SC Wacker Wien (Austria)

SC Wacker Wien

Ground: Ostbahn-XI-Platz

Capacity: 4,000

Club Founded: 1906 - Reformed 2018

League: 1. Klasse A Wien - 7th Tier (current level)

Sportclub Wacker Wien is one of the most famous names in Austrian football, merged in 1971 before being revived by a new organisation in 2018 to play in Vienna's football set-up.

Wacker-Platz in 2020

Wacker Wien - Early History

The original club was formed in 1906 by student Max Freund, who lived in the Meidling district of the capital. Foundations were established at Aichholzgasse 33, while black and white were chosen as club colours. The youngsters persuaded adult Mr Rudolf Krones to become chairman so that the club could be formally registered. 

A sand pitch was provided by local innkeeper Nitsch as the club started playing at the third level before being promoted and then winning the 2. Klasse title twice. Both championships ended in disappointment in the playoffs against SC Rudolfshügel and then ASV Hertha Vienna.

Top-Flight Club

A third consecutive second-tier championship ended in automatic promotion, with Franz Twaroch, the star player, being capped by the national team. The club suffered as most of the team was called up to fight in World War I, with half not returning. Wacker stabilised in the top-flight Erste Klasse. 

The popularity of the club in Meidling led to the opening of the new Wacker-Platz ground in 1921 on Rosagasse with a capacity of 20,000. Two years later, Wacker reached the ÖFB Cup (Austrian Cup) final, going down 3-1 to Wiener Sport-Club in front of a 20,000 crowd at Hohe Warte with Ferdinand Feigl in goal and Leopold Resch starring in midfield.

‘Die Meidlinger’, as Wacker is nicknamed, provided Karl Zischek and Hans Walzhofer for the Austria ‘Wunderteam’ that played in the 1934 World Cup. During the Anschluss under the Third Reich, Wacker played in the Gauliga Ostmark, one of sixteen top-level divisions. 

The team also reached the semi-final of the Tschammer Pokal, the German Cup of the time, in 1938-39. Wacker went out to  Waldhof Mannheim on a lottery after three matches had been drawn. During World War II, Wacker lost international player, keeper Alexander Martinek, while Josef Pekarek lost a leg. 

Wacker-Platz in 2020

Austrian Champions

Football returned to a Wacker-Platz, which had suffered bomb damage in 1945, as the team was strengthened by the signings of Otto Marischka and Wilhelm Hahnemann in time for the resumed Austrian championship. In 1946-47, Wacker were crowned as national champions with a 4-0 win against Wiener Sport-Club, with Turl Wagner scoring twice to seal the title. 

The club completed the double when SC Austria Wien were beaten 4-3 in the ÖFB Cup final, as Ernst Reitermaier and Hahnemann both netted twice for ‘Die Schönbrunner’, known because of their close location to Schloß Schönbrunn. Gerhard Hanappi was Wacker's star of the day and considered the best player in Austria. 

He left the club to join Rapid Wien in 1950, which enhanced the hostility between the clubs and their fans. A forward line of Ernst Bokon, Richard Brousek, Walter Haummer and Turl Wagner took Wacker to the final of the Zentropapokal, the forerunner of the European Cup in 1951, where the side lost 3-2 to Rapid Wien at Praterstadion.

Wacker-Platz in 2020

Austrian International Stars

In 1952-53, Wacker finished as league runners-up for a sixth time before international midfielder Theodor Brinek moved on to AS Monaco. Franz Pelikan, Walter Kollmann, Haummer and Wagner were part of the Austrian squad that finished third in the 1954 World Cup.

In 1955-56, a defeat in their final game meant yet another runners-up place in the top-flight Staatsliga A with Jenő Kalmár coaching the side. Walter Kollmann, along with Ernst and Paul Kozlicek, played for Austria at the 1958 World Cup, as Wacker were experiencing financial problems. Several players went on strike in the 1958-59 season over payments. 

Forty-five-year-old trainer Hahnemann came out of retirement to score against First Vienna before the club was relegated for the first time in 1960-61. Wacker regained their status twelve months later after securing the Regionalliga Ost title, but then returned to the second level in 1962-63. 

The Yo-Yo Seasons and the End?

Over 6,000 fans turned up at Wacker-Platz to see their team win the second-tier championship in 1963-64. The yo-yo effect continued as Wacker were relegated, finishing in bottom place before returning to the top flight at the first attempt. The team soon dropped back down a level.

Die Schönbrunner won another Regionalliga title in 1967-68, remaining in top-level football until the end of the 1970-71 season. Their final game saw a 4-2 defeat to FC Wacker Innsbruck, who became national champions for the first time.

Ernst Dokupil scored the final goal for the team playing in black and white before the club management decided to merge with Admira Energie from Maria Enzersdorf to form FC Admira/Wacker.

HMI Arena - Wacker's home in 2019-20

New Incarnations

In the 1990’s, a club called Wacker Wien was formed after a merger with Groß Viktoria by an eccentric owner, Mr Krischke, who was notorious in the Lower Austria football region. The team progressed to the third-tier Regionalliga Ost, playing some games at Wacker-Platz. Wacker/Groß Viktoria folded at the end of the 1995-96 season. 

Otto Neu, a fan of the original club, started up a new incarnation of Wacker in 2005, backed by former legend Turl Wagner. They were tenants of SC Wiener Viktoria in Meidling, before then using the Union ground on Hervicusgasse. Promotion was won in 2005-06 before the side dropped back down and disappeared a few years later. 

The Wacker name got another lease of life when the new set-up became members of 2. Klasse A Wien for the 2018-19 season. They won promotion as Veselin Rafailovic led the scoring while playing home games at 1980 Wien-Arena before becoming tenants of SV Wienerberg at HMI Arena under coach Manfred Führer in 1. Klasse A.

Ostbahn-XI-Platz
Photo from Europlan-Online

The side played home games at Ostbahn-XI-Platz after the pandemic. Fourth place followed in 2023-24, which was repeated twelve months later, by which time home games were being played at FavAC Platz, the home of Favoritner AC before returning to Ostbahn-XI-Platz

My visits

Former Stadium Visit - Monday 9th March 2020

I’d researched the history behind FC Admira Wacker Mödling the previous day as I watched Admira Juniors play in the Regionalliga at the BSFZ Arena. This led me to look into Wacker’s past, which in turn revealed that Wacker-Platz still existed. Before I plan my trips, I always scan over the satellite on Google Maps to see if it reveals any venues I didn't know about.

It often does. I’d noticed the ground on Rosasgasse, but it gave no clue as to its origins. I was heading to visit Rapid Wien before taking the train over the border to Bratislava for a few hours. The venue was on my route, so I left the Star Inn Hotel Wien to take the U4 train from Längenfeldgasse for a couple of stops to Schönbrunn station.

It took five minutes to walk along Grünbergstraße and then Rosasgasse to the now titled Bundesspielplatz Schönbrunn, which had been converted into a venue that could be hired for school sports. There wasn’t a very good view of the pitch through the locked gates, so I went round to the far end on Tivoligasse via Zenogasse. 

I got an excellent view from a raised elevation through the wire fences. It wasn’t difficult to imagine it holding decent-sized crowds. The pitch was in excellent condition with artificial surfaces on the area where I think the larger structures stood. The banking on the other side was now grown over with a couple of concrete steps at the base.