Graz Derby

Sturm Graz Sports Club
founding	Most successful goalscorer	Supreme victory
May 1, 1909	Ivica Vastić (14 goals)	10: 1
Graz Athletic Sports Club
founding	Most successful goalscorer	Supreme victory
August 18, 1902 (football section)	Walter Koleznik (8 goals)	6: 1

The Grazer Derby or Grazer Stadtderby describes the sporting clash of the two most successful Graz soccer clubs SK Sturm Graz and GAK .

197 matches have been counted since 1920, 185 of which were matches in the championship (130 at professional level and 55 at amateur level in the Styrian League ), plus five matches in the ÖFB Cup , one match in the ÖFB Supercup, and two matches in the Tschammer Cup and four games in the Styrian Cup . Friendlies (especially before the first official Styrian championship in 1920) are not included in the statistics. The very first match of the fighting teams took place on September 25, 1910, the last is dated May 17, 2007. Sturm Graz won most of the 197 clashes (80).

The GAK was founded on August 18, 1902, the club colors are red and white. In 2004 the club was able to win its first championship title. In addition, he won the ÖFB Cup four times, with the title in 1981, the first professional title for Styria. In 2007 the GAK had to go bankrupt and with the 2007/08 season rose to the third-class regional league center, as the club was denied licenses for the Bundesliga and the first league. Further financial problems followed and after further bankruptcies the soccer section of the GAK, which was spun off from the parent club in 1977, was dissolved on October 30, 2012. Since the GAK parent club incorporated the successor club founded on December 20, 2012 in March 2014, a GAK football team continues to take part in an Austrian league and in 2019/20, after six promotions en suite from the 8th division, it again reached the 2. Division reached.

Sturm Graz was founded on May 1, 1909 (according to the statutes, however, not until March 31, 1912). With three Austrian championship titles in 1997/98, 1998/99 and 2010/11 as well as five cup victories, it is the most successful Styrian club in an overall Austrian championship. One year before the city rivals, the club went bankrupt in 2006, the compulsory settlement was accepted on January 25, 2007 and the club was able to survive. Today Sturm Graz has fully recovered from the financial bottlenecks.

History of the Graz derby

Graffiti on the stadium garage of the Merkur Arena expresses rivalry

Importance and Development

The Grazer Derby and its importance got its first meaning in the time before the Second World War, influenced by the importance of the clubs in the population. The Graz Athletics Sports Club , founded in 1902, was long regarded as an academics club and also supported this image itself. The Graz soccer club "Sturm" , founded seven years later, on the other hand, was considered a club for "everyone" across all social classes.

When the first official Styrian championship was held in 1920, there were a few more Graz soccer clubs that were of great importance. In addition to Sturm and the GAK, there was also the Grazer Sportclub , the Jewish club SC Hakoah , the Grazer Sportvereinigung , Rapid Graz , the Amateure Graz or the ASV Gösting . Gradually - also due to the two world wars - some numerous Graz clubs disappeared. Although the found Austria Graz and Grazer SC the way to the highest Austrian league, but only the GAK and Sturm were able to establish in the longer term.

At the beginning of the 1920s, the athletes and Sturm emerged as the two most successful Graz clubs. Until 1935, Sturm and GAK shared the Styrian championship titles among themselves, four times the black-whites were successful, ten times the red-whites. The Grazer SC only won the championship title in 1935.

In 1941, the derbies are interrupted between Sturm and GAK first time since the black and whites of the rise in the area of class (named after the connection to Nazi Germany Austria for Ostmark) Ostmark succeeded. In 1943 both teams played again in the Styrian League and Sturm dominated it with four championship titles until 1949, it wasn't until 1948 that the red-whites won a derby against their arch rivals. In 1949/50, Sturm Graz took part in the all-Austrian football championship, which was held for the first time, and the city rivals were divided into the second highest division. This meant a renewed suspension of the sporting clashes of both clubs.

Derbies at the highest (league) level

On December 9, 1951, the very first Graz derby in the highest Austrian football league took place, which Sturm won 2-1. From 1952, the GAK defeated the city opponent with 4: 1, a long winning streak began for the athletic sports club. For 13 years he did not lose a single derby. It wasn't until 1964 that Sturm was able to defeat the GAK again with a 2-0 win.

In 1969 the first Graz derby was held at the Liebenau federal stadium. The 20,000 spectators who crowded into the stadium and which meant hard work for the Graz police, set a stadium record that has lasted to this day. The duels were interrupted three times in the 1990s. From 1990/91 to 1994/95 the GAK played second class, but due to the middle play-off at the time, there were two derbies each in the 1991/92 and 1992/93 seasons. Also in the 1992/93 season, the GAK met LUV Graz , which is the only duels with another Graz club in an Austria-wide league since 1956.

nowadays

Since 2007/08, the GAK no longer plays in the top Austrian league due to a license withdrawal by the Austrian Bundesliga. Due to the new start in 1st class middle A, the GAK has regular encounters with other clubs from Graz. SK Sturm continues to play in the Bundesliga . The GAK reached the Regionalliga Mitte again in 2018/19 and, like between 2007 and 2012, plays against the second team of SK Sturm.

Since 1997, the two city rivals have shared the newly built Liebenau stadium, which is now known as the Merkur Arena . The former homesteads Gruabn (Sturm) in Klosterwiesgasse and Casino-Stadion (GAK) in Körösistraße are no longer in the respective club hands. Nowadays there is a housing estate in Körösistraße, the Gruabn serves as the “new” home of Grazer SC . Since the restart, the GAK has been playing in the lowest league in the Weinzödl sports center , where additional stands have been set up with the help of the fans. The sports center was previously the training center of the GAK, but was bought by the city of Graz in the course of bankruptcy proceedings.

Notable games

125th derby of February 2006

127th derby of August 2006

Grazer Derby on February 27, 2005 (Sturm fans in the expanded former away sector)

First derby

The very first derby between the GAK and the SK Sturm took place on September 25, 1910. By 1919 there were 21 more matches between the fighting teams. The first official meeting was in the Styrian Championship on November 7, 1920, which Sturm Graz won 5-1.

Last derby

Due to the revocation of the license in 2006/07 and the subsequent relegation of the GAK, the last official 130th derby took place on May 17, 2007, which SK Sturm won 1-0 with a Haas goal.

Scoring games

A controversial derby, which was evenly balanced to the end, took place on September 5, 1975 in the Liebenau federal stadium, which was well filled with 18,000 spectators. After three goalless city derbies and 99 derbytors by then, the Kleine Zeitung offered a special prize. The player who was to score the hundredth derby goal would win a brand new Ford Escort worth 65,000 schillings . The game started with a 1-0 win by Mario Zuenelli from GAK in the 5th minute of the game. Just five minutes later, the equalizer to 1: 1 followed by a shot by Hubert Kulmer . After a comfortable 3-1 lead by the Blackies at halftime and a later 4-2 lead, victory seemed certain. But the GAK caught up and shortly before the end of the match it was only 4: 3 for SK Sturm. At this score, Refik Muftić , the Blackies goalie , was harassed by a GAK striker when he caught a cross. Then he pushed the GAK player away with one hand, the referee decided on a penalty, which was converted in the following way. Final score 4: 4. The rightful winner of the car, Mario Zuenelli, sold - as the team had previously agreed - the new car and distributed the proceeds within the team.

A real penalty game took place on May 2, 1981, when the score was 2: 1 for Sturm in the 75th minute of the game, referee Mathias whistled a penalty. Striker Andy Pichler scored 3-1, but the referee decided that the shot should be repeated. But Pichler also used this ball. It was 3: 1 when referee Mathias again pointed to the penalty point in the 85th minute of the game. Another scoring opportunity for SK Sturm that Božo Bakota could use well. Bakota made it 4-1, which was also the final score in this encounter.

Sturm celebrated the highest derby victory in history on June 16, 1946 in the Styrian League with a 10: 1, the highest GAK victory dates from November 1956 (6: 1) in the State League A. In April 1988, Sturm won the championship play -off with 5: 2, in March 2000 the Blackies even won 6: 1, the 0: 5 in front of their own audience against the GAK in March 2003 was a disgrace for the black and whites.

Attendance record

In 1969 there was a record attendance in Liebenau, over 20,000 fans crowded into the stadium; the teams parted with a 1-1 draw.

Cup finals

In the 2001/02 season, the only time in the final of the ÖFB Cup came to a Graz derby. The GAK won the title 3-2.

Small derbies

When the GAK played in the Regionalliga Mitte , "small derbies" took place, as the athletes meet the amateurs of the SK Sturm there . So far, the Sturm amateurs have won four games (1: 0, 3: 0, 2: 1 and 4: 0), three games ended in a draw (0: 0, 2: 2 and 1: 1), the GAK won three ( 1: 2, 0: 3, 2: 3). With the return of the GAK to the regional league in the middle of 2018/19 there was the "little derby" again and the red jackets won the first game on August 3, 2018 in front of 6,100 spectators in Liebenau 3-2. The GAK won the second leg on March 15, 2019 in front of 3,000 spectators also in the Liebenau stadium with a goal by Dominik Hackinger in the 75th minute 1-0. So the GAK has decided this derby balance with 5 to 4 wins for the time being!

Special feature: Derby bets

From 1967 the Graz Derby got another, explosive meaning and tradition. Because from that point on, they dueled for (initially) eight years in the highest league. In addition, a year later a tradition was established with derby betting. The Graz butcher Franz Zotter bet this year for the first time on a storm victory against the chef Peter Bumsenberger. Zotter lost the bet and had to drag a slaughtered mutton from Sturmplatz to Gleisdorfergasse in Graz. He had to wear a sign around his neck that said We two mutton believed in your GAK victory . In the years that followed, the loser either had to roll a wine barrel to the Operngrill inn, drive an ox or a donkey through the city, carry a barrel to the Graz Schloßberg or walk from Graz to Gleisdorf . Various signs that had to be carried around their necks caused additional enthusiasm among the spectators. In 1984, for example, we two donkeys big and small wanted to be the derby winner to read. The respective bets attracted masses of people, the bustling butchers invested their food expenses well.

Outside the field of play

How big the rivalry between the two Graz soccer clubs and the interest is almost 13 years after the last derby is also demonstrated by a project by the Graz Schauspielhaus entitled "Are you GAK or STURM?", Which premiered on February 28, 2020. The Graz director Ed. Hauswirth worked with amateurs for an evening at the theater about "love, pride and being a fan".

Player Statistics

Most missions

The following table lists the players
with the most derby appearances on both teams.

Surname	team	Number of missions
Pichler, Anton	Storm Graz	40
Čeh, Aleš	GAK	39
Schauss, Rudolf	Storm Graz	38
Yurtin, Gernot	Storm Graz	37
Neukirchner, Günther	Storm Graz	36
Ramusch, Dieter	GAK	33
Zunelli, Mario	GAK	33
Wirth, Manfred	Storm Graz	32

Goal scorers

Below are the eight most successful
goal scorers of the Graz derbies of both teams.

Surname	team	Number of goals (championship / cup)
Vastić, Ivica	Storm Graz	14/3
Bakota, Božo	Storm Graz	12/1
Yurtin, Gernot	Storm Graz	10/1
Haas Mario	Storm Graz	8/1
Koleznik, Walter	GAK	8th
Pamić, Igor	GAK	7th
Sgerm, Willi	GAK	7th
Zuenelli, Mario	GAK	7th

Derby venues from 1949

In the period from 1949 the derby took place in six different locations. Most of the games were played in the old Liebenau federal stadium . In the 45 matches Sturm Graz won 16 times, the GAK 11 times. The second most frequent meeting of the two teams was in the new Liebenau stadium, today's Merkur Arena . With 15 wins each time, the winner statistics are balanced. The other derbies took place in the former home of the SK Sturm ( Gruabn , 25 games) and the GAK ( casino stadium , 17 matches), on the former sports club square (two games) and once in the Kapfenberg Alpine Stadium.

place	Years	Number of derbies after 1949	Wins storm	draw	Wins GAK
Stadion Körösistraße / Casino-Stadion GAK	1902-1997	17th	4th	3	10
Gruabn	1919-1997	25th	7th	10	8th
Sports club square	1952-1953	2	0	0	2
Liebenau federal stadium	1969-1989	45	16	18th	11
Kapfenberg Alpine Stadium	1996	1	0	1	0
Liebenau Stadium (now Merkur Arena)	1997-2007	40	15th	10	15th

Total statistics of the matches

Games	Wins storm	draw	Wins GAK	Goal difference (from a storm perspective)
197	80	49	68	304: 321

Amateur Championship (Styrian League; 1920–1949)

Games	Wins storm	draw	Wins GAK	Goal difference (from a storm perspective)
55	29	7th	19th	102: 136

1920 / 21-1931 / 32

season	game	Result
1920/21	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	5: 1 0: 1
1921/22	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	3: 2 2: 0
1922/23	GAK - Sturm Sturm - GAK	3: 4 1: 0
1923/24 (**)	Sturm - GAK Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm GAK - Sturm	5: 0 0: 3 3: 0 2: 2
1925 * (**)	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	3: 3 2: 4
1926 * (**)	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	1: 2 1: 1
1927 * (**)	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	1: 5 1: 0
1928 * (**)	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	2: 1 1: 3
1928/29 (**)	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	2: 2 4: 0
1928/29 (**)	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	2: 2 4: 0
1929/30 (**)	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	0: 1 4: 1
1930/31	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	1: 4 2: 5
1931/32 (**)	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	3: 1 2: 1

1932 / 33-1948 / 49

season	game	Result
1932/33	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	1: 2 2: 5
1933/34 (**)	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	3: 2 1: 0
1934/35 (**)	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	2: 3 2: 3
1935/36 (**)	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	2: 1 4: 6
1936/37 (**)	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	5: 1 1: 4
1937/38 (**)	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	3-0 0-2
1938/39 (**)	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	2: 2 2: 1
1939/40 (**)	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	5: 1 4: 5
1940/41 (**)	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	6: 1 3: 4
1943/44 (**)	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	0: 0 0: 2
1944 (**)	GAK - storm	4: 2
1945/46	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	10: 1 1: 1
1946/47	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	5: 1 2: 5
1947/48	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	2-0 1: 4
1948/49	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	3: 5 1: 3

* took place as annual championship
(**) home advantage not known

Professional championship

Games	Wins storm	draw	Wins GAK	Goal difference (from a storm perspective)
130	42	42	46	167: 172

League A (1951 / 52–1964 / 65)
(two games per season)

season	game	Result
1951/52	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	2: 1 4: 1
1952/53	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	0: 2 2: 1
1953/54	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	3: 3 3: 4
1955/56	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	1: 5 2: 0
1956/57	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	1: 6 3: 2
1957/58	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	1: 1 6: 1
1964/65	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	2-0 3-2

National League (1965 / 66–1973 / 74)
(two games per season)

season	game	Result
1966/67	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	0: 1 0: 2
1967/68	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	1: 3 1: 2
1968/69	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	3: 1 1: 1
1969/70	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	1: 1 0: 0
1970/71	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	2: 1 0: 1
1971/72	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	1: 1 3: 4
1972/73	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	1: 1 4: 0
1973/74	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	0: 0 0: 0

Bundesliga (since 1974/75)
(four matches per season with first round [1st – 18th matchday] and second round [19th–36th matchday])
(except for 1982 / 83–1984 / 85, 1986/87 and 1988 / 89–1995 / 96)

1974 / 75-1989 / 90

season	First round	Result	Second half	Result
1975/76	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	0-0 4: 4	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	1: 1 0: 1
1976/77	GAK - Sturm Sturm - GAK	0: 3 2: 1	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	0: 1 1: 1
1977/78	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	1: 0 3: 1	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	1: 1 1: 0
1978/79	GAK - Sturm Sturm - GAK	1: 2 1: 1	GAK - Sturm Sturm - GAK	0: 1 3: 1
1979/80	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	0: 1 1: 0	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	1: 1 1: 1
1980/81	GAK - Sturm Sturm - GAK	2: 1 2: 1	GAK - Sturm Sturm - GAK	0-0 4-1
1981/82	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	4: 1 0: 2	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	0: 1 2: 3
1982/83	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	1: 0 2: 1	-	-
1983/84	GAK - Sturm Sturm - GAK	1: 2 3: 1	-	-
1984/85	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	1: 1 0: 0	-	-
1985/86	GAK - Sturm Sturm - GAK	0-0 2-1	GAK - Sturm Sturm - GAK (both games	0: 0 1: 1 champions play-off)
1986/87	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	1: 0 2: 3	-	-
1987/88	GAK - Sturm Sturm - GAK	3: 0 1: 1	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm (both games	5: 2 1: 1 champions play-off)
1988/89	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	0: 1 0: 4	-	-
1989/90	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	0: 1 0: 4	-	-

1990 / 91–2006 / 07 *

season	First round	Result	Second half	Result
1991/92	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm (both games	0: 0 1: 1 middle play-off)	-	-
1992/93	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm (both games	0: 2 4: 0 middle play-off)	-	-
1995/96	GAK - Sturm Sturm - GAK	3: 2 1: 1	GAK - Sturm Sturm - GAK	1-0 0-2
1996/97	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	0-0 2-2	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	0: 0 1: 1
1997/98	GAK - Sturm Sturm - GAK	0: 4 2: 1	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	2: 1 0: 0
1998/99	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	2: 3 0: 5	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	0: 1 1: 2
1999/2000	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	5-0 1-0	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	6: 1 2: 4
2000/01	GAK - Sturm Sturm - GAK	2: 0 1: 1	GAK - Sturm Sturm - GAK	1: 2 0: 1
2001/02	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	2: 0 1: 1	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	2: 2 1: 1
2002/03	GAK - Sturm Sturm - GAK	2: 1 1: 1	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	0: 5 2: 1
2003/04	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	2: 1 1: 0	GAK - Sturm Sturm - GAK	1: 1 0: 2
2004/05	GAK - Sturm Sturm - GAK	1: 0 1: 0	GAK - Sturm Sturm - GAK	4: 0 1: 1
2005/06	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	0: 2 2: 0	Sturm - GAK GAK - Sturm	0: 0 2: 3
2006/07	GAK - Sturm Sturm - GAK	0: 0 0: 2	GAK - Sturm Sturm - GAK	0: 2 1: 0

* 1990/91, 1993 / 94–1994 / 95: GAK in 2nd division

ÖFB Cup

Games	Wins storm	draw	Wins GAK	Goal difference (from a storm perspective)
5	3	0	2	10: 7

season	Cup phase	game	Result
1958/59	1 round	Storm - GAK	0: 1
1982/83	Round of 16	Storm - GAK	3: 1
1995/96	Semifinals	Storm - GAK	3: 1
1998/99	Quarter finals	GAK - storm	1: 2
2001/02	final	GAK - storm	3: 2

ÖFB Supercup

Games	Wins storm	draw	Wins GAK	Goal difference (from a storm perspective)
1	0	0	1	0: 3

season	game	Result
2001/02	GAK - storm	3-0

Tschammer Cup

Games	Wins storm	draw	Wins GAK	Goal difference (from a storm perspective)
2	2	0	0	7: 3

season	game	Result
1938/39	Storm - GAK	2: 1
1939/40	Storm - GAK	5: 2

Styrian Cup

Games	Wins storm	draw	Wins GAK	Goal difference (from a storm perspective)
4th	4th	0	0	13: 6

season	game	Result
1935/36	Storm - GAK	3: 2
1936/37	Storm - GAK	5: 2
1946/47	Storm - GAK	1-0
1947/48	Storm - GAK	4: 2

literature

• Wolfgang Kühnelt, Markus Mörth: Geliebter Feind - The history of the Graz city derby , Leykam Verlag, 2008, ISBN 3-7011-7643-4

Web links

• Homepage of the SK Sturm
• Homepage of the Grazer AK

Individual evidence

1. ↑ grazerak.at: Grazer Derbys 1910 to 1919. Retrieved on February 1, 2019 . 
2. ↑ Match report: GAK 1902 - SK Puntigamer Sturm II | Matchday 2 | Regional league middle. Retrieved on November 26, 2018 (German). 
3. ↑ 6 p.m. 7 p.m., March 15, 2019: Regionalliga-Derby: GAK celebrates 1-0 victory against Sturm's amateurs. March 15, 2019, accessed March 15, 2019 . 
4. ↑ Are you GAK or STURM? | Schauspielhaus Graz. Retrieved April 18, 2020 .