TWL Elektra (Austria)

The images on this page are of my visit to ASK Elektra at Elektra-Energie Wien Platz, unless labelled.

TWL Elektra is a football club based in Favoriten, Vienna, which came into being in time for the 2021-22 season, following a merger between SC Team Wiener Linien and Athletic Sportklub Koma (ASK) Elektra.

ASK Elektra

ASK Elektra was based in the Leopoldstadt district of the Austrian capital Vienna, whose origins can be traced back to 1921, by employees of the Engerthstrasse power plant formed Elektra Wien Sportverein. 

The team started out playing on a pitch where Kafkastraße is located today. In 1932, the club merged with fellow work sides E-Werkverein SC E-Werk IX and SC E-Werk XI to form the sports association of Wiener Elektrizitätswerke, with the football side being known as SC E-Werk Wien.

Because of the merger, the club had three grounds to choose from: Elektraplatz on Kafkastraße, E-Werk IX-Platz on Engerthstraße and the E-Werk XI-Platz on Haidestraße, before SC E-Werk was dissolved in 1935 owing to the political situation of the day.

The club reformed under its previous name in 1945 and gathered enough players to gain membership of 2. Wiener Klasse the following year. The team was renamed FS Elektra Vienna in 1948, prior to them winning the 2. Klasse title in 1948-49.

Elektra’s success continued as they were crowned as champions of the Wiener Stadtliga in 1949-50. This won promotion to the national top-level Staatsliga A, where their spell lasted just one season before being relegated back to Staatsliga B, where the club suffered a second successive relegation.

Back in the Stadtliga, Elektra consolidated before a couple of fourth and then a third place finish was backed up by the league title in 1956-57. After a couple of seasons in Staatsliga B, the league set up was restructured with the club remaining in the second tier, playing in Regionalliga Ost.

In 1962-63, Elektra lost out on the league title to 1. Wiener Neustädter SC on goal difference. After several seasons finishing in the top five, the team was relegated in 1968-69. However, the Stadtliga championship was secured in 1969-70 to herald an immediate return to Regionalliga Ost.

The spell in the second tier lasted just twelve months before Elektra went back down, where the side regathered to finish as runners-up in 1972-73 before winning the Wiener Liga title of 1974-75, which was now a fourth level after reorganisation of the league set up.

The ‘Gelb Blau’ were relegated again from Regionalliga Ost in 1977-78 before becoming Wiener Liga champions in 1981-82 and restoring third-level status before dropping back down within a couple of seasons.

Meanwhile, another club, AS Koma, had been formed in 1984, starting out life competing in the Diocese Sports Association (DSG), and playing matches in Korneuburg, a few miles north of the capital. By 1984-85, Elektra had dropped further down the ladder but won the Sub Liga B title, a feat that would be repeated in 1991-92. 

The team dropped down to play in the fifth-tier Oberliga B by the 2007-08 campaign. Several seasons followed in the bottom third of the table before the championship was secured in 2013-14 after a merger with multiple DSG champions AS Koma had taken place to form ASK Elektra, with Nico Binder finishing as top scorer.

In Wiener Stadtliga, Elektra ended their comeback season of 2014-15 in seventh position, which was followed up by fourth place the following season under chief trainer Thomas Haretter. The improvement continued at their Elektra-Energie Wien Platz home with a winners-up spot in 2016-17 as Arben Selmani ended as leading scorer. 

Alfred Niefergall took over as trainer for 2017-18 as Elektra repeated their second place with Marcel Brillman netting regularly. It was a third consecutive runners-up place for Elektra in 2018-19. This time, Kiril Ognyanov top-scored. When the 2019-20 season was abandoned owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the team were placed in third position.

SC Team Wiener Linien

SC Team Wiener Linien was formed in 1974 following a merger of second-tier sides, SV Straßenbahn and SC Gaswerk, although it began life as Gaswerk/Straßenbahn.

Gaswerk had a proud history from its formation in 1928 as a company sports club in Sankt Veit and quickly developed into one of the most successful clubs in the VAFÖ (Austrian Football Association). In 1931, the club became champions of the VAFÖ League for the first time after a 7-1 victory in the final round against Humanitas-Heizwerk.

Those successes were followed up in 1932 and 1933. The side won 2. Wiener Liga championship in 1947, earning them promotion to the second-tier Vienna League. Gaswerk remained in the second tier until the 1949-50 league reformation, then played continuously in the third-tier Vienna League until 1962.

Raxplatz

SV Straßenbahn Wien was founded in 1912 and first played in the second division with later Wunderteam player Schurl Braun in the side. After the VAFÖ was dissolved, Straßenbahn rejoined the ÖFB's II. League in 1934-35 under the new name Wiener Sportvereinigung and remained in the second division, returning to its traditional name in 1936, until relegation in 1946/47.

They won the 1. Klasse Wien B (Vienna B League) in 1940-41, reaching the relegation play-offs for the first division. However, they were defeated by Post SV Wien in front of 5,000 spectators at Helfort-Platz. Straßenbahn remained a regular member of the third-tier Vienna League until 1965 and produced two later famous national players, Walter Gebhardt and Hans Krankl.

Raxplatz

In 1974, the two clubs merged as Gaswerk/Straßenbahn and from then on played on the tramway company's Raxplatz ground. Gaswerk had previously played its home games on the ASKÖ-X-Platz, now called the Franz-Horr-Stadion. After another merger with Erdbau in July 1974, the team also played several times as Gaswerk/Erdbau.

SC Team Wiener Linien was formed in 2005 when Gaswerk withdrew from the partnership. They new outfit won 1. Klasse A Vienna, and were promoted to the Oberliga A Vienna, the fifth-tier of Austrian football, for the 2007-08 season. In 2009-10, they achieved promotion to the fourth-tier Wiener Stadtliga.

Raxplatz

In the 2017-18 season, under long-time trainer Josef Schuster, the club secured the championship title in the Wiener Liga, three points ahead of ASK Elektraand were promoted to the Regionalliga Ost, thus returning to the third-highest division, with Jasmin Delic topping the scoring.

TWL Elektra

On 7th May 2021, it was announced that the club would merge with ASK Elektra Wien to form TWL Elektra. The merged club took over the league position of Team Wiener Linien, with the squad mixed from both clubs, with Hernert Gager as chief trainer, taking up SC Team Wiener Linien's place in Regionalliga Ost.

Raxplatz

Sixth place was achieved by the merged club in its first season, with the runners-up spot following twelve months later, with Taner Sen top scoring. Elektra finished bottom at the end of the 2024-25 campaign but secured its status in the relegation playoffs. Marcus Pürk was appointed as chief trainer shortly after.

TWL Elektra will play in Regionalliga Ost in the 2025-26 season.

My visit

ASK Elektra 0 First Vienna FC 2 (Saturday 7th March 2020) Wiener Stadtliga (att: 1,000)

The Saturday of my long weekend in Vienna was going superbly well, having visited five different venues, including the Hohe Warte Stadion of First Vienna as well as the second half of a friendly match between two lower league local sides.

I’d taken a better look than expected inside Ernst-Happel-Stadion before a short walk under the railway and along Marathonweg took me to Josef-Fritsch-Weg past the back of the buildings with Rapid Wien insignia to the single gate entry to Elektra-Energie Wien Platz.

Inside, a gent was taking admission at a table charging €8 admission. My eyes were attracted to the left, where the second half of the match between the two sides featured in the main match was about to restart in the Wiener Stadtliga under-23 competition.

Around 70 fans were watching this encounter, and I saw First go 4-0 four minutes after the break with a belting goal from Karim Schneider before Valentin Nikolic added another a few minutes later in a game that would end up in a 9-0 hammering handed out from the visitors.

It was time to discover the facilities on offer. A beer hut was near the gate, but I decided to go inside the clubhouse, where a gent speaking excellent English assisted me at his table, where he sold vouchers for food and drink.

He was intrigued and delighted that I’d chosen this match. He told me that he worked in London reasonably regularly and was most helpful as I ordered a beer and sat down to enjoy it. It wasn’t warm outdoors, so I was glad of the shelter.

The crowd continued to build as kick-off approached. It was obvious that a large following would be turning out to cheer on First, who were top of the table. Indeed, gaining a decent vantage spot down the side was not easy.

The venue was pretty basic with a couple of steps down the near side with wooden benches interrupted halfway by the dugouts and players' entrance, who emerged up some steps to the pitch. The other three sides were surrounded by a shallow grass bank.

A vocal crowd with flags occupied the area in front of the wooden beer shack, cheering on their favourites. Elektra started off well with big forward Ehinabo Omoighe providing a presence.

It was First who took the lead in eleven minutes. A low ball to the feet of Mario Konrad, who cleverly flicked on for Mensur Kurtisi to fire into the roof of the net past home keeper Philipp Klar.

The first half wasn’t dirty, but saw three yellow cards handed out by referee Isa Simsek. However, the official could have easily shown a red card to Elektra’s Lukas Kalser when he brought down Bernhard Fucik on the edge of the box.

Kiril Ognyanov also worked the First defence at the other end, but he failed to get a strong enough effort away to trouble Oktay Kazan. I took a walk around the ground to keep warm and take photos, and grab another beer at a secondary stall in the far corner.

Unfortunately, I had to leave my match at halftime as I was heading to the Bundesliga game at the Generali-Arena between Austria Wien and St. Pölten, which was kicking off an hour later at 5pm.

It appeared that I missed First Vienna sealing the game comfortably. Kurtisi added a second after his penalty was initially kept out by Klar before the forward tucked home the rebound three minutes after the interval.

I headed down Wehlistraße and caught the train towards my main event of the day from the nearby Donaumarina station.