125 Years: Happy Birthday SK Rapid!

SK Rapid celebrates its 125th birthday! In a crisis meeting on the 8th of January 1899, Club Secretary Wilhelm Goldschmidt put forward the crucial proposal to change the name of the organisation, and therefore the sport club “Rapid” was born, emerging from the 1. Wiener Arbeiter Fußball-Club, which had already existed since 1897.

The paper, “The Neue Wiener Abendblatt” reported on that historic meeting:

"1st Vienna Workers' Football Club: At the general meeting held on Sunday 8th, Karl Palek was elected as chairman, Wilhelm Goldschmidt as secretary, J. Kailich as captain and Karl Schediwy as second captain. After a lengthy debate, Mr. Goldschmidt's motion to change the club's name was accepted and the name SC Rapid was chosen."

So why was the name Rapid chosen? Well, the term of course means “extremely fast” - quite fitting for a football club with lofty ambitions. At the same time there was also a successful club in Berlin called “The Berliner Football & Cricket Club ‘Rapide’ 1893” which was taken as a model.

In the early years, the club's colours were still blue and red, with the Schmelzer Exerzierplatz serving as its home ground. A real football stadium was still a long way off, and the budget was largely used up on footballs, as they regularly became damaged on the uneven pitch. At the time, nobody could have guessed that these first footballers would lace up their boots for what is now Austria's most popular club.

Over time, the blue and red Rudolfsheimers transformed into the green and white Hütteldorfers - and became known far beyond the borders of the country thanks to their national and international successes. Today, hundreds of thousands profess to be Rapid fans, tens of thousands cheer on the players week after week in the stadium, in victory or defeat, in sunshine or sub-zero temperatures, whether in Hütteldorf or away from home.

788 players have already laced up their boots for the Rapid first team - and many more men and women will do the same and give their all for the Green and Whites!

Monday's birthday evening at the Allianz Stadium marks the start of a big year with numerous events on the program, which will be announced in the course of the year - may it be a successful one for our club!

You can find out more about the club's 125-year history in our club museum, the Rapideum, and in the digital journey through time, and for the birthday itself (08/01/24) the entry is free of charge!