SV Weinerberg - Sportplatz Weinerberg

SV Wienerberg 1921

Computerstraße 3

1100 Wien

Austria

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Ground Number: 1163

Saturday 25th March 2023

SV Wienerberg 0-3 LAC Inter

Youth League

SV WIENERBERG - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was founded as ASV Wienerberg (Arbeiter Sportverein, Workers' Sports Club) in 1921 by Czech immigrants, primarily labourers from the local brickworks - today's global construction material producer Wienerberger - at the Wienerberg in the Viennese district of Favoriten. The company lent its support and provided the ground. The club took on its current name in 1970.

From 1929 to 1934 the club played in the league of the labour movement, the Vereinigung der Amateur-Fußballvereine Österreichs (VAFÖ). The greatest successes of the club are the two stints in the Austrian second division, the Regional League East, from 1962 to 1968 and from 1970 to 1973, achieving second places in 1970 and 1972. Notable is also the appearance in the quarter-final of the Austrian Cup in the 1971–72 season.

The most prominent players in Wienerberg's history are centre-half Franz Kellinger, who played once for the national side in 1929, and Walter Zeman, who is considered one of the very best goalkeepers in Austrian history. Both commenced their careers with the club in the early 1920s and 1950s respectively.

MY VISIT

From my double at Floridsdorf, I had just over two hours to reach game three of the day. I walked for around 15 minutes to the tram stop, then waited around ten minutes for the tram. It was very busy but it was the quickest way back to the town. It was raining on and off, but I was fairly happy with the news from back home as Wycombe had drawn 1-1 at Charlton Athletic. I was peckish when I got back to town and with little time to spare, I went to McDonald's for a chicken nuggets meal and some shrimp on the side. It was nearly £13 and was just ok but at least it filled me up.

From there it was around the corner and the U6 train to Tschertgasse. Then, it was a 20-minute walk to what I believed to be Wacker Vienna, at least that's what Google Maps claimed. All seemed fine when I saw the floodlights, but some things seemed amiss. Firstly, despite being billed as an 8 PM kickoff, it was already in progress. It turned out to be a youth game between SV Vienerberg and LAC Inter with the visitors 1-0 up when I got there. I navigated my way through the bar, Google Maps had the wrong venue for Wacker Vienna and by all accounts, I'd missed a cracker of a stadium according to another hopper. The visitors added two more goals - one just before halftime - a low shot and one after, a header from a corner. Wienerberg did have the chance to get back into the game, but the penalty was saved.

Overall, it had been a frustrating end to the day. Google Maps had led me to the incorrect place but I could have avoided that if I'd planned things earlier and double-checked things. Though I'd had three games, I'd got more enjoyment out of the singular one the day before. From the ground, I walked back to the station, stopping in the centre of Vienna to go to the only grocery store that appeared to be open at nearly 10 PM. The Spar Pronto was packed with people, but it did provide an unexpected gem. The Schnitzel roll that I bought was fantastic, the best thing I'd eaten in Vienna. This says more about my lack of time spent eating properly than anything, but I enjoyed it anyway. I also got a couple of cider cans, some soft drinks and some crisps. I was back in my room around 10.45, having the cans whilst I typed my blog and going to sleep around midnight.

THE GROUND

Sportplatz Wienerberg or at least the 3G pitch I saw the game on was a smart venue. There is a nice clubhouse and probably more going on when it is a first-team game. There's a stand, holding around 150 plus three sides hard standing with the 4th side closed off. It is walkable from a number of train stations.