HISTORY  //  Foundation and Promotion

An history in violet and white

1933 - 1956: Foundation and Promotion

1933:

SV Austria Salzburg was founded on the 13 th September 1933 by an amalgamation of "Hertha Salzburg" and "Rapid Salzburg". Violet and white become the official club colours. Lehen, Rapid's former home, becomes the club's new home. The reason for the founding of Austria Salzburg is quite simple: a new Upper-Austria / Salzburg league is found and only two clubs from Salzburg are allowed to take part. On the one hand SAK 1914 and on the other Rapid Salzburg. Rapid is considered to be too weak and thus the amalgamation. The bourgeois Hertha and the working class Rapid also try to establish a sort of counterbalance to the superior SAK. Two days after the foundation, the club wins his first game - a 6:0 thrashing of Vienna's HSV. In the first game of the season, Austria Salzburg squanders a 4:0 halftime lead and finally draws 4:4 against Austria Germania Linz.

1934-1945:

Relegation is avoided in the first two years of the new league and in 1937 the club achieves his first big success in its history: Austria Salzburg wins the Salzburg Cup thanks to a 2:1 victory against SAK. The first encounters with Vienna's professional football are disappointing: a 6:3 and 0:7 defeat against SK Austro-Fiat. The "Anschluss" and the following war influence the team but nevertheless the club wins Salzburg's championship in 1940 and 1941. In 1943 Austria Salzburg, SAK and SSK establish the so-called "football community" to ensure football in Salzburg because of the war.

1945-1949:

In the summer of 1945 the reconstruction of the team starts. The club has to move to the Franz-Joseph Park because of the destruction of the native Lehen football ground. Many players lost their lives during the war and a new team has to be built.

1949-1952:

The foundation of the "Tauernliga" (Salzburg/Carinthia) enables the teams from Salzburg to direct promotion to the Staatsliga A, Austria's top division during that time. Austria Salzburg strengthens its team continuously and in 1951 finishes in the 3rd position (best team from Salzburg). A 1:1 draw against top division club Vorwaerts Steyr shows that the time is ripe for promotion. The club is also sent to a friendly in France as Austria's working class national team.

1953:

After local rival SAK's promotion to and relegation from the Staatsliga in 1952 it was now Austria Salzburg's time: the club wins the Tauernliga and in the play-off finals defeats Innsbruck (5:0 and 9:0 !!) and wins against Kapfenberg on aggregate (6:0 and 1:3). For the first time Austria Salzburg plays in Austria's top division.

1953/54:

Promotion to the Staatsliga means that the club gives up amateurism and becomes professional. In the 4th round the club wins sensationally away to Austria Vienna (3:2 goals: Bruno Fleck (2) and Fredl Gruen) who thrashed German champions Kaiserslautern 9:2 just 4 days before this game. The team is also heavily defeated (0:5 to Vienna, 0:9 to Wacker) but escapes relegation (9th place).

1954/55:

Salzburg again finishes at the 9th league position. Man of the season is Willy Koenig who scores 20 goals in 22 appearances. After the season, the team goes on a 56 day journey to Asia. The highlight of this tour is definitely a 2:2 against Indonesia's national side in front of 35.000 spectators.

1955/56:

Salzburg's best season in Austria's top division. (8th place). The most outstanding performance was a 6:4 victory over champions Vienna that impressed 14.000 at Lehen. Another highlight of the season is a defeat away to Kapfenberg which ends with fighting among the players because Richard Jelinek thought that keeper Krammer was not good enough to wear the team's shirt after Krammer conceded five goals. Jelinek tore Krammer's shirt off and continued to play as keeper whereas Krammer left the pitch in tears.

Foundation and Promotion  //   Austria as a "jo-jo club"  //   Changeable Years  //   Golden Years  //   Last years in violet