Wiener Sport-Club is one of the oldest sporting organisations in Austria, having been formed in Vienna out of the Wiener Radfahrerclub; Vienna Cycling Club on February 24th 1883 before fencing and gymnastics sections were added.
In 1902 two football clubs; FuAC Vorwärts and Währing merged and then joined with Wiener Sportverband, the Vienna Sports Association two years later which was previously a club partaking in wrestling and weightlifting.
On February 25th 1907 Wiener Radfahrerclub and Wiener Sportverband joined forces to become Wiener Sport-Club. Gradually sections for handball, ice hockey, tennis, boxing, athletics and winter sports were all added to the club portfolio.
The football team continued playing on the ground on Kainzgasse in the Dornbach district of the city which had been inaugurated in 1904 and would later become known as Wiener Sport-Club Platz.
The team made it its previous guise had won the final of the Challenge Cup, a competition between Austrian and Hungarian clubs when they defeated Magyar AC 2-1 before ending as runners-up in 1908-09 when they went down 2-1 to Ferencvárosi at Hohe Warte in Vienna.
The trophy was lifted for a second time in 1910-11 when revenge was taken over Ferencvárosi with a 3-0 victory in the last final of the competition. WSC became members of the first Austrian championship in 1911-12, although the competition only featured clubs from the capital.
Sport-Club ended as runners-up in the inaugural season but struggled in the years of the first World War as several players were called up for military duty leaving the youth side to deputise. Utility star player Karl Braunsteiner lost his life while in Russian captivity in 1916.
The ÖFB-Cup began life in 1918-19. WSC lost the first final to Rapid Wien before going down to SV Amateure in the 1920-21 final. The youngsters had gained valuable experience as Sports-Club became champions of Austria in 1921-22.
For many years thereafter the team finished in mid table positions before ending 1937-28 as runners-up to Rapid Wien. The side reached the ÖFB-Cup cup finals of 1936-37 and 1937-38, losing to First Vienna FC and then Schwarz-Rot Wien.
The year after the competition became, Gauliga Ostmark, one of sixteen top-flight German leagues during the period of Anschluss; where a third place in 1940 was as good as WSC could muster.
In 1951-52 WSC was relegated to Staatsliga B before returning to the top tier twelve months later and then ending the 1954-55 season as Austrian runners-up under coach Hans Pesser with a team including the likes of internationals Rudolf Szanwald, Leopold Barschandt, Josef "Pepi" Hamerl and Erich Hof.
A second national title followed in 1957-58 before the team shocked Italian giants Juventus in the following seasons European Cup as they turned around a 3-1 defeat in Turin to win the second leg 7-0 at Prater Stadion with Hamerl scoring four times.
The league title was retained in 1958-59 as Sports-Cup went to the quarter final of the European Cup the following campaign before bowing out to Eintracht Frankfurt. That same season saw WSC fall just short of three titles in a row as they ended as runners-up to Rapid Wien.
The triumphant side began to break up which led to a barren decade until WSC reached the ÖFB-Cup final of 1968-69 where they lost 2-1 to Rapid Wien. Sports-Club also finished as league runners-up in 1968-69 and 1969-70, on both occasions to Austria Wien.
Rapid would again end dreams of silverware with an aggregate victory after extra time in the 1971-72 ÖFB-Cup final. The ten team Bundesliga replaced the Staatsliga in 1973-74 with the city of Vienna only being granted two places.
WSC dropped down to 2. Liga from where they were promoted as champions in 1976-77 with the team also reaching the ÖFB-Cup final where they lost the two-legged game against Austria Wien.
The experienced August ‘Gustl’ Starek was in the team that ended as Bundesliga runners-up in 1978-79. The Bundesliga was extended and then reduced to twelve clubs in 1984-85 as WSC were demoted once again before winning promotion and the 2. Liga title at the first attempt.
Austrian internationals Felix Gasselich and Hans Krankl played for Sports-Club between 1986 and 1988 to join fellow Austrian player Christian Keglevits as the team finished in the lower reaches of the table. After seasons of struggle the team was relegated in 1993-94.
Financial troubles burdened the club which saw a bankruptcy and an amalgamation with SV Gerasdorf to play under the title of SpG Wiener Sport-Club/Gerasdorf for the 1994-95 season before a restructured Sports-Club went alone again for 1995-96 in Regionalliga Ost.
After finishing as runners-up in 1996-97 the team was relegated to the fourth tier Wiener Stadtliga the following season. The 2000-01 campaign saw WSC climb back into Regionalliga Ost.
However, finances were so severe that the football section cut away in the summer of 2001 as FC Wiener Hernals and then Wiener Sportklub. The team went on to win Regionalliga Ost by ten points in 2001-02 before being relegated from Erste Division in 2002-03 despite the goals of Christian Stumpf.
Even bigger battles took place off the pitch between the founders of Wiener Sportklub and the original Wiener Sport-Club over the claiming of history and traditions. A financial deal was agreed between the two as SK continued playing at Wiener Sport-Club Platz.
The team was known as Wiener Sportklub Wienstrom for a time after a sponsorship deal was struck as SK continually finished in the top six places of Regionalliga Ost without threatening the promotion places.
However, a downturn led to a low finish followed by the avoidance of relegation by one point in 2014-15. The poor finishes continued before the parties of SC and SK got together to unite as the team played once again as Weiner Sport-Club from the summer of 2017.
The newly structured club looked to make stadium improvements while developing the club as the centre of the Dornbach community with a social commitment, new cult and integrating women’s and youth sides in an atmosphere of equality.
Norbert Schweitzer continued as head coach, taking WSC to fourth place in 2018-19 before he was surprisingly replaced by Robert Weinstabl in June 2019. The new man’s side were placed in fourth position before the COVID-19 pandemic abandoned the 2019-20 season.
Wiener Sport-Club will play in Regionalliga Ost in the 2020-21 season.
My visit
Wiener Sport-Club 1 ASK Ebreichsdorf 2 (Friday 6th March 2020) Regionalliga Ost (att: 1,541)
I’d planned for a long weekend in Vienna for several months, booking my flights and hotel well in advance. The Coronavirus was still at a manageable level, but concerns were growing across Europe. I put it to the back of my mind as I flew through EasyJet from Stansted.
I’d had an overnight stay in Vienna back in 2001 as part of my Eurorail tour but felt that I hadn’t got everything out of it. Now armed with information through the internet I was ready to squeeze every drop out of my few days.
There had been no time to mess about as I arrived at Hauptbahnhof and took in a walk through the beautiful Schloss Belvedere before registering to take a bike from one of the stands on the Ring that encircled the city centre.
It was a similar scheme in London it took me a while to get used to riding; as well as remembering they cycle on the other side on the continent! A fantastic few hours were spent as I got on and off to take photos and take in what was some stunning architecture.
Once I'd deposited my bike, I grabbed some food by St. Stephen's Cathedral and took in more central sights before taking the UBahn to Längenfeldgasse which was nearby to Star Inn Hotel Wien Schönbrunn, my accommodation for four nights.
I couldn’t have chosen much better. The room was large and comfortable in an excellent location for public transport. I didn’t need much rocking on the big bed as I grabbed a siesta before getting freshened up for the evening’s entertainment.
I’d forgotten to use the ATM earlier and was now in a bit of a rush. Little did I know that I walked past one just a few yards from where I’d looked near the station, so I ended up in the shopping complex adjoining Westbahnhof trying to find a dispenser.
After a wild goose chase, I found somewhere that gave me my cash in €50 notes, which wasn’t ideal, but certainly better than nothing. I went downstairs and caught the U6 to Alser Straße from where I jumped aboard the 43 tram which was fortunately going the right way, more through luck than judgement.
It’s always a comfort heading to a ground for the first time when fans get on wearing colours. The sight of black and white scarves relaxed me no end before I followed the crowd as they alighted at the Hernals stop; from where it was a five minute walk along Dornbacher Straße before the floodlights came into view.
We took a right up Kainzgasse to the far end of Wiener Sport-Club Platz where quite a crowd was gathered on Alszeile which backed onto Dornbach Cemetery. I got in the queue for a ticket and decided on standing for €11 as well as grabbing a free A4 programme which were on the shelf at the ticket office window.
Some fans were buying from the street stalls either side of the road. I noticed a door which looked like it led up to a clubhouse, but I headed straight inside the ground via the corner gate. Once up the steps I initially went to the left down the side terrace.
This was an open area with a camera gantry. The far end was closed but had a large seated stand. Opposite was a long low seated stand with standing areas at the rear and what looked line a grill making foods. To the right was the open steep terrace where the vocal fans were gathering. That would do for me!
At the rear I bought a beer and a chicken schnitzel in a bread roll. That was also a bonus in my book. The beer was decent and apparently brewed locally, to match the ethics of the new WSC. It was like an old fourth division ground back in England. I loved it. An unusual feature was that the stadium only had two corner floodlights. Perhaps the man who made Subbuteo was WSC fan as they only issued two in their sets?
The teams came out from underneath us behind the goal. I smiled as many of the chants and songs were in English from the home fans. The hosts started off well against table toppers Ebreichsdorf with Miroslav Beljan and Julian Küssler having early efforts.
On twelve minutes Küssler put WSC ahead despite the best efforts of a visiting defender on the line. I was so happy I went for another beer. The game on a lush surface flowed from end to end. The visitors looked to have scored an impressive equaliser that was disallowed for offside.
Sport-Club keeper Glove Kostner was the busier of the two stoppers before he was beaten by a half volley from Ali Alaca on the stroke of half time. My only criticism of the first half was the propensity of many of the players to go to ground at the slightest of touch.
Aside from a ten minute spell not long after the restart WSC were being put to the sword by a very steady looking Ebreichsdorf outfit. Home coach Weinstabl rang the changes but I fancied the away side more and more as the game continued.
I took a wander down the side to take some photos and get a different perspective on the action, where the gaggle of visiting fans were congregated. They were to be jubilant with five minutes left on the clock when Alaca grabbed his second which would prove to be the winner.
At full time I dashed out in the hope of getting served upstairs in the clubhouse called ‘The Flag’. I was the first at the bar. It turned out to be no ordinary football clubhouse. This was like a bohemian night club with basic furniture and posters and graffiti on the wall.
The beer was €3 and excellent. I went next door into another room and got a seat as the venue started filling up with fans who’d cheered their team off and collected up their banners. Then I heard music. I needed to investigate.
It was coming from where I first got served, and what a playlist came on over the following forty minutes or so. I used Shazam on my phone, so I had a reminder of the tracks when I returned home as it introduced me to some fantastic tunes. In all it reminded me of the old Tunnel Club in Scarborough from the 90’s.
The place was bouncing. I had a couple more pints and was tempted to stay longer but was wary of getting back and I’d seen another bar I wanted to visit. I dragged myself away before coming across a pub of the corner of Kainzgasse that must have escaped my earlier attention.
The fantastic Die Schweiger had a huge choice of beer on draught and bottles from all around the world. The helpful staff spoke excellent English as I went for the local dunkel dark beer. I’d had a few beers but was still so happy to be in such a welcoming city with a beer and football culture.
I lamented not for the first time about the rest of the world seemingly looking to help and speak English while many of my fellow Brits struggle in their own tongue. One of life’s conundrums and probably best not dwelt on while enjoying fine beers.
On the way to the stadium I noticed a WSC banner on the wall of Cafe Pub Weinhold wih the legend of “Tradition Never Dies”. I thought it worth a call after the match. Mmm. It was friendly enough in a certain way, but the music was naff as the few remaining drunks sang along to classics such as Angels by Robbie Williams.
A fella sat along from me smiled a lot, so it wasn’t all bad, but in hindsight either The Flag or Die Schweiger were better options. I made my large bottle of Gösser last to perfection timewise before I returned down the road to repeat my outbound journey.
I’d had a long and fulfilling day. Sleep wasn’t going to be an issue. I’d most certainly recommend a trip to Dornbach for football and beer. A fantastic experience had been enjoyed.
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