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 | ||
| 2024–25 | Austrian Bundesliga, 4th of 12 | ||
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Wolfsberger AC, often called Wolfsberg or just WAC, is an Austrian football club. They are from Wolfsberg, Carinthia and play in the top Austrian league, the Austrian Bundesliga.
For a few years, from 2007 to 2012, Wolfsberger AC worked 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 a sponsorship deal.
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 2012–13.
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. They finished fourth in their group that season.
Wolfsberg also made history by winning their first ever Austrian Cup title in the 2024–25 season. They beat TSV Hartberg 1–0 in the final.
Contents
Club History: How WAC Grew
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.
Early Years and Promotions
In 1968, WAC finally moved up to the Austrian Regional League. At that time, this was the second-highest league in Austria. They stayed at this level for 17 years, mostly as a team in the middle of the league table. They only dropped down for one season in 1977–78.
At the end of the 1984–85 season, Wolfsberger AC went back down to the third level. They had two more short times in the second league in 1988–89 and 1990–91, but they were quickly relegated both times. In 1994, the Regional League was restarted as the third division, and WAC was one of the founding teams. For a few years, they tried to get promoted again, but their performance slowly got weaker. This led to them being relegated again at the end of the 2001–02 season.
Working Together: WAC/St. Andrä
In 2007, Wolfsberger AC decided to work closely with a nearby club, SK St. Andrä. Both clubs remained separate, but they shared many things like management, marketing, and even their senior and youth teams. 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, the top league! Soon after, the cooperation ended. Wolfsberger AC then played in the highest level of Austrian football as its own club for the first time.
Life in the Top League
After their first year in the top league, they finished 5th. Their manager, Nenad Bjelica, then left to manage FK Austria Wien, who were the champions that season. Slobodan Grubor took over, but after some difficult games, Dietmar Kühbauer became the new manager.
From the 2014–15 season, the team became known as 'RZ Pellets WAC' because of a new sponsorship.
Wolfsberger AC made it to the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League group stage for the first time in their history. This happened after they finished third in the 2018–19 Austrian Football Bundesliga. They were later knocked out of the competition in the Round of 32, losing to the English team Tottenham Hotspur.
Club Achievements
Domestic League Titles
- 2. Liga
- Winners (1): 2011–12
Domestic Cup Titles
- Austrian Cup
- Winners (1): 2024–25
European Competitions
Wolfsberger AC has also played in several European football competitions. Here's a look at 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 | ||
| 2025–26 | UEFA Europa League | 3Q |
Current Team Squad
This is the list of players currently on the Wolfsberger AC team.
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Players on Loan
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Club Leaders
These are some of the important people who help run Wolfsberger AC.
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| President |  Dietmar Riegler |
| Vice-president | Christian Puff |
| Manager | Dietmar Kühbauer |
| Assistant Manager | Manfred Nastl |
| First-Team Coach | Hannes Jochum |
| First-Team Goalkeeper Coach | Mario Krassnitzer |
| Fitness Coach | Hannes Sauerschnig |
| Athletic Coach | Marcel Kuster |
| Video Analyst | Christoph Schricker |
| Team Doctor | Anton Rossmann Torsten Lenart Bernhard Tatschl |
| Physiotherapist | Joseph Rainer |
| Masseur | Sasa Rodic |
| Marketing Staff | Michael Paier |
| Team Manager | Hannes Jochum |
| Manager | Markus Perchthaler |
| Sports Coordinator | Roman Stary |
Team Managers Through the Years
Here is a list of the managers who have led Wolfsberger AC over the years.
- Helmut Kirisits (7 April 1989 – 4 November 1990, 7 June 1991 – 30 June 1991, 13 October 1992 – 17 October 1995)
- Hans-Peter Buchleitner (1 July 1995 – 30 June 1997)
- Peter Hrstic (1 July 2007 – 26 October 2008)
- Hans-Peter Buchleitner (27 Oct 2008 – 9 May 2010)
- Nenad Bjelica (10 May 2010 – 17 June 2013)
- Slobodan Grubor (17 June 2013 – 1 September 2013)
- Dietmar Kühbauer (2 Sep 2013 – 25 November 2015)
- Heimo Pfeifenberger (25 Nov 2015 – 17 March 2018)
- Robert Ibertsberger (caretaker) (18 March 2018 – 31 May 2018)
- Christian Ilzer (1 June 2018 – 30 June 2019)
- Gerhard Struber (1 July 2019 – 19 November 2019)
Mohamed Sahli (caretaker) (20 Nov 2019 – 31 December 2019)- Ferdinand Feldhofer (1 January 2020 – 4 March 2021)
- Roman Stary (caretaker) (4 March 2021 – 31 May 2021)
- Robin Dutt (1 July 2021 – 5 March 2023)
- Manfred Schmid (6 March 2023 – 30 June 2024)
- Dietmar Kühbauer (1 July 2024 – present)
See also
In Spanish: Wolfsberger AC para niños
