Wolfsberger AC facts for kids
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| Full name | Riegler & Zechmeister Pellets Wolfsberger Athletik Club | ||
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| Nickname(s) | RZ Pellets WAC | ||
| Founded | 1931 | ||
| Ground | Lavanttal-Arena, Wolfsberg | ||
| Capacity | 7,300 | ||
| Owner | Dietmar Riegler and Otto Zechmeister | ||
| Chairman | Dietmar Riegler | ||
| Manager | Dietmar Kühbauer | ||
| League | Austrian Bundesliga | ||
| 2023–24 | Austrian Bundesliga, 7th of 12 | ||
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Wolfsberger AC, often called Wolfsberg or just WAC, is an Austrian football club. They are from Wolfsberg, Carinthia, a town in Austria. The team currently plays in the Austrian Bundesliga, which is the top football league in Austria.
For a few years, from 2007 to 2012, Wolfsberger AC worked together with another club, SK St. Andrä. During this time, they played as WAC/St. Andrä. Today, the team is known as RZ Pellets WAC because of their sponsors.
For most of its history, Wolfsberger AC played in lower leagues. But in the 2011–12 season, they won the 2011–12 Austrian Football First League (now called the "Second League"). This win meant they were promoted to the Austrian Bundesliga for the very first time. They finished fifth in their first season there.
In the 2018–19 season, Wolfsberg finished third in the Austrian Bundesliga. This amazing result allowed them to play in the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League group stage. This was a big step for the club, playing against teams from all over Europe.
Contents
Club History
Wolfsberger AC was started in 1931 by five people: Adolf Ptazcowsky, Karl Weber, Hermann Maierhofer, Franz Hafner, and Michael Schlacher. For the first 37 years, the club played in lower divisions of Austrian football.
In 1968, WAC moved up to the Austrian Regional League. At that time, this was the second-highest league. They stayed at this level for 17 years, mostly as a middle-of-the-table team. They only dropped down for one season in 1977–78.
After the 1984–85 season, Wolfsberger AC went back down to the third level. They had two short returns to the second level in 1988–89 and 1990–91. But each time, they were quickly sent back down. In 1994, the Regional League was restarted as the third tier, and WAC was one of the founding clubs. They started strong, but their performance slowly got weaker. They were relegated again at the end of the 2001–02 season.
Working Together: WAC/St. Andrä
In 2007, Wolfsberger AC decided to team up with their nearby club, SK St. Andrä. Both clubs stayed separate, but they worked very closely on many things. This included how they managed the club, their money, marketing, and even their football teams, both senior and junior.
Since SK St. Andrä was in the Regional League, the combined team started there. They were promoted to the First League in 2010. At the end of the 2011–12 season, this cooperation helped them get promoted to the Bundesliga. This was a huge achievement! Soon after, the cooperation ended. Wolfsberger AC then played in Austria's top league as its own club for the first time.
In their first year in the top league, they finished 5th. Their manager, Nenad Bjelica, left to manage FK Austria Wien, who were the champions that season. A new manager, Slobodan Grubor, took over but was soon replaced by Dietmar Kühbauer.
The team officially became known as 'RZ Pellets WAC' from the 2014–15 season. This was due to a sponsorship deal.
Playing in Europe
Wolfsberger AC made history by qualifying for the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League group stage. This happened after they finished third in the 2018–19 Austrian Football Bundesliga. They played against big teams from other countries. Later, they reached the Round of 32 in the Europa League but lost to the English team Tottenham Hotspur.
Club Achievements
Domestic League Wins
- 2. Liga:
- Winners (1): 2011–12
European Matches
Wolfsberger AC has played in several European competitions. Here's a look at some of their results:
| Season | Competition | Round | Opponent | Home | Away | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015–16 | UEFA Europa League | 2Q |  Shakhtyor Soligorsk |
2–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 |
| 3Q |  Borussia Dortmund |
0–1 | 0–5 | 0–6 | ||
| 2019–20 | UEFA Europa League | Group J |  Roma |
1–1 | 2–2 | 4th out of 4 |
| Borussia Mönchengladbach |
0–1 | 4–0 | ||||
 İstanbul Başakşehir |
0–3 | 0–1 | ||||
| 2020–21 | UEFA Europa League | Group K |  CSKA Moscow |
1–1 | 1–0 | 2nd out of 4 |
 Dinamo Zagreb |
0–3 | 0–1 | ||||
 Feyenoord |
1–0 | 4–1 | ||||
| R32 |  Tottenham Hotspur |
1–4 | 0–4 | 1–8 | ||
| 2022–23 | UEFA Europa Conference League | 3Q |  Gżira United |
0–0 | 4–0 | 4–0 |
| PO |  Molde |
0–4 | 1–0 | 1–4 |
Current Team Players
Here are the players currently on the Wolfsberger AC team:
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Players on Loan
Some players from Wolfsberger AC are currently playing for other teams for a set period. This is called being "on loan."
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See also
In Spanish: Wolfsberger AC para niños
