Flyeralarm Admira Wacker Mödling is a football club based in the Lower Austria town of Maria Enzersdorf that was formed on June 17th 1905 as 1. Groß-Floridsdorfer SK Admira following a merger of Burschenschaft Einigkeit and Sportklub Vindobona football clubs.
It wouldn’t be the only merger in the history of the club that started out playing north of the Danube in the Jedlesee area of Floridsdorf, the furthest north east district in Vienna, starting life playing at Schwarzlackenau. At the time the main club in that part of town was SK Sturm before the emergence of Admira.
Austrian league football began in 1911-12 with only sides from around Vienna initially competing. Admira began in the fourth tier before consecutive promotions from their home ground on Deublergasse took the team to Zweite Klasse A where they ended as runners-up in 1913-14.
The second division title was won the following season without promotion as a reward but that was to come at the end of World War One in 1918-19. ‘Die Leser’ struggled at the new level with highlights coming in the local derby against Floridsdorfer AC.
Admira somewhat surprisingly became league champions in 1926-27 as the goals of Anton Schall and Johann Klima fired them to the title before the league was retained in 1927-28 which was backed up by victory over Wiener AC in the final of the ÖFB Cup at Hohe Warte to complete the double.
The forward line of Ignaz Sizl, Klima, Karl Stoiber, Schall and Franz Runge proved formidable in the success before Admira finished as league runners-up for three consecutive seasons prior to a second league and cup double being won in 1931-32.
In 1933 the club took residence at Hopfengasse in the ground formerly owned by SC Victoria XXI. The old ground on Deublergasse had become too small and was sold to rivals Florisdorfer AC. Hopfengasse was developed into a stadium to serve Admira’s needs.
The 1933-34 season was even better for die Leser as a third double was achieved. In the cup final Rapid Wien were hammered 8-0 by the Admira side containing Peter Platzer, Leopold Vogl, Wilhelm Hahnemann, Adi Vogl, Franz Hanreiter and Hans Urbanek along with stalwarts Schall and Stoiber.
The team also reached the final of the Mitropacup, a forerunner to the European Cup in the same season, where they were defeated by FC Bologna on aggregate. A league runners-up place followed in 1933-34 before Admira became league champions for a fifth time in 1935-36.
The title was retained in 1936-37 before Austria was annexed by Germany during World War Two from the start of the 1938-39 season, which led to a change of football in the country. The Austrian league became on of sixteen top flight divisions, as Gauliga Ostmark.
Admira were crowned as champions in the first year of the competition before progressing through the group stages to the semi-finals of the German championship where Hamburger SV were defeated 4-1 in Frankfurt.
The final at Berlin’s Olympiastadion was a feisty affair as referee Schultz sent off three Admira players as FC Schalke 04 won the game 9-0. Fritz Klacl saw his marching orders for beating opponent, German international captain, and Nazi Party supporter Fritz Szepan to
the ground.
Die Leser finished as Gauliga runners-up in 1939-40, before Schalke travelled to play a reconciliation game. The same referee was appointed who disallowed two Admira goals as they led 1-0 before the German’s equalised.
Many of the 50,000 crowd stormed the pitch, attacked the referee and destroyed the Schalke team bus. The tyre’s on the car of regional Nazi leader Baldur von Schirach were stabbed. Almost the full Admira team was sent as soldiers to fight on the front.
The team was relegated in 1942-43 before they won Group B of 1. Klasse Wien at the first attempt to go back up to the top tier before the end of the Anschluss when the goals of Erich Habitzl helped to steady the ship.
Fritz Cejka was the next goalscorer of note to pass through the gates at Hopfengasse as the club relied on developing their own players owing to financial constraints. Admira were relegated in 1959-60 before a major sponsor came forward.
The club was retitled ESV Admira-NÖ Energie Wien, abbreviated to Admira Energie as the side won Regionalliga Ost at the first attempt to regain their previous position. The added finances paid dividends as Admira finished third in the 1961-62 season with Karl Skerlan top scoring.
A runners-up league finish followed in 1962-63 Admira reached their first ÖFB Cup final in thirty years in 1963-64 as Austria Wien were defeated 1-0 at Praterstadion thanks to a goal from Walter Stamm.
Günter Kaltenbrunner netted regularly as Admira continued to push for honours before they won the league title in 1965-66 with Dragomir Vukićević in goal only been beaten seventeen times. The title was backed up as the double was completed for the fourth time with a 1-0 win in the Cup final as Burli Herzog scored the winner against Rapid Wien.
The team up with the sponsor would however change the club forever. NEWAG/NIOGAS decided to move the club to Maria Enzersdorf where the company was based, from the start of the 1966-67 season when they played at the Stadion Mödling home of VfB Mödling.
The Hopfengasse ground was handed over to Floridsdorfer AC while the sponsors were looking to form a merger to enhance the club with Austria Wien turned down their overtures. The club moved into Bundesstadion Südstadt for the 1967-68 season.
Four mid-table finishes followed, during which time SC Wacker Wien were approached regarding a merger, which was finally agreed upon. The club became FC Admira/Wacker on July 7th 1971.
To read about the history of Wacker Wien along with a visit to their old home click here.
Ernst Ocktiv was brought in as coach as the side managed to escape relegation in 1971-72 prior to the goals of Günter Kaltener helping the team to fourth place the following season before Internazionale were defeated in the UEFA Cup thanks to a Günter Kaltenbrunner goal.
Under coach Rudolf Illovszky Admira reached the ÖFB Cup final of 1978-79 where they lost on aggregate to Wacker Innsbruck. Felix Latzke took over, leading the side for the next four years before changes in the post became frequent as the team consistently finished midway up the table.
Admira/Wacker finished as runners-up in 1988-89 as the front line of Gerhard Rodax, Walter Knaller and Fred Schaub scored the goals with the team also reaching the final of the ÖFB Cup where they went down to a FC Swarovski Tirol team coached by Ernst Happel.
Further finals were reached in 1991-92 when the team led by Sigfried Held lost 1-0 to Austria Wien and then in 1995-96 when SK Sturm Graz won 3-1 against Walter Knaller’s outfit. The best places in the league during the period came in 1992-93 and 1993-94 when third place was achieved.
Admira were relegated in 1996-97 under Kurt Garger after the club had struggled financially after the Bosman ruling and changed their title to SC Niederösterreich Admira/Wacker. A great priority was placed on producing home grown talent before selling them on. Suddenly that source of income dried up.
A merger with VSE St. Pölten was initiated but failed to materialise. Fan numbers were down with neighbours, VfB Mödling also flitting between the top two divisions. The clubs merged in the summer of 1997 to form VfB Admira Wacker Mödling.
A new club called VfB Mödling would later be formed in 2016 to start out life in 2. Klasse Ost/Mitte of the Lower Austria football association.
The new season of the united Admira Wacker Mödling didn’t go to plan as they were relegated before the goals of Herbert Wieger helped the side recover their Bundesliga spot in 1999-00 as the Erste Division title was won.
The club colours were changed to red, white and black while still being referred to as Admira. The team were saved from relegation in 2001-02 as champions FC Tirol Innsbruck were declared bankrupt.
The side were bolstered with the signing of Tomasz Iwan and Vladimir Jugović but were still relegated in 2005-06 as coach Hubert Baumgartner was replaced by Ernst Baumeister. Worse was to follow the following campaign as a license was refused.
The club was forced to restructure. The president of ASK Schwadorf, Richard Trenkwalder, moved his club to join forces with Admira so that they could continue in the second tier. Heribert Weber was brought in as coach before being replaced by Walter Schachner as the team struggled as ASK Schwadorf before changing title to FC Admira Wacker Mödling.
Admira finished third in the second level in 2008-09 but reached the ÖFB Cup final, going down 3-1 to Austria Wien after extra time in Mattersburg after Sascha Laschet had scored an earlier equaliser.
Dietmar Kühbauer came in to lead the side after the following season’s promotion push fell short before Admira were promoted as champions in 2010-11, marking their Bundesliga return with a third place in 2011-12.
Kühbauer’s side survive in 2012-13 after the loss of transferred stars Philipp Hosiner and Marcel Sabitzer. Former national side record scorer Toni Polster was appointed as head coach in June 2013, before he left a few games later with Oliver Lederer taking over.
Walter Knaller joined Lederer as joint boss for a spell as brothers Hubertus and Philip Thonhauser, all other Mödling businessmen taking control of the club in 2014 as the side avoided relegation at the conclusion of the 2014-15 campaign.
Ernst Baumeister led the side to mid table in 2015-16 as well as the team reached the ÖFB Cup final before going down 5-0 to FC Red Bull Salzburg in Klagenfurt. Damir Burić took over as coach in January 2017 after Lederer had come back for a second spell.
Printing company Flyeralarm were unveiled as major sponsors in March 2017 with the official club name becoming Flyeralarm Admira Wacker Mödling. The goals of Christoph Knasmüllner and Lukas Grozurek took the team to fifth place in 2017-18.
The 2018-19 campaign saw Reiner Geyer take Admira to tenth place, as Patrick Schmidt and Saša Kalajdžić led the attack. The team were in ninth position when the COVID-19 pandemic halted the 2019-20 season.
FC Flyeralarm Admira Wacker Mödling will play in the Bundesliga in the 2019-20 season.
My visit
Sunday 8th March 2020
My visit to the BSFZ Arena, as the Bundesstadion Südstadt was titled under a sponsorship deal, was meant to be for the clash in the Regionalliga Ost between Admira Juniors and ASV Drassburg.
I’d set off in good form after already enjoyed the Wiener Stadtliga morning game between Slovan HAC and Schwechat SV before taking in the delights of the stunning Schönbrunner Schlosspark as well as visiting four other football clubs.
After calling in on the home of SV Wienerberger where the newly reformed Wacker Wien shared as tenants, I took the WLB light transit rail from Gutheil-Schoder-Gasse for the twenty minute ride to Maria Enzersdorf Südstadt.
Walking towards the stadium on Johann Steinböck-Straße I saw players warming up on a pitch in the distance with a crowd gathering. It was fair to say that I wasn’t very impressed. The match wasn’t going to be in the main stadium as I’d expected.
It obviously hadn’t impressed a fellow fan that I recognised from my morning match as he passed me behind the main stand heading back towards the station. I, on the other hand, was ready to make the most of it.
Fortunately, I found an open gate near the supporter’s sector and went inside to get some photos after I thought my view would be limited at best. This was definitely a decent consolation prize.
Three sides of the arena were uncovered, with large advertising banners covering the terraces behind either goal. The far side was seated with media facilities at the back. The Main Stand was a large two tier seated structure.
On leaving and walking to my match I got further photo opportunities as another gate was open in the corner by the changing rooms and players tunnel.
Click here to read about Admira Juniors.
No comments:
Post a Comment