritner SC 1931 († 1936) 10th district 1934/35 12th place in the league After ASV Hertha left the league in 1931, some officials and players founded a new club. Due to financial problems, the new club was excluded from the association in November 1935 and dissolved in March 1936.
Favoritner SK blue-white 1936 10th district 1951/52 14th place in the league Founded as a company association of the Ankerbrotwerke .
FC Vienna 1914 10th district 1928 / 29-1937 / 38, 1939 / 40-1955 / 56, 1957/58 Vice champion (1941/42) The club was founded as a tribute to the great pioneer of Austrian football Mark "MD" Nicholson under the name SC Nicholson and was renamed FC Wien in early 1933. In 1973 the association was dissolved due to financial problems and later re-established.
Floridsdorfer AC 1904 21st district 1911 / 12–1922 / 23, 1925 / 26–1937 / 38, 1940 / 41–1943 / 44, 1945 / 46–1953 / 54 Austrian champion in 1918 and Challenge Cup winner in 1915
Hakoah 1909 († 1938) 2nd district 1920 / 21-1927 / 28, 1929/30, 1931 / 32-1937 / 38 Austrian champion 1925 The Jewish association was banned by the National Socialists in 1938 .
Helfort 1910 16th district 1945/46 10th place in the league
Hertha 1904 († 1931) 10th district 1911 / 12–1923 / 24, 1925/26, 1927 / 28–1929 / 30 Twice 5th place in the league (1914/15 and 1920/21) as well as semi-finalist in the cup competition (1928)
Libertas 1912 († 1940) 16th district 1932 / 33-1936 / 37 5th place in the league (1934/35) In 1940 it was connected to SC Rot-Stern 03, which is located in the same district of Vienna .
Nicholson The SC Nicholson , named in memory of the great pioneer of Austrian football Mark "MD" Nicholson , was renamed FC Wien in 1933 (see there).
Olympia 1906 († 1961) 14th district 1957 / 58-1958 / 59 11th place in the league (1957/58) Olympia merged with SK Slovan in 1961
Eastern Railway XI 1921 11th district 1945/46 12th place in the league
Ostmark 1910 († 1925) 20th district 1921/22, 1923/24 11th place in the league (1923/24) In 1925 the club merged with SC Donaustadt to form Brigittenauer AC .
Post SV 1919 17th district 1936/37, 1941/42, 1946/47 Austrian amateur champion 1937 In the 1975/76 season, Post SV formed a syndicate with the WSC, which is based in the same district of Vienna .
Rapid 1898 14th district since 1911/12 Austrian record champion (32 titles) and 14-time cup winner Founded as the "First Vienna Workers' Football Club".
Rapid Oberlaa 1911 10th district 1944 / 45–1945 / 46, 1947 / 48–1949 / 50 8th place in the league (1947/48)
Lawn player 1903 († 1972) 20th district 1946/47, 1948/49 Twice 10th place in the league . The association merged with the Brigittenauer AC in 1972 .
Reichsbahn 1939 († 1944) 11th district 1942/43 8th place in the league The team of the SG Reichsbahn was a merger of SC Ostbahn XI and SK Westbahn that only existed during the Second World War .
Rudolfshügel 1902 († 1934) 10th district 1911 / 12-1922 / 23, 1924 / 25-1926 / 27 Vice champion (1918/19) The oldest club from the working-class district of Favoriten dissolved due to economic problems.
Simmeringer SC 1901 11th district 1911 / 12–1927 / 28, 1937/38, 1951 / 52–1963 / 64, 1965/66, 1970 / 71–1971 / 72, 1973/74, 1982/83 3rd place in the league (1925/26)
Slovan 1902 14th district  2 1923 / 24-1928 / 29, 1930 / 31-1931 / 32, 1949/50 6th place in the league (1925/26) and cup finalist (1924) The association of the Czech minority in Vienna merged in 1976 with the Hütteldorfer AC to form SK Slovan-Hütteldorfer AC .
Stadlau 1913 22nd district 1954 / 55-1956 / 57 11th place in the league (1954/55)
Vienna (Cricketer) 1894 2nd district 1911/12 11th place in the league and twice Challenge Cup winner (1898 and 1902) The Cricketers were founded in 1892, but were not registered until 1894. FK Austria emerged from a spin-off of the Cricketer .
Vienna (First FC) 1894 19th district 1911 / 12-1913 / 14, 1919 / 20-1967 / 68, 1969 / 70-1973 / 74, 1976 / 77-1979 / 80, 1982/83, 1984/85, 1986 / 87-1991 / 92 Six times Austrian champion and three times cup winner The entry in the club register took place one day (!) Before the entry of the cricketers , so that the “footballers” can adorn themselves with the addition “First FC”.
Brave 1908 12th district 1914 / 15-1960 / 61, 1962/63, 1964/65, 1966/67, 1968 / 69-1970 / 71 Austrian champion and cup winner 1947 Wacker lost its independence in 1971 through a merger with SK Admira .
Vienna AC 1897 2nd district 1911 / 12–1920 / 21, 1922/23, 1924 / 25–1935 / 36, 1942 / 43–1947 / 48, 1953/54, 1956 / 57–1964 / 65 Austrian champion in 1915 and three times cup winner Between 1969 and 1977 the WAC formed a syndicate with FK Austria .
Vienna AF 1910 20th district 1911 / 12–1923 / 24 Austrian champion 1914 and cup winner 1922 The WAF emerged from a spin-off from the WAC .
Wiener SC 1907 17th district 1911 / 12–1951 / 52, 1953 / 54–1973 / 74, 1977 / 78–1984 / 85, 1986 / 87–1990 / 91, 1992 / 93–1993 / 94 Three times Austrian champion and 1923 cup winner

1 The location of the Franz Horr Stadium , which has been the home stadium of Wiener Austria since the 1970s, was taken as the basis. In fact, unlike most other clubs, Austria never grew into a specific district.
2 After a few "years of wandering" through the sports facilities in various districts, SK Slovan built its own stadium in the Favoriten district (10th district) in the 1920s and moved to Penzing (14th district) after the merger with Hütteldorfer AC.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Roman Horak, Matthias Marschik: From experience to perception - Viennese football and its spectators 1945–1990 . Turia + Kant, Vienna 1995, ISBN 3-85132-093-X , p. 147
  2. ↑ Roman Horak, Matthias Marschik: From experience to perception - The Viennese football and its spectators 1945–1990 , p. 32, 127
  3. ^ Roman Horak, Matthias Marschik: From experience to perception - Viennese football and its spectators 1945–1990 , p. 24
  4. ↑ Roman Horak, Matthias Marschik: From experience to perception - The Viennese football and its spectators 1945–1990 , p. 149f
  5. ↑ Roman Horak, Matthias Marschik: From experience to perception - Viennese football and its spectators 1945–1990 , p. 113
  6. ^ Roman Horak, Matthias Marschik: From experience to perception - The Viennese football and its spectators 1945–1990 , p. 154
  7. ↑ Omar Gisler: Football Derbies - The 75 Most Football Crazy Cities in the World . Copress Verlag, Munich 2007, ISBN 978-3-7679-0883-3 , p. 267
  8. ↑ Omar Gisler: Top Clubs - The largest clubs in the world . Copress Verlag, Munich 2003, ISBN 3-7679-0827-1 , p. 352
  9. ↑ G. Otruba: Rothschild Nathaniel Mayer Anselm Frh. Von . In: Austrian Biographical Lexicon 1815–1950 (ÖBL). Volume 9, Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Vienna 1988, ISBN 3-7001-1483-4 , p. 289.
  10. ^ History of First Vienna FC on the club's official website
  11. ↑ Hardy Greens : Encyclopedia of European Football Clubs. The first division teams in Europe since 1885. 2., completely revised. Edition. AGON Sportverlag, Kassel 2000, ISBN 3-89784-163-0 , p. 292.
  12. ↑ Omar Gisler: Top Clubs - The largest clubs in the world , p. 345
  13. ↑ Omar Gisler: Top Clubs - The largest clubs in the world , p. 347f
  14. ^ Roman Horak, Matthias Marschik: From experience to perception - Viennese football and its spectators 1945–1990 , p. 27f
  15. ^ Roman Horak, Matthias Marschik: From experience to perception - Viennese football and its spectators 1945–1990 , p. 150

Web links