SV Austria Salzburg

SV Austria Salzburg is a professional football club from the Austrian city of Salzburg. It was founded in 2005 by fans of the original SV (Austria) Salzburg after that club was taken over and renamed FC Red Bull Salzburg. The new owners also replaced the team’s traditional violet-and-white colours with red and white. The club began playing in Austria’s seventh tier in 2006 and won four consecutive league titles, reaching the third-tier Regionalliga West by 2010. In 2015, Austria Salzburg earned promotion to the Erste Liga, one level below the Austrian Bundesliga, but was relegated the following season. As of the 2025–26 season, the club plays in the Austrian Second League, having been promoted from the Regionalliga in 2024–25.

The history of the original SV Austria Salzburg up to 2005 is now linked to FC Red Bull Salzburg, since Red Bull took over and restructured the club that year. That earlier history also serves as the prehistory of the newly founded club. Before the 2005 takeover, the original club had won the Austrian Bundesliga three times and reached the 1993–94 UEFA Cup final against Inter Milan under coach Otto Baric. On 13 June 2005, after weeks of protests and opposition, the club founded in 1933 became Red Bull Salzburg, and its traditional purple colours were changed to red and white—only the goalkeeper would wear violet socks. The change of colours and crest provoked the most anger, alienating a large part of the fanbase. Soon, a new club was created under the old name and colours.

The original club was founded on 13 September 1933 as SV Austria Salzburg, following the merger of the city’s two clubs, Hertha and Rapid. It was dissolved in 1950 but refounded later that same year. It reached the Austrian top flight in 1953 and finished 9th out of 14 clubs in its first season, avoiding relegation by five points. Famous players who played for the club before 2005 include Oliver Bierhoff, Thomas Häßler, Heimo Pfeifenberger, Thomas Winklhofer, Maynor Suazo, Hans Krankl, Otto Konrad, and Toni Polster.

The predecessor club underwent several name changes due to mergers, sponsorships, and acquisitions. From 1933 to 1946 it was SV Austria Salzburg (merger of FC Rapid Salzburg and FC Hertha Salzburg). From 1946 to 1950 it was TSV Austria Salzburg (merger with ATSV Salzburg). From 1950 to 1973 it was again SV Austria Salzburg (merger dissolved). From 1973 to 1976 it was SV Gerngroß A. Salzburg (sponsored by Gerngroß Department Store). From 1976 to 1978 it was SV Sparkasse Austria Salzburg (sponsored by Erste Group savings bank). From 1978 to 1997 it was SV Casino Salzburg (sponsored by Casinos Austria). From 1997 to 2005 it was SV Wüstenrot Salzburg (sponsored by Wüstenrot-Gruppe). Since 2005, the refounded club has been SV Austria Salzburg with no sponsorship. The name "Austria" had not been part of the official club name since 1978, but fans and media still referred to it as Austria Salzburg until 2005, which is why the new club was refounded as Austria.

When Red Bull GmbH’s plans to acquire Austria Salzburg became known in April 2005, supporters were initially positive due to the club’s poor finances. In Austria, renaming a sports club is fairly common; many teams in football or ice hockey carry a sponsor’s name, usually to reorganize finances or increase budgets. Typically, such changes are made with respect for tradition, which is only gently altered. In this case, the reorganization was radical and effectively amounted to a takeover—Red Bull had the sole right to appoint the club’s board of directors written into the club’s statutes. This led to the founding of a fan initiative and a power struggle between the traditional fan scene and the new de facto owner.

Points of contention included the new management’s initial refusal to accept the club’s history (they originally stated 2005 as the year of foundation, which was only reversed under pressure from the Austrian Football Association) and, most importantly, the traditional violet-and-white colours. These remained the official club colours on paper but no longer existed in practice. Red and white replaced violet and white not only on the jerseys, and the Red Bull logo became a key part of the club crest. In response, supporters founded the Violet-White initiative, aiming to preserve the club’s violet-and-white tradition. They acted on several levels: holding talks with club officials and staging actions such as a peaceful pitch invasion during a friendly match. Talks broke down when Red Bull offered only a purple captain’s armband, a small purple Adidas logo on the jerseys, and purple socks for the goalkeeper—seen as an insult by traditionalists. During the first half of the 2005–06 season, the fan base split into traditional violet supporters and new Red Bull supporters. Protest banners, chants, violet choreographies, and the wearing of violet jerseys and scarves continued as expressions of rejection of Red Bull and Dietrich Mateschitz. During and after the failed talks, there were various incidents between tradition-conscious supporters and Red Bull Salzburg management. Further tension arose from converting the fan sector from standing to seating and from bans against alleged hooligans, some of which were later rescinded. The conflict drew solidarity and media coverage throughout Austria and in many European stadiums.