Hakoah Graz facts for kids
The Sportclub Hakoah Graz was a special sports and football club from Graz, a city in Austria. Its name, Hakoah, means 'strength' in Hebrew.
This club was unique because it was founded for Jewish people. It became one of the top football teams in Graz, alongside other famous clubs like Sturm and GAK.
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Club History: Hakoah Graz
Starting a New Sports Club
The Sportclub Hakoah Graz began on 12 March 1919. Its main goal was to give Jewish people in Graz a chance to play sports. At that time, about 4,000 Jewish people lived in Graz. An older Jewish sports club had closed in 1917. Even though some Jewish leaders didn't support the new club, many young football players were very excited about it.
First Steps in Football
In 1921, the football part of Hakoah Graz joined the 2. Klasse, which was a football league in Styria. Back then, there wasn't one big championship for all of Austria. The top league in Vienna was considered the highest level in the country.
The Hakoah team wore blue and white jerseys, and they had the Star of David on their shirts. One big problem for them was not having their own football field. Other clubs often wouldn't let them use their fields. This was because of antisemitism, which is a strong dislike or hatred of Jewish people. In 1923, Hakoah Graz was finally able to rent its own field.
Moving Up and Facing Challenges
During the 1921/22 season, Hakoah Graz played very well and finished first in their league. This meant they were promoted to the 1. Klasse, the top league in Styria.
However, even in the higher league, the club still faced antisemitism. Some teams, like Deutscher Sportverein Leoben and Turnverein Leibniz, refused to play against a Jewish club. Because of this, those teams were disqualified from the games. Despite these difficulties, Hakoah Graz often did very well in the 1. Klasse, usually finishing near the top of the league table.
The Final Years of Hakoah Graz
In 1935, the club was moved down to the 2. Klasse again. This happened for a few reasons. Some players left to join other clubs, and some stopped playing football because antisemitism was growing stronger. The club also lost its rented football field because the rental agreement was not renewed.
Even in the 2. Klasse, Hakoah Graz started to get stronger again. But the club's history came to an end when Nazi Germany took control of Austria. Like all other Jewish sports clubs in Austria, Sportclub Hakoah Graz was forced to close down.
