NETHERLANDS: WHC

Gemeentelijk Sportpark Mulderssingel, Wezep (WHC)

Netherlands, province: Guelders = Gelderland

7 V 2011 / WHC - SVZW 0-0 / Zaterdag Hoofdklasse C (= NL level 4)

4 V 2024 / WHC - RKSV NEO 3-0 / Saturday League 1H (= NL level 6)

Timeline

• ± 1920 / Youngsters from Wezep gather to play football on makeshift pitches, initially at Elburgseweg (at the back of Jan van Diepen’s house), later at Voskuilersteeg (a plot of land owned by Mannes van Putten). 
• 1923 / Foundation of a first football club in Wezep, Blauw Wit. Making use of a plot of land at Voskuilersteeg (adjacent to the initial pitch located at this same street), the club sticks to playing friendly matches against teams from neighbouring villages.
• 1924 / Applying for membership of the so-called Noord-Centrale Voetbalbond (NCVB), one of the associations organising football under the auspices of the official Netherlands’ Football Association (NVB, later KNVB), Blauw Wit is ordered to take on a new name to avoid confusion with other clubs bearing this name; eventually, the club is accepted as WVV (Wezeper Voetbalvereeniging).
• 1927 / Having ceased its activities for the 1925-26 season, WVV manages a return in the following year, even going on to win the title in its division after winning a tie-break match against a team from Heino (possibly HSC?), played on the pitch of a football club in Zwolle, De Pelikaan (2-0). Subsequently, WVV refuses to meet Old Forward from Frederiksoord in a promotion match due to the travelling costs being too high – with the club even folding after the season. Between 1927 and 1929, football activities in Wezep is not suspended, with makeshift teams from various streets and hamlets meeting for ‘wild’ matches – the only name of such a team having been preserved being KMD (‘Klein Maar Dapper’).
• 1929 / Foundation of a new football club in Wezep, Wezeper Boys, which goes on to win its first NCVB title in 1930. Wezeper Boys settles on a pitch situated at the crossroads of Molenweg and Keizersweg – adjacent to the Zwolle-Harderwijk railway line.
• 1930 / Foundation of a football club in Hattemerbroek, HVV (Hattemerbroek Voetbalvereeniging). This Sunday club’s first pitch is situated at Zuiderzeestraatweg – a plot of land owned by HVV’s first chairman, the local baker, mr G.J. Koopman. Not staying at this location for very long, the club goes on to play at Vogelzangveldweg before settling at Voskuilersteeg, probably in 1931.
• 1931 / One year after the club’s foundation, HVV now applies for membership of the NCVB, being placed in the same division as Wezeper Boys.
• 1932 / Wezeper Boys wins the title in its division, but due to unsportsmanlike behaviour on the part of some of the club’s players, its NCVB membership is terminated, sounding the death knell for the club. Most of the players join HVV.
• 1933 / Shortly after the demise of Wezeper Boys, which had taken part in Sunday football, a new club sees the daylight in Wezep, Quick, which chooses to play on Saturdays only for religious reasons. The club’s ground is situated at modern-day Industrieweg. Quick must have folded after about a year following unsuccessful merger talks with HVV.
• 1935 / A new Sunday club is founded in Wezep, WSV (Wezeper Sportvereniging), which settles on Quick’s former pitch at modern-day Industrieweg. 
• ± 1936 / HVV terminates its NCVB membership, instead joining a ‘free association’ of clubs from the wider Zwolle region. Also in or around 1936, a second club sees the daylight in Wezep, GVV (Grintweg Voetbalvereniging), which settles at Terrein De Zeven Heuvels (near Café Bosch). 
• 1937 / The new Zwolle football association not having proved successful, HVV rejoins the NCVB.
• 1938 / After an existence of some two years, the smaller GVV allows itself to be absorbed by WSV. Also in 1938, a new Saturday club is founded in Wezep, taking on the name Wezeper Boys. This reincarnated Wezeper Boys, groundsharing with WSV at Industrieweg, does not apply for membership of the official Netherlands’ FA (KNVB), instead joining the so-called Christelijke Nederlandse Voetbalbond (CNVB), being placed in that association’s sub-branch Apeldoorn, Division 1.  
• ± 1939 / HVV wins the title in NCVB Division 2C, winning all of its twelve matches (goal difference: 61-3). Also in or around 1939, WSV folds, ceasing all activities. 
• 1940 / Upon the outbreak of World War II, Wezeper Boys folds following the Germans abolishing all football associations except the official Netherlands’ FA (renamed NVB in the war years). Although HVV in Hattemerbroek is a (K)NVB member, that club ceases its activities as well following the Germans requisitioning the club’s pitch and dressing rooms. 
• 1945 / Refoundation of HVV and Wezeper Boys – but the NCVB refuses to accept the latter’s application due to the bad reputation built up by the club due to its players’ behaviour in the two years of its existence (1938-40), adding the suggestion to Wezeper Boys to allow itself to be absorbed by HVV from neighbouring Hattemerbroek. This leads to the foundation of WHC (‘Wezep-Hattemerbroek Combinatie’) in 1945, with HVV’s G.J. Koopman becoming the new club’s chairman and the club choosing to play Saturday league football (whereas HVV had played on Sundays in the 1930s). Due to WHC officially being a continuation of HVV, the club claims 1930 as its foundation year rather than 1945. It is unclear (to me) where WHC played its football between 1945 and 1960, but probably at Hattemerbroek’s Terrein Voskuilersteeg.
• 1946 / Runner-up in Afdeling Oost behind Volharding, WHC is placed in KNVB Saturday League 4, the highest level of Saturday league football since its introduction in 1941.
• 1949 / A first highlight in WHC’s history, the club reaches the final of the nationwide non-league cup for Saturday teams, having defeated CSV ’28, SV Hatto Heim, SC Genemuiden, SV DESZ, SV Excelsior ’31, CVV Sparta Enschede, SV Gramsbergen, vv Poolster, and KVV Quick Boys on the way. In the final, played in Baarn, WHC meets Amsterdam club AMVJ, going on to lose the encounter 2-1.
• 1950 / WHC wins the title in Saturday League 4A after a tie-break match in ‘t Harde played against vv Nunspeet (4-2) attended by some 4,000 spectators. As such, the club wins promotion to the newly introduced Saturday League 3, the new top level of the Saturday league pyramid.
• 1960 / Runners-up in Saturday League 3A, 3 points behind champions DOVO, WHC wins promotion to the newly introduced Saturday League 2, the new top level of the Saturday league pyramid. Also in 1960, abandoning the club’s old pitch (probably Terrein Voskuilersteeg, Hattemerbroek), WHC settles at the newly built Sportpark Mulderssingel in Wezep, with the new dressing rooms and clubhouse being inaugurated by Oldebroek’s mayor J.H. Luiting Maten – and with a gala match being played between WHC and Sunday League 1 team ZAC from Zwolle (1-2). 
• 1963 / Sportpark Mulderssingel is sold by the club to the municipality of Oldebroek, with the park thus becoming a ‘Gemeentelijk Sportpark’ or municipal sports park.
• 1964 / WHC wins the title in Saturday League 2C, 11 points ahead of vv DOS Kampen, going on to finish in third and last place in the Saturday league title competition with vv IJsselmeervogels and RCVV Zwart Wit ’28. 
• 1965 / WHC finishes in second place in Saturday League 2C, just 1 point behind SV Excelsior ’31.
• 1966 / Clinching its second Saturday League 2C title, 8 points ahead of closest followers SV Spakenburg, WHC goes on to finish in second place in the Saturday league title competition behind vv Voorwaarts V, but ahead of vv SHO and vv IJsselmeervogels. Also in 1966, a grandstand is added to the set-up of Sportpark Mulderssingel, being built at the southern side of the main pitch. During the renovation works at the ground, the club moves to two temporary pitches, Terrein De Brink and Terrein Willem de Zwijgerkazerne.
• 1967 / WHC wins the title in Saturday League 2D, 6 points ahead of closest rivals SVZW, going on to finish in second place in the Saturday league title competition behind SV Huizen, but ahead of RVVH and DOVO. In April 1967, the new grandstand (though still without a roof, which was added shortly afterwards) is inaugurated in the title competition encounter with SV Huizen (3-1) attended by some 5,000 spectators.
• 1968 / WHC wins its third consecutive title – and its fourth in five seasons – crowning itself Saturday League 2D champions after winning a tie-break match against Go Ahead Kampen. In the Saturday league title competition, the club yet again finishes in second place behind SV Huizen, but ahead of vv Noordwijk and vv IJsselmeervogels. Also in 1968, the new clubhouse and floodlights are inaugurated at Sportpark Mulderssingel – the latter with a gala match in which WHC hosts professional league side DWS (3-4).
• 1969 / After renovation works which took the best part of three years, the renovated Sportpark Mulderssingel is inaugurated by Oldebroek’s mayor J.H. Luiting Maten.
• 1970 / WHC clinches the title in Saturday League 2D, 1 point ahead of DOVO, but yet again fails to win the Saturday league title competition, in which vv SHO wins first place. With the introduction of Saturday League 1 as the new top level of the Saturday league pyramid, WHC is placed in this new division.
• 1971 / In its first season at this new level, WHC finishes runners-up in Saturday League 1B, 4 points behind champions SV Spakenburg. Also in the 1970-71 season, defeating vv IJsselmeervogels and derby rivals vv OWIOS on the way, WHC reaches the final of the nationwide non-league cup for Saturday teams, going on to win the final against RCVV Zwart Wit ’28 (2-1) at Sportpark Panhuis in Veenendaal. 
• 1972 / WHC finishes runnes-up in Saturday League 1A, 6 points behind RCVV Zwart Wit ’28. This result marks the end of the golden decade of club history, with results being markedly less impressive in the following years.
• 1980 / Finishing second-last in Saturday League 1A, just 1 point ahead of vv Altena which is relegated directly to League 2, WHC has to play a relegation play-off against the second-last team in League 1B, SDCP, played at vv Nunspeet’s Sportpark De Wiltsangh. By winning the encounter comfortably (5-0), WHC assures itself of a prolonged stay in Saturday League 1. Also in 1980, a complete renovation of Sportpark Mulderssingel is undertaken, which sees the main stand from 1967 being knocked down, with a new construction replacing it on the northern side of the main pitch (500 covered seats) and new terracing being built on either side of it as well as on the southern side of the pitch.
• 1982 / In a disastrous season, which sees trainer Bas Paauwe Jnr being sacked and replaced by Arend Witteveen, WHC finishes second-from-bottom in Saturday League 1A, experiencing a relegation for the first time in club history – dropping back into League 2 along with bottom club vv IJmuiden.
• 1988 / Clinching the title in Saturday League 2B, 8 points ahead of derby rivals vv OWIOS, WHC, coached by Kees van Pijkeren, manages a return to League 1 after an absence of six years.
• 1989 / WHC takes part in the nationwide cup (KNVB-Beker) for the first time, bowing out in R1 against professional league side BV Veendam (1-4).
• 1992 / Finishing in twelfth place in Saturday League 1C, WHC has to play a promotion-relegation tie-break match against League 2 team PVV Excelsior Pernis. The encounter, played in Scherpenzeel in front of 1,500 spectators, finishes in 2-2 (A.E.T.), with WHC winning the penalty shoot-out and thus assuring itself of a prolonged stay in the top division of the Saturday pyramid.
• 1996 / In spite of trainer Gerrit Verwoerd being replaced by Kees van Pijkeren in the course of the season, WHC cannot avoid finishing in second-last place in Saturday League 1C, resulting in the club missing out on placement in Zaterdag Hoofdklasse – the new top tier of the Saturday league pyramid. The club stays in Saturday League 1, which in this case amounts to relegation in all but name.
• 1997 / Coached by Kees van Pijkeren, WHC wins the title in Saturday League 1D, 6 points ahead of closest followers vv Nunspeet, with the decisive points being obtained in a 5-1 home win over ASC ’62. As such, the club accedes to Zaterdag Hoofdklasse.
• 2000 / In a pre-season friendly, WHC hosts FC Barcelona at Sportpark Mulderssingel, with the encounter finishing in 14-0 for the Spanish guests.
• 2001 / Qualifying for the nationwide cup, WHC bows out in the group stage, in which the club suffers an emphatic 9-0 home defeat at the hands of FC Zwolle.
• 2003 / Qualifying for the nationwide cup, WHC defeats vv Harkemase Boys in R1 (1-2) before being eliminated by FC Groningen (0-1).
• 2004 / Qualifying for the nationwide cup, WHC defeats vv Sneek in R1 (5-0) before being eliminated by BVO Emmen (5-1).
• 2005 / In a pre-season friendly, WHC hosts AFC Ajax at Sportpark Mulderssingel in front of a crowd of 6,500. In spite of AFC Ajax showing up with (fledgling) international stars like Wesley Sneijder, Maarten Stekelenburg, Nigel de Jong, and Johnny Heitinga, WHC nearly causes an upset – with the encounter finishing in a narrow 3-4 defeat; WHC’s goals were scored by Jochem de Weerdt, Michel Füchten, and Stefan Buitenhuis. Also in 2005, WHC qualifies for the nationwide cup, being eliminated in R1 against FC Emmen (3-4 A.E.T.).
• 2006 / Reaching the final of District East’s Regional Cup (Districtsbeker Oost) after defeating WSV, SJN, SV De Treffers, KVV Quick ’20, and WHcZ, WHC goes on to defeat vv HHC Hardenberg in the final played at its own Sportpark Mulderssingel in front of 2,500 spectators; the only goal of the match is scored by Henrico Mud. In the nationwide non-league cup, the club stumbles over the first hurdle, being eliminated by ASWH (1-0). Also in 2006, WHC qualifies for the nationwide cup, defeating vv Gemert in R1 (2-0) before being knocked out by SV Meerssen (6-3 A.E.T.).
• 2007 / WHC reaches the final of District East’s Regional Cup, but has to leave the honours to vv Bennekom, losing the encounter at Bennekom's Sportpark De Eikelhof 6-2. Qualifying for the nationwide cup, WHC defeats RKSV Schijndel in R1 (3-1) before being eliminated by FC Dordrecht (0-2).
• 2009 / WHC has a decent run in the nationwide cup, defeating FC Chabab (1-2), AFC (0-1), and vv Gemert (2-2 A.E.T. & penalty shoot-out) to qualify for the round of last 16, in which it suffers a 1-14 defeat at the hands of AFC Ajax, with the encounter being played at Zwolle’s IJsseldeltastadion (10,500 spectators).
• 2011 / Runners-up in Zaterdag Hoofdklasse C, 3 points behind SVZW, WHC qualifies for the play-offs for promotion to Zaterdag Topklasse (the new top level of the Saturday pyramid since its introduction in 2010), but it is eliminated in the group stage against SDC Putten and vv Staphorst.
• 2012 / Coached by former Netherlands’ international player Jan Everse, WHC finishes in joint-first place in Zaterdag Hoofdklasse C with vv DETO, meeting the club from Vriezenveen in a tie-break match at Hardenberg’s Sportpark De Boshoek with 4,000 spectators in attendance, going on to lose the encounter 1-2 A.E.T. and thus missing out on direct promotion to Zaterdag Topklasse. In the promotion play-offs, the club is eliminated in the group stage against ACV and vv Berkum.
• 2014 / Coached by former professional league player Theo ten Caat, WHC finishes in eleventh place in Zaterdag Hoofdklasse C, resulting in the club having to play a set of promotion-relegation play-offs against League 1 teams vv d’Olde Veste ’54 and vv Nunspeet – with WHC defeating both to assure itself of a prolonged stay at Hoofdklasse level.
• 2015 / Coached by André Blom, WHC finishes in thirteenth place in Zaterdag Hoofdklasse C, thus dropping back into Saturday League 1 along with bottom club vv WVF.
• 2017 / Finishing in joint-second place in Saturday League 1D with vv DUNO, 4 points behind champions vv Berkum, WHC qualifies for the play-offs, in which it is drawn in a group with vv d’Olde Veste ’54 and Hoofdklasse club CVV Oranje Nassau 1918 – with the latter barring the way to promotion for the two other clubs.
• 2018 / Finishing in third place in Saturday League 1D, 18 points behind champions SVZW, WHC qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which it defeats vv Gorecht (1-0) and vv Montfoort (0-3) as well as ZSV Sportlust ’46 in the final (2-3, with all three goals being scored by Jonathan van Marle); as such, the club manages a return to Zaterdag Hoofdklasse after an absence of three years. 
• 2019 / Finishing second-last in Zaterdag Hoofdklasse B, WHC drops back into Saturday League 1 after just one season along with bottom club SVZW.
• 2022 / Finishing runners-up in Saturday League 1E, 9 points behind champions vv d’Olde Veste ’54, WHC qualifies for the promotion play-offs, defeating Voorschoten ’97 (5-1) to qualify for the final against vv Nieuwenhoorn; at Rosmalen’s Sportpark Groote Wielen, the encounter finishes in a 2-2 draw (A.E.T.), with vv Nieuwenhoorn winning the penalty shoot-out (5-4) – as a result of which WHC misses out on promotion.
• 2024 / WHC wins the title in League 1H, ahead of closest followers SV DZC ’68, thus acceding to National Division 4 for the first time in club history.

Note 1 – Much of the information above was derived from WHC’s historical archives, compiled by club historian Gert Koopman (†).

Note 2 – As a result of the point obtained in the first match I visited at Sportpark Mulderssingel, SVZW were champions, winning promotion to Zaterdag Topklasse.

Note 3 – Below, a compilation of photos of two different match visits: pictures 1-5, 7-11, 13, 17-19 & 21-25 = May 2024 / pictures 6, 12, 14-16, 20 & 26 = May 2011.

All photos: (c) W.B. Tukker / www.extremefootballtourism.blogspot.com. Publication of any of these images only after permission of author

AUSTRIA: Krems-Steiner SC (1923-1924) / Kremser SC (1924-)

Sepp-Doll-Stadion, Krems an der Donau (Kremser SC, formerly Krems-Steiner SC)

Austria, state: Lower Austria

May 2024 / no match visited

Timeline

• 1919 / Foundation of two football clubs in Krems an der Donau, the socialist Eisenbahnersportverein (ESV) Vorwärts Krems and, later that same year, 1. Kremser Sport-Club (SC). The latter joins the Lower Austrian Football Association. Vorwärts is destined for an existence in the lower divisions in Lower Austria, although having a spell in the Lower Austrian State League, the fourth level of Austria’s football pyramid, in the 1970s.
• 1920 / Stressing its origin as a club founded in the town of Stein, just to the west of Krems, 1. Kremser SC adapts its name to become Krems-Steiner SC. 
• 1921 / Works get underway on the construction of a stadium for Krems-Steiner SC on an open field to the south-west of Krems’ public park, previously occupied by emergency barracks for the Austro-Hungarian army.
• 1923 / Inauguration of the Kremser Stadion. It is unclear where Krems-Steiner SC played in the four years previous to its move to this ground – and it is also unclear if ESV Vorwärts Krems became their groundsharers from the outset; it is clear that this club plays its football at the ground today.
• 1924 / Krems-Steiner SC changes its name to become Kremser SC.
• 1930 / Kremser SC wins the title in Division North of the Lower Austrian State League, going on to defeat Division South winner SC Bruck an der Mur (actually a club not from Lower Austria, but from Styria) to crown itself champion of Lower Austria. Subsequently, the club wins a set of play-off against the champions of the other states of Austria, eventually also seeing off FA Turnerbund Lustenau – the precursor of SC Austria Lustenau – in the final (8-5 aggr.), thus clinching the title of amateur football champions of Austria (with two professional divisions existing at the time).
• 1931 / Kremser SC wins the Lower Austrian State League for the second time.
• 1933 / Kremser SC wins the Lower Austrian State League for the third time.
• 1936 / Kremser SC wins the Lower Austrian Statal Cup.
• 1946 / Following the years of German occupation of Austria, during which Kremser SC played in the Bezirksliga Ost, the club is placed in Lower Austria’s Division 1 West.
• 1947 / Kremser SC descends into Division 2 West.
• 1950 / Kremser SC wins promotion to the reinstated Lower Austrian State League along with SC Siebenhirten and ÖMV Strasshof.
• 1954 / Winning the title in Lower Austria’s State League, 4 points ahead of closest followers SVgg Rottendorf, Kremser SC accedes to the Staatsliga B, the second tier of Austria’s football pyramid, for the first time. In its first season at this level, the club admirably holds its own, finishing in fifth place.
• 1956 / Runners-up in Staatsliga B, 2 points behind champions Wiener AC, Kremser SC qualifies for a promotion play-off against Schwarz-Weiss Bregenz, the winner of the Arlbergliga, winning the encounter (4-2 aggr.) to accede to Staatsliga A, the top flight of the Austrian football pyramid, for the first time in club history. In the following season, the club finishes in a respectable ninth position – with the home game against record champions SK Rapid drawing a record crowd of over 10,000 to the Kremser Stadion.
• 1959 / Repeating its result of two years before, Kremser SC finishes in ninth place in Staatsliga A.
• 1960 / Finishing in twelfth place in Staatsliga A, 1 point ahead of WSV Donauwitz which descends into Staatsliga B along with bottom club SK Admira Wien, Kremser SC has to play a promotion-relegation play-off against FC Dornbirn 1913, the champion of that year’s Arlbergliga, losing the encounter (6-5 aggr.) and thus descending into the Regionalliga, the second tier of the Austrian football pyramid following the abolition of Staatsliga B.
• 1966 / Finishing fourteenth and last in Regionalliga East, Kremser SC drops back into Lower Austria’s State League, i.e. the third tier of Austria’s football pyramid.
• 1969 / The Kremser Stadion hosts the fourth edition of the International Fire Brigade Games.
• 1974 / Champions in Lower Austria’s State League, 3 points ahead of closest followers ASV Hohenau, Kremser SC manages a return to Regionalliga East, which meanwhile has become the third tier of the Austrian football pyramid.
• 1976 / Clinching the title in Regionalliga East, 6 points ahead of closest rivals Floridsdorfer AC, Kremser AC wins promotion to the Second Division.
• 1977 / Finishing second-last in the Second Division, Kremser SC drops back into the Regionalliga after just one season, along with Wolfsberger AC and Salzburger AK 1914.
• 1983 / Winning the title in Lower Austria’s State League, which had replaced the Regionalliga as the third tier of Austria’s football pyramid three years previously, Kremser SC qualifies for a promotion play-off against SV Neuburg, winning the encounter comprehensively (10-1 aggr.) to return to the Second Division after an absence of six years.
• 1985 / Kremser SC, officially called SC Sparkasse Krems for sponsorship reasons at the time, finishes in third place in the Second Division, only 3 points behind champions Salzburger AK 1914.
• ± 1986 / In a thorough renovation of the Kremser Stadion, the runway track around the pitch is removed, while new open terraces are built on three sides – with the main stand with its wooden seats remaining in place.
• 1988 / Kremser SC wins the regular Second Division season, but fails to accede to the Bundesliga in the promotion-relegation play-offs. Also in 1988, the club sensationally wins the Austrian cup, defeating powerhouse FC Swarovski Tirol on away goals (3-3 aggr.) – no doubt the biggest success in club history. The club goes on to lose the Super Cup against SK Rapid after a penalty shoot-out (1-1 A.E.T.), while being eliminated in R1 of the Cup Winners’ Cup by East Germany’s FC Carl-Zeiss Jena (5-1 aggr.). For the 1988-89 season, legendary Austrian international striker Hans Krankl, 35 years old by then, joins Kremser SC from Wiener SC, but he just manages 5 matches (1 goal) before moving to SV Austria Salzburg the following year. Moreover, in 1988, the Kremser Stadion is officially renamed the Sepp-Doll-Stadion in memory of a former club chairman.
• 1989 / Kremser SC wins the regular Second Division season, going on to finish in fourth place in the promotion-relegation play-offs against seven other teams, including the bottom four of the Bundesliga, thus gaining promotion to the top flight of Austrian football after an absence of 29 seasons.
• 1990 / Striker Mario Kempes, part of Argentina’s squad which won the 1978 World Cup, joins Kremser SC from derby rivals VSE Sankt Pölten. Kempes goes on to play two seasons in Krems, scoring 7 goals in 39 matches before hanging up his boots in 1992 at the age of 38.
• 1992 / Having avoided the drop in the two previous seasons, Kremser SC now finishes in tenth place in the regular Bundesliga season, going on to finish in seventh place (of eight teams) in the promotion-relegation play-offs, leading to the club descending into the Second Division along with First Vienna FC 1894 and Donauwitzer SV Alpine.
• 1994 / With only two wins in the entire season, Kremser SC finishes bottom of the table in the Second Division, thus descending into the Regionalliga along with Favoritner AC and WSG Swarovski Wattens.
• 1995 / Finishing second-last in the Regionalliga East, Kremser SC suffers its second relegation in a row, dropping back into the State League, the fourth tier of Austria’s football pyramid, along with SC Eisenstadt, SR Donaufeld, and bottom club FC Stadlau.
• 2000 / Inauguration of Kremser SC’s 
• 2001 / Winning the title in Lower Austria’s State League, Kremser SC manages a return to Regionalliga East.
• 2002 / Finishing in fourteenth place in Regionalliga East, Kremser SC avoids the drop by just 1 point at the expense of SC Zwettl.
• 2007 / Having spent several seasons in mid-table security in Regionalliga East, Kremser SC now finishes in fourteenth place, 5 points short of security, thus descending back to the State League level along with VfB Admira Wacker Mödling Amateure and SC Ritzing.
• 2009 / In one of the low points in club history, Kremser SC drops out of Lower Austria’s State League, descending into the Second State League (West).
• 2013 / The main stand of the Sepp-Doll-Stadion is equipped with plastic seats.
• 2014 / Winning the title in Lower Austria’s Second State League (West), Kremser SC manages a return to the fourth tier of the football pyramid. Also, in 2013 and 2014, the club manages a spell of 42 matches without defeat, thereby breaking Wiener SC’s 55-year-old record of 41 matches without defeat in one of Austria’s top-four divisions.
• 2015 / Officially taking on the name SC Steinertor Krems for sponsorship reasons, Kremser SC finishes in second place in Lower Austria’s State League behind champions ASK Ebreichsdorf. Moreover, the club wins Lower Austria’s Statal Cup for the first time since 1936.
• 2022 / Runners-up in Lower Austria’s State League, Kremser SC play a promotion-relegation play-off against SV Donau, winning the encounter due to a Kurt Starkl goal in added-on time – and thus returning to Regionalliga East after an absence of fifteen years.

All photos: (c) W.B. Tukker / www.extremefootballtourism.blogspot.com. Publication of any of these images only after permission of author

AUSTRIA: ESV Admira-NÖ Energie Wien (1966-1971) / FC Admira/Wacker (1971-1996) / SCN Admira Wacker (1996-1997) / VfB Admira Wacker Mödling (1997-2008) / FC Admira Wacker Mödling (2008-)

Bundesstadion Südstadt, Maria Enzersdorf (FC Admira Wacker Mödling, formerly ESV Admira-NÖ Energie Wien / FC Admira/Wacker / SCN Admira Wacker / VfB Admira Wacker Mödling)

Austria, state: Lower Austria

27 IV 2024 / FC Admira Wacker - FC Liefering 0-0 / 2. Liga (= AUT level 2)

Timeline

• 1897 / Three years after the first football match in Austria (First Vienna – Cricketer), two football clubs are founded in Jedlesee, a village at the northeastern fringe of Vienna: SK Sturm and Admira. While Sturm settles at Geyerwiese, Admira has a pitch laid out at Kirchenlacke. Not long after, SK Sturm is absorbed into Admira, mainly due to the former’s pitch being overflowed by the Danube regularly.
• ± 1903 / Admira folds, ceasing all activities. By this time, two new clubs have been founded in Jedlesee, SK Vindobona and Burschenschaft Einigkeit.
• 1905 / A merger is concluded between SK Vindobona and Burschenschaft Einigkeit, leading to the foundation of 1. Gross-Floridsdorfer Sportklub (SK) Admira – a clear allusion to the club which had folded some years previously. The club is usually referred to as SK Admira or SK Admira Wien due to Jedlesee being incorporated into Vienna in 1905. Friedrich Geyer is the first chairman of the club, which settles at the former Admira’s ground at Kirchenlacke – sharing the facility with, among others SC Columbia XXI.
• 1906 / 1. Gross-Floridsdorfer SK Admira wins its first silverware, a six-way tournament at the Korneburger Velodrome. Meanwhile, in Meidling, a neighbourhood in the southern parts of Vienna, the foundation of a new football club, Wacker, is attempted by two schoolboys, Max Freund – a former member of Wiener AC – and Oskar Wittek; their foundation plans are stalled due to all prospective members being underage, meaning that no official foundation act could be filed.
• 1907 / The prospective football club in Meidling finds a chairman, Rudolf Krones, leading to the foundation of SC Wacker Wien. For the moment, the club does not join any championship though.
• 1909 / Having played at Kirchenlacke for four years, 1. Gross-Floridsdorfer SK Admira moves to a new ground further away from the Danube at Deublergasse. This new Admira-Sportplatz is situated next to the Pollack & Sons cotton mill. Also in 1909, SC Wacker Wien finds itself a pitch at Edelsinnstrasse – a sand pit at the back of a local inn, Gastwirt Nitsch; an inaugural match against ASV Hertha Wien is lost 1-3. Subsequently, the club starts its competitive life in the Third Division, with promotion to the Second Division being achieved in this first season – at this stage, the Austrian football league only consists of teams from Vienna and its immediate surroundings.
• 1911 / 1. Gross-Floridsdorfer SK Admira Wien, hitherto playing in the Second Division, is excluded from taking part in further league championships due to playing lucrative gala matches against teams from Bratislava – thereby breaking Austrian FA rules. After vain attempts at founding a rival football association, Admira returns into the ÖFB ranks, having to restart at the bottom of the league system in the Fourth Division. 
• 1912 / SC Wacker Wien achieves the title in the Second Division, 4 points ahead of SC Ober Sankt Veit and SC Blue Star Wien, but the club fails to win promotion to the top flight due to losing a promotion-relegation match against SC Rudolfshügel (0-6); the club’s star player, Franz Twaroch, is called up for the Austrian national team – the first-ever player of a club not playing in the top division to be accorded this honour. Also in 1912, 1. Gross-Floridsdorfer SK Admira Wien achieves the title in the Fourth Division with an impressive goal difference (+ 116).
• 1913 / SC Wacker Wien achieves the title in the Second Division for the second year running, 9 points ahead of closest followers Wiener Bewegungsspiele; yet again, though, the club fails to accede to the top flight due to losing a promotion-relegation encounter against ASV Hertha Wien (4-2 aggr.). Also in 1913, 1. Gross-Floridsdorfer SK Admira Wien achieves the title in the Third Division (goal difference: + 76).
• 1914 / With both clubs playing in the Second Division, SC Wacker Wien achieves the title ahead of runners-up 1. Gross-Floridsdorfer SK Admira Wien; due to the promotion-relegation matches having been abolished, Wacker accedes to the First Division automatically. Due to the outbreak of World War I, both clubs see many of their players being called up for the army – some of them never to return. Also in 1914, 1. Gross-Floridsdorfer SK Admira Wien officially abbreviates its name to become SK Admira Wien.
• 1915 / Finishing 2 points ahead of SC Donaustadt, SK Admira Wien achieves the title in the Second Division, but without acceding to the top flight due to no promotion system being in existence during the years of World War I.
• 1919 / Runners-up behind First Vienna FC 1894 in the Second Division, SK Admira Wien wins automatic promotion to the First Division in the first full season after the end of World War I. 
• 1920 / SK Admira Wien finishes in last place in its first season in the First Division, but due to an extra team being added to the top flight, the club evades relegation.
• 1921 / Having played at Gastwirt Nitsch for the past twelve years, SC Wacker Wien now moves into a veritable, purpose-built stadium which holds 20,000 (3,000 seated) at Rosasgasse, often referred to as the Wackerplatz, situated in a park in the immediate vicinity of the Schönbrunn Palace. Also in 1921, SK Admira Wien finishes in joint-last place in the First Division, but the club evades relegation yet again due to a better goal difference than Wiener AC (-16 vs. -30).
• 1923 / SC Wacker Wien reaches the cup final, losing the encounter played at Stadion Hohe Warte 1-3 against Wiener SC. Also in this year, SK Admira Wien has its best season so far, finishing in third place in the First Division behind SK Rapid and Wiener Amateure-SV.
• 1927 / While SC Wacker Wien manages stable mid-table finishes throughout most of the 1920s and 1930s, SK Admira Wien begins the most successful spell in club history by winning the Austrian title for the first time, 3 points ahead of closest followers Brigittenauer AC, which had been defeated 0-5 in a direct confrontation two matches before the end of the season in front of 20,000 spectators. Admira’s Anton ‘Toni’ Schall crowns himself top goalscorer of the league with 27 goals – going on to repeat that feat in 1928, 1929, 1931, and 1932. As champions, Admira qualifies for the first edition of the Mitropa Cup, a cup competition between the best teams from several states in Central Europe, being eliminated by AC Sparta Praha (8-6 aggr.).
• 1928 / SK Admira Wien clinches the Austrian title for the second year running, 3 points ahead of closest rivals SK Rapid; the club also goes on to win the cup final against Wiener AC at Stadion Hohe Warte – with goals by Ignaz Sigl and Franz Runge (2-1). In the Mitropa Cup, the club defeats SK Slavia Praha (6-4 aggr.) before being eliminated in the semis by Ferencvárosi TC.
• 1929 / SK Admira Wien finishes in second place in the First Division, 3 points behind SK Rapid.
• 1930 / SK Admira Wien finishes in second place in the First Division, 1 point behind SK Rapid.
• 1931 / SK Admira Wien finishes in second place in the First Division for the third year running, 2 points behind First Vienna FC 1894.
• 1932 / With the decisive points being achieved in a 4-1 away win against derby rivals Floridsdorfer AC, SK Admira Wien wins its third Austrian title, 2 points ahead of First Vienna FC 1894. The club also goes on to win the cup final, defeating Wiener AC emphatically (6-1). In the Mitropa Cup, the club is eliminated in R1 by SK Slavia Praha (1-3 aggr.).
• 1933 / Due to the ground at Deublergasse with its small wooden boards having become far too small for the number of spectators flocking to home games, SK Admira Wien moves to a stadium at Hopfengasse, which it purchases from another Viennese club, Viktoria XXI – extending the spectator facilities to turn it into a real stadium, later renamed the Leopold Stroh Stadium. 
• 1934 / SK Admira Wien wins its fourth Austrian title, 2 points ahead of SK Rapid – while also defeating that same club in the cup final (8-0!). Also, following wins over AC Napoli, AC Sparta Praha, and Juventus FC, the club reaches the final of the Mitropa Cup, in which it suffers a 7-4 aggregate defeat at the hands of Bologna FC. Also in 1934, Admira striker Toni Schall as well as his teammates, goalkeeper Peter Platzer and midfielder Johann Urbanek, are called up for Austria’s World Cup squad – as are SC Wacker strikers Karl Zischek and Hans Walzhofer; ultimately, this Austrian team manages a fourth place in the competition, held in Italy.
• 1935 / SK Admira Wien finishes in second place in the First Division, 6 points behind SK Rapid; in the Mitropa Cup, the club is eliminated in R1 by MTK Hungária Budapest.
• 1936 / SK Admira Wien wins its fifth Austrian title, 5 points ahead of First Vienna FC 1894 – with 23 goals being scored by the club’s star striker Willy Hahnemann. In the Mitropa Cup, the club is eliminated in R1 by 1. SK Prostějov.
• 1937 / Suffering only one defeat in the entire season, SK Admira Wien wins the Austrian title for a sixth time – with an equal number of points as runners-up FK Austria Wien, but with a better goal difference bringing the decision (+57 vs. + 34). In the Mitropa Cup, the club edges past AC Sparta Praha in a three-match thriller to reach the quarterfinal, in which the second tie against Genova 1893 FBC at the Prater Stadium leads to controversy, when the Viennese crowd reacts badly to the Italian players bringing the fascist salute; as a result of the violence breaking out subsequently, both clubs are eliminated from the competition.
• 1938 / With Austria having been annexed by Germany earlier that year, Willy Hahnemann is called up for the German squad taking part in the 1938 World Cup in France.
• 1939 / With the Austrian top flight having been absorbed into the German league system as the Gauliga Ostmark – SK Admira Wien goes on to win the 1938-39 edition, 2 points ahead of SC Wacker Wien, with the decisive match between the two clubs ending in a 4-2 win for Admira at the Prater Stadium in front of 38,000 spectators. As a result, Admira qualifies for a competition with the other regional champions to determine the pan-German title winners. Reaching the final, the club suffers a 9-0 defeat at the hands of FC Schalke 04, with the heavily biased referee Schulz sending off no fewer than three Admira players; in a ‘reconciliation match’ at Vienna’s Prater Stadium with the same referee overseeing proceedings, Schulz goes on to annoy the local crowd of 50,000 to such an extent, that the pitch is stormed, the referee is beaten up, Schalke’s coach is demolished, and even the tires of Gauleiter Baldur von Schirach’s car being slashed. Following this blatant anti-government demonstration, most of Admira’s players are called up to be sent to the front at the start of World War II with Hitler’s invasion of Poland in the summer of 1939. Meanwhile, SC Wacker Wien reaches the semi-final of the pan-German cup competition, in which it draws with SV Waldhof Mannheim three times before losing the encounter by the toss of a coin.
• 1940 / SC Wacker Wien finishes in second place in Gauliga Ostmark, 3 points behind SK Rapid.
• 1941 / SC Wacker Wien finishes in second place in Gauliga Ostmark, 4 points behind SK Rapid.
• 1942 / SC Wacker Wien’s striker Ernst Reitermaier crowns himself top goalscorer of the Gauliga with 20 goals.
• 1943 / Heralding the end of the club’s heyday, SK Admira Wien is retrograded to the Second Division for the first time in its history, along with SG Reichsbahn and bottom club SK Sturm Graz.
• 1944 / Winning the title in Division 1B Vienna, 9 points ahead of SG BAK-SV Eis, SK Admira Wien goes on to defeat the D1A winner SC Rapid Oberlaa in a play-off (6-3 aggr.) to return to the Gauliga Ostmark after just one season. Also in 1944, the Wackerplatz at Rosasgasse is hit by Allied aircraft bombs. 
• 1945 / Upon war’s end, only one player of the 1939 squad of SK Admira Wien is left, Paul Giesser – also due to the fact that the club’s ground is situated in the Russian occupation zone of Vienna, which leads to star player Willy Hahnemann switching to SC Wacker Wien, closer to his house in the British zone. In the first seasons after the war, Admira only narrowly staves off relegation from the top flight.
• 1946 / Reinforced by Willy Hahnemann and fellow-Admira player Otto Marischka, SC Wacker Wien manages a respectable third place in the First Division in the first full post-war season.
• 1947 / Clinching the decisive points in a 4-0 win over Wiener AC, SC Wacker Wien wins the Austrian title, 2 points ahead of SK Rapid. Moreover, the club also wins the cup final against FK Austria Wien (4-3, with Ernst Reitermaier and Willy Hahnemann scoring two goals each) at the Prater Stadium, with 35,000 spectators attending.
• 1948 / With SK Rapid clinching the title, SC Wacker Wien and SK Admira Wien have to settle for second and third place respectively. Admira manages to win the Vienna Cup, defeating FK Austria Wien 2-1 at the Prater Stadium (30,000 spectators).
• 1949 / In the 1948-49 season, incidentally the first-ever nationwide Austrian top division – therefore, the competition has been renamed Staatsliga – SK Admira Wien finishes in third place, only 3 points behind champions FK Austria Wien. Admira’s Erich Habitzl crowns himself top scorer of the league with 23 goals.
• 1950 / After a six-month wrangle, SC Wacker Wien has to accept losing its star player Gerhard Hanappi to SK Rapid. Hanappi, 20 years old at the time, had made his debut in the Austrian national team two years previously, in 1948, in a 2-1 win over Sweden. Due to the unprecedented way in which Hanappi had been wrested from the club – he had been encouraged by Rapid’s board to go into hiding for the time being – Wacker developed a fierce rivalry with Rapid in the following years.
• 1951 / With SK Rapid clinching the Austrian title, SC Wacker Wien has to settle for second place, 5 points behind its rival. Meanwhile, SK Admira Wien concludes a merger with Eisenbahnsportverein (ESV) Wien – though ESV Wien’s footballing branch remains independent – leading to the club name being adapted to become ESV Admira Wien. Following its good season, SC Wacker Wien earns a ticket for the Zentropa Cup, a revival of the pre-war Mitropa Cup, defeating GNK Dinamo Zagreb in the semis (4-1), but losing the final against city rivals SK Rapid (2-3).
• 1953 / SC Wacker Wien finishes runners-up in the Austrian top flight for the second time in three seasons, finishing 1 point behind champions FK Austria Wien. Wacker’s midfielder Theodor ‘Turl’ Brinek Jnr. is called up for a FIFA World XI, leading to him earning a transfer to AS Monaco.
• 1954 / SC Wacker player Theodor ‘Turl’ Wagner scores three goals in Austria’s win over Switzerland in the World Cup quarter final – thereby playing a big part in his country winning a bronze medal in that tournament, the best Austrian result ever in the World Cup. Further Wacker players called up into this successful Austrian squad were goalkeeper Franz Pelikan, midfielder Walter Kollmann, and attacker Walter Haummer.
• 1955 / SC Wacker Wien’s striker Richard Brousek crowns himself top goalscorer of the Staatsliga with an impressive 31 goals; ultimately finishing in fourth place, Wacker earns a ticket for the Mitropa Cup – as the Zentropa Cup has been renamed – losing in the qualifying round against Budapesti Vörös LSE after a three-match thriller.
• 1956 / SC Wacker Wien finishes runners-up in the Austrian top flight for the third time in the decade, 2 points behind SK Rapid. In the Mitropa Cup, Wacker is eliminated in the quarter final by FK Partizan (2-2 aggregate and a tie-break match: 4-0 defeat). The club’s chairman, Alfred Frey, submits a suggestion at the UEFA to introduce a Cup Winners’ Cup – eventually resulting in the introduction of this competition four years later. 
• 1958 / SC Wacker players Ernst Kozlicek, Paul Kozlicek, and Walter Kollmann are members of the Austrian squad taking part in the 1958 World Cup in Sweden; as in 1954, no Admira players are called up for this World Cup edition.
• 1960 / Rock bottom of the Staatsliga table with just three wins in the entire season, ESV Admira Wien drops back into the Regionalliga along with WSV Donawitz. That summer, energy provider NEWAG/NIOGAS becomes the club main sponsor, leading to the club name being adapted to become ESV Admira-NÖ Energie Wien, usually abbreviatedly referred to as Admira Energie.
• 1961 / Marred by financial problems since various years, SC Wacker Wien drops out of the top division of Austrian football for the first time, falling 1 point short of SV Schwechat and 1. Simmeringer SC, who both stay up. The club’s fate is sealed with a 2-0 away defeat at First Vienna FC 1894. As such, the club descends into the Regionalliga along with SV Austria Salzburg and bottom club FC Dornbirn 1913. Meanwhile, ESV Admira Energie clinches the title in the Regionalliga East, 8 points ahead of closest followers BSV Voith Sankt Pölten, thus managing an immediate return to the Staatsliga.
• 1962 / Clinching the title in the Regionalliga East, 2 points ahead of closest rivals Kremser SC and ASV Siegendorf, SC Wacker Wien manages an immediate return to the Staatsliga.
• 1963 / Falling 1 point short of SV Stickstoff Linz and safety, SC Wacker Wien drops out of the Staatsliga again after just one season, descending into the Regionalliga along with SV Austria Salzburg and SK Austria Klagenfurt. Meanwhile, Admira takes part in the 1963-64 Mitropa Cup, being eliminated in the quarter final by Jednota Trenčín (5-2 aggr.).
• 1964 / Coached by Hans Pesser, ESV Admira Energie wins the Austrian cup by defeating FK Austria Wien in the Prater Stadium with the narrowest of margins (only goal of the match scored by Walter Stamm). Meanwhile, SC Wacker Wien conquers the Regionalliga East title again, 3 points ahead of Kremser SC, thus returning to the Staatsliga. In the 1964-65 Cup Winners’ Cup, Admira is eliminated in the qualifying round by Legia Warszawa SA (4-1 aggr.).
• 1965 / ESV Admira Energie finished in joint second place in the Staatsliga with SK Rapid, just 1 point short of champions LASK. Meanwhile, at the other end of the table, SC Wacker Wien suffers its second relegation in three seasons, finishing bottom of the table and descending into the Regionalliga along with SK Sturm Graz and Wiener AC.
• 1966 / ESV Admira Energie wins its first and only post-war Austrian title, 3 points ahead of runners-up SK Rapid. The club goes on to also win the Austrian cup, defeating SK Rapid 1-0 with the only goal of the match scored by Burli Herzog. Also in 1966, SC Wacker Wien wins the Regionalliga East title for the third time in the 1960s, 2 points ahead of Wiener AC, thus managing another immediate return to what has meanwhile been renamed the National League. In a dramatic move – and to the dismay of the club’s fanbase – the board of fresh double champions ESV Admira Energie moves its club away from its Leopold Stroh Stadium at Hopfengasse, and from Vienna altogether, at the instigation of sponsors NEWAG NIOGAS, who own a plot of land in Maria Enzersdorf, to the south of the Austrian capital, where a new stadium is being built for the club. Admira settles for a short groundshare with VfB Mödling in the Stadion der Stadt Mödling before moving into the new Bundesstadion Südstadt, although building works on the projected ground are still ongoing. The stadium at Hopfengasse is taken over by Admira’s old derby rivals Floridsdorfer AC, who have been home at the ground ever since.
• 1967 / Inauguration of the new Bundesstadion Südstadt in Maria Enzersdorf on March 4th, 1967, a ground with a grandstand and an open terrace facing it. The projected behind-goal stands are never added due to subsequent financial problems following the withdrawal of NEWAG NIOGAS as the club’s sponsor – giving the ground a capacity of 10,600. In the club’s only-ever participation in the European Cup, Admira is eliminated in R1 by FK Vojvodina Novi Sad (1-0 aggr.). Also in 1967, continuing the club’s streak of subsequent promotions and relegations, SC Wacker Wien drops out of the National League after just one season, due to its goal difference being inferior to that of SK Sturm Graz, who just stay up (-15 vs. -22); as such, the club descends into the Regionalliga along with 1. Wiener Neustädter SC and Kapfenberger SV.
• 1968 / Changing divisions for the eighth year running – an unbroken record in Austrian football history – SC Wacker Wien clinches the title in the Regionalliga East, 9 points ahead of closest followers SC Tulln, thus returning to the Nationalliga. In the following two seasons, the club admirably holds its own at that level. In the 1968-69 season, ESV Admira Energie takes part in the Mitropa Cup, defeating FK Vardar Skopje in R1 (5-2 aggr.) before bowing out in the quarter final against Internacionál Bratislava on away goals (3-3 aggr.).
• 1969 / ESV Admira Energie takes part in the 1969-70 Mitropa Cup, edging past Bohemians ČKD Praha in R1 (4-2 aggr.) before bowing out in the quarter final against Vasas SC (7-1 aggr.).
• 1971 / In its last season as an independent club, SK Admira Energie finishes in eighth place in the Nationalliga, with its striker Willy Kreuz crowning himself top goalscorer of the league (26 goals). Meanwhile, losing its last match of the season 2-4 against FC Wacker Innsbruck, who incidentally clinch their first-ever Austrian title, SC Wacker Wien suffers relegation to the Regionalliga along with SC Schwarz-Weiss Bregenz and WSG Radenthein. With both ESV Admira Energie and SC Wacker Wien having suffered financial problems in the preceding years and both clubs having had fruitless merger talks with others – Admira with FK Austria Wien, and Wacker with Schwechater SV among others – the two clubs decide to come together to form FC Admira/Wacker, settling at Admira’s ground in Maria Enzersdorf. Wacker’s historic ground at Rosasgasse is abandoned after fifty years, although the Wackerplatz, deprived of all stands, has continued life until the present day as a community field for school sports as Bundesspielplatz Schönbrunn. With FC Admira/Wacker commencing the 1971-72 season in the top flight, SC Wacker Wien’s license for Regionalliga East is taken over by the newly created FC Wacker/Admira, in effect the new merger club’s B team. In its first season, FC Admira/Wacker faces the humiliation of being eliminated in Austria’s cup by FC Wacker/Admira and the club also has a difficult start to the Nationalliga season, but after sacking coach Karl Schlechta, results improve, with the club finishing in the top half of the 1971-72 season table.
• 1972 / In the Regionalliga East, FC Wacker/Admira narrowly staves off the drop, staying 1 point ahead of ASV Siegendorf and relegation. After the 1971-72 season, FC Wacker/Admira is absorbed into SC Brunn, which changes its name to become Wacker Brunn.
• 1973 / Wacker Brunn changes back its name to SC Brunn, thus heralding the final disappearance of SC Wacker Wien two years after the merger with Admira. Meanwhile, having finished in fourth place in the Nationalliga, FC Admira/Wacker qualifies for the UEFA Cup, sensationally eliminating FC Internazionale Milano on away goals (2-2 aggr., goals by Kurt Swojanovsky & Günter Kaltenbrunner) before being eliminated in R2 by Fortuna Düsseldorf (4-2 aggr.). In the remainder of the 1970s, the club manages stable mid-table results in the Nationalliga – being renamed Bundesliga in 1974.
• 1978 / FC Admira/Wacker defender Heinrich Strasser, who incidentally played for SC Wacker Wien and ESV Admira Energie before the merger of the two clubs in 1971, takes part in the 1978 World Cup in Argentina as a member of the Austrian squad.
• 1979 / FC Admira/Wacker reaches the Austrian cup final, drawing the first encounter with SSW Innsbruck before losing the tie-break match 1-0.
• 1982 / Finishing in fourth place in the 1981-82 Bundesliga season, FC Admira/Wacker qualifies for the UEFA Cup, in which it is eliminated in R1 by Bohemians ČKD Praha (7-1 aggr.). FC Admira/Wacker defenders Josef Degeorgi and Gerald Messlender are called up for the Austrian squad taking part in the 1982 World Cup.
• 1987 / Finishing in fourth place in the 1986-87 Bundesliga season, FC Admira/Wacker qualifies for the UEFA Cup, in which it is eliminated in R1 by Turun Palloseura (Turku PS, 2-1 aggr.). Also in 1987, Admira’s talented midfielder Manfred Zsak, who goes on to represent his country at the 1990 World Cup, leaves the club, signing a contract with FK Austria Wien.
• 1989 / FC Admira/Wacker finishes in second place in the Bundesliga, 6 points behind FC Swarovski Tirol – going on to also lose the cup final against the Tiroleans (6-4 aggr.); ultimately, the club finally manages to defeat Swarovski in the Super Cup (1-1 and penalty shoot-out). Subsequently, in the 1989-90 Cup Winners’ Cup, FC Admira/Wacker has a decent run, eliminating AEL Limassol (3-1 aggr.) and Ferencvárosi TC (2-0 aggr.) before bowing out against RSC Anderlechtois (2-1 aggr.). Also in 1989, the club’s star defender Ernst Aigner, who goes on to represent Austria at the 1990 World Cup, signs a contract for FK Austria Wien.
• 1990 / FC Admira/Wacker finishes in fourth place in the Bundesliga, but sees its squad being seriously depleted as all three of their star strikers leave the club, with Gerhard Rodax – who scored 35 goals in the 1989-90 season – signing for Club Atlético de Madrid, Walter Knaller for FC Stahl Linz, and Fred Schaub for VfB Mödling. Before leaving for Spain, Gerhard Rodax is part of the Austrian squad taking part in the 1990 World Cup in Italy, in which he scored one goal; apart from Rodax, the club’s defender Peter Artner is also called up. One of the replacement strikers being signed by the club in the summer of 1990 is East Germany’s Olaf Marschall of 1. FC Lokomotive Leipzig. In the 1990-91 UEFA Cup, FC Admira/Wacker eliminates Vejle BK (4-0 aggr.) and FC Luzern (2-1 aggr.) before bowing out against Bologna FC in R3 (3-3 aggr. and penalty shoot-out).
• 1991 / Swedish defender Roger Ljung joins FC Admira/Wacker from FC Zürich. Ljung, who represented his country in three international tournaments, goes on to play for Admira for two seasons before leaving to Galatasaray SK in 1993.
• 1992 / FC Admira/Wacker reaches the Austrian cup final, suffering a 1-0 defeat at the hands of FK Austria Wien. In the 1992-93 Cup Winners’ Cup, the club defeats Cardiff City FC (3-1 aggr.) before being eliminated by R Antwerp FC in R2 (7-6 aggr.).
• 1993 / Finishing in third place in the Bundesliga, FC Admira/Wacker qualifies for the UEFA Cup, in which it is eliminated in R1 by FK Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk (4-2 aggr.).
• 1994 / Finishing in third place in the Bundesliga, FC Admira/Wacker qualifies for the UEFA Cup, in which it manages defeats of Górnik Zabrze (6-3 aggr.) and AS Cannes (5-3 aggr.) before being eliminated by Italian giants Juventus FC (5-2 aggr.).
• 1996 / FC Admira/Wacker reaches the Austrian cup final, suffering a 3-1 defeat at the hands of SK Sturm Graz. Being hard-hit by the Bosman ruling, which prevent the club from reaping the fruits of its reputed youth academy, Bundessportzentrum Südstadt – with out-of-contract players now being allowed to change clubs without transfer money – the club has a hard time in the Austrian Bundesliga, finishing second-last in the table, ahead of bottom club SK Vorwärts Steyr and assuring itself of a prolonged stay in the top flight by defeating its satellite club SV Gerasdorf in the promotion-relegation play-off (9-4 aggr.). At the instigation of Lower Austria’s state president Erwin Pröll, merger talks are held with VSE Sankt Pölten to form a projected SC Niederösterreich, but those coming to naught, FC Admira/Wacker goes it alone, adapting its name to become SCN (Sportclub Niederösterreich) Admira Wacker in an attempt to broaden its appeal beyond the Mödling region.
• 1997 / In its only season as SCN Admira Wacker, the club finish bottom of the table in the Bundesliga, staving off direct relegation due to FC Linz concluding a merger with LASK – as a result of which Admira takes over FC Linz’s place in the promotion-relegation play-off against SK Vorwärts Steyr, which is won (5-1 aggr.). Following the 1996-97 season, the club concludes a merger with VfB Mödling, resulting in the foundation of VfB Admira Wacker Mödling – thereby avoiding a bankruptcy. First team football is naturally played at the Bundesliga Südstadt, with the Stadion der Stadt Mödling being retained for lower team football for the time being.
• 1998 / Bottom of the table in the Bundesliga, 10 points behind second-last SC Austria Lustenau, VfB Admira Wacker Mödling descends into the First Division – as the second tier of Austrian football is called at the time.
• 2000 / Champions in the First Division, 11 points ahead of closest followers DSV Leoben, VfB Admira Wacker Mödling manages a return to the Bundesliga after an absence of two seasons.
• 2002 / VfB Admira Wacker Mödling signs Polish international midfielder Tomasz ‘Tomec’ Iwan from FK Austria Wien. Iwan goes on to defend the club colours for three seasons before leaving for KKS Lech Poznań in 2005.
• 2003 / VfB Admira Wacker Mödling signs former Yugoslavian international midfielder Vladimir Jugović from AS Monaco. Jugović represents the club for one season before leaving for LR Ahlen in the summer of 2004.
• 2005 / Admira’s striker Marc Janko, who had made his professional debut at the club two years previously, leaves the club, signing a contract with FC Red Bull Salzburg. Janko goes on to play for FC Twente, FC Porto, Trabzonspor Kulübü, Sydney FC, FC Basel, AC Sparta Praha, and FC Lugano – as well as earning 70 caps for the Austrian national team – before hanging up his boots in 2019.
• 2006 / Bottom of the table in the 2005-06 Bundesliga, 9 points adrift from FC Wacker Tirol and safety, VfB Admira Wacker Mödling drops back into the First Division.
• 2007 / On the pitch, VfB Admira Wacker Mödling narrowly staves off relegation to the Regionalliga, finishing in tenth place in the First Division, but due to losing its license for professional league football, the club is relegated nonetheless to the third tier of Austrian football for the first time ever.
• 2008 / Businessman Richard Trenkwalder, who is chairman of second-tier club ASK Schwadorf, moves his club to the Bundesstadion Südstadt in Maria Enzersdorf and changing its name to become FC Trenkwalder Admira – or FC Admira Wacker Mödling without the sponsor name. VfB Admira Wacker Mödling becomes the new club’s B team as FC Trenkwalder Admira Amateure in the Regionalliga East. Trenkwalder signs former Austrian international defender Heribert Weber as the club’s sports director.
• 2009 / FC Admira Wacker Mödling finishes in third place in the First Division behind SC Wiener Neustadt and FC Wacker Innsbruck, thus missing out on promotion, while the club also reaches the Austrian cup final, played at SV Mattersburg’s Pappelstadion, in which it is defeated 3-1 by FK Austria Wien.
• 2010 / FC Admira Wacker Mödling misses out on promotion to the Bundesliga yet again, finishing runners-up in the First Division, 2 points behind FC Wacker Innsbruck.
• 2011 / Coached by former Admira player Didi Kühbauer, FC Admira Wacker Mödling clinches the title in the First Division, 1 point ahead of SCR Altach. As such, the club returns to the top flight after an absence of five seasons.
• 2012 / In its first season back at the top level, still coached by Didi Kühbauer, FC Admira Wacker Mödling manages a sensational third place in the Bundesliga behind FC Red Bull Salzburg and SK Rapid, resulting in the club qualifying for the Europa League. Defeating VFMD Žalgiris in the second qualifying round (6-2 aggr.), the club is eliminated in the third qualifying round by AC Sparta Praha (4-2 aggr.).
• 2013 / Avoiding the bottom of the league table on goal difference only (-21 vs. -31 for SV Mattersburg), FC Admira Wacker Mödling narrowly stays up in the Bundesliga. Didi Kühbauer is replaced as trainer/coach by former Austrian international top goalscorer Toni Polster. However, Polster is sacked just three matches into the new season. Due to financial problems following the departure of chairman and sponsor Richard Trenkwalder, the club is deducted 5 points, eventually finishing second-last in the Bundesliga, 8 points ahead of FC Wacker Innsbruck, and thereby assuring itself of one more season in the top flight.
• 2015 / Yet again, FC Admira Wacker Mödling finishes second-last, 5 points ahead of bottom club SC Wiener Neustadt, thereby assuring itself of a prolonged stay in the Bundesliga.
• 2016 / FC Admira Wacker Mödling reaches the Austrian cup final, played at Klagenfurt’s Wörtherseestadion, losing the match against FC Red Bull Salzburg comprehensively (5-0). Meanwhile, in the regular season, the club manages a respectable fourth place, resulting in qualification for the Europa League. The club survives two preliminaries, successively seeing off TJ Spartak Myjava (4-3 aggr.) and Kəpəz PFK (3-0) aggr.) before being eliminated in the third qualifying round by FC Slovan Liberec (4-1 aggr.).
• 2017 / The club officially changes its name to become FK Flyeralarm Admira for sponsorship reasons.
• 2018 / Finishing in fifth place in the Bundesliga, FC Admira Wacker Mödling qualifies for the Europa League, being eliminated in the second qualifying round by CSKA Sofia (6-1 aggr.).
• 2022 / Bottom of the table in the Bundesliga, 1 point behind TSV Hartberg, FC Admira Wacker Mödling drops back into the Second League after eleven seasons. Meanwhile, Admira’s reserves’ team, playing in the Regionalliga East, concludes a merger with FCM Traiskirchen, the result being FCM Flyeralarm Traiskirchen – with this club playing its home matches at the Sportzentrum Traiskirchen. Also in 2022, club icon Gerhard Rodax passes away after a long depression at the age of 57.

All photos: (c) W.B. Tukker / www.extremefootballtourism.blogspot.com. Publication of any of these images only after permission of author