Wiener Neudorf (Austria)

1. SV Wiener Neudorf is a football club formed in 1918 from the town of the same name located in the Mödling district of Niederösterreich located around ten miles south of the Austrian capital of Vienna.

The club played as SV Wiener Neudorf before a merger took place with Mödling in 1938. The new sports ground on Hauptstrasse was opened in 1946 after the War prior to the team winning promotion to 1. Klasse Süd Mitte of Niederösterreich, Lower Austria football in 1950-51.

Neudorf went on to become champions of 1. Klasse Südosten in 1955-56. The club continued playing in regional football for the next few decades, lifting four more league titles between 1971-72 and 1979-80.

A move to the new 1.SV Wiener Neudorf Stadion on Eumigweg, which was part of a sports hub in 1985 would herald a new era for the club. Promotion was won in the 1985-86 season before the team went on to become Landesliga NÖ champions the following season.

This elevated Wiener Neudorf to Regionalliga Ost where they finished as runners-up in 1988-89 prior to fifth place in 1990-91 before being relegated back to the Landesliga at the end of the 1991-92 campaign.

A further demotion to 2. Landesliga followed before financial troubles blighted the club. After regrouping and placing importance on youth players at the club, the side finished as fourth place in 1999-00.

By 2007-08 the team found themselves in Gebietsliga Süd/Südost of Niederösterreich football where they were crowned as champions to reach 2. Landesliga Ost, finishing third in 2008-09 at the Franz Fürst Stadion, name in honour of a local politician and mayor.

Three lower finishes ensued with Peter Obritzberger appointed as head coach in January 2012. Performances failed to improve so Wolfgang Knaller came in as his replacement during the winter break of 2014.

The new team boss couldn’t help to save the side from relegation to Gebietsliga Süd/Südost, the sixth tier of Austrian football. Wolfgang Knaller came in as coach, leading the team to sixth place as Stefan Knaller and Vadiv Slavov topped the scoring chart.

After a poor season, Neudorf recovered to sixth place in 2016-17 under Georgi Valtchev which was improved upon the following season by two places with Robert Florl in charge of the team with Admir Subasic banging in the goals.

A tenth place finish in 2018-19 was backed up with ninth in March 2020 when the season was abandoned by the COVID-19 pandemic as Alexander Nikischer top scored.

Wiener Neudorf will play in Gebietsliga Süd/Südost in the 2020-21 season.

My visit

Sunday 8^th March 2020

My visit to the town of Wiener Neudorf was most unexpected until ten minutes before I arrived. I had attended the afternoon Regionalliga Ost game between Admira Juniors and ASV Draßburg and returned to the platform at Maria Enzersdorf Südstadt station.

Across the field to the south I saw a set of modern floodlights that obviously belonged to a club of a reasonable size. Google Maps gave me the information though I could find little out about the club. That would have to wait.

It was ten minutes before my next train back towards the centre and my hotel, but only five minutes until the next southbound service. The light was fading but I reckoned I had just enough time to grab some photos if all went to plan.

As I figured that it would be a long shot that I’d find myself back in this neck of the woods I took the plunge. It was only a five minute walk after alighting on the WLB light transit railway along Eumigweg to the car park of the venue.

Some junior players and parents were leaving and the main gate to the arena looked to be locked. I wandered around the back of the main stand past other pitches and where workers were doing maintenance on the clay tennis courts.

A simple smile and a nod seemed to do the trick in avoiding awkward questions. The gate in the top corner to Franz Fürst Stadion was open. There was just enough light to take photos of a ground with a raised spectator area down one side with a covered centre section.

The rest of the ground offered nothing in the way of accommodation for fans although there appeared to be space beyond the boundary walls if the need ever came about. I returned to the station and took the train back to Meidling station.

Through a couple of earlier interchanges through the station, I’d seen a stall downstairs selling large slices of pizza. I grabbed a couple to take back to my room at Star Inn Hotel Wien Schönbrunn before venturing out.

By now, Hans, my local informant who I’d met at the Austria Wien game the previous evening and offered valuable tips and news making the trip even more successful had filled me in with info on Wiener Neudorf.

I’d become confused as I presumed that they’d be listed on the Vienna FA website with other clubs I’d visited over the weekend. I’d failed to take into account that they were over the border in Lower Austria.

It was time for beer. I’d turned down the temptation of dipping my toes into the game at Helfort between DSG ISG Stammtisch and DSG Salzachsturm in the Diözesan Sport Gemeinschaft church league. I’d sourced a brew pub not far from the digs.

HAWIDERE - Bier & Burger had received mixed online reviews but I decided to give it a go. I’d read that they showed football. However, there were no TV’s but that wasn’t a problem. The three beers that I tried weren’t bad, but I’d tasted better.

The problem I had was with a couple of hipsters playing a noise on the table nearby. Maybe it’s a house policy or they were owners. I’m not sure, but I know it was like nothing I’d heard before. No conventional instruments, just various noises put together. I really couldn’t describe it as music.

I’d like to think of myself as being open minded but that was too much. I paid what I thought a very expensive bar bill of nearly €5 for less than a pint of each beer and went on my way looking for a better option. I even toyed with a return to the excellent bar in Hernals from Friday night.

That was too far after checking travel time. I went along Ullmannstraße towards Pub Schönbrunn where four customers were sat outside. I entered to find an empty bar. Those outside were the staff and a couple of fellas. They’d obviously been very thirsty all afternoon.

It seemed OK. The bloke who served me seemed to think that Slade Live was a good choice of music. Who was I to disagree? There was lots of washing of dirty glasses to be done which offered further evidence to a lengthy session.

They were friendly enough and I enjoyed very reasonably priced local beer until closing time. There was even a scarf of local side Viktoria Wiener on the wall who had been the first club I’d visited earlier in the day.

The owner was a smashing bloke who spoke a little English. Well certainly more than my German anyway. I said I’d return the following evening, which I felt guilty about twenty-four hours later when I was too shattered. I’d certainly give it another go on a revisit.

It was just five minutes back along Linke Wienzeile with a smile on my face where I didn’t need any assistance in getting off to sleep after another fantastic day in a wonderful city.