The First Title in the Club’s History
March 5, 1899 is certainly not a date that made it into Austria’s national history books—not like the signing of the Austrian State Treaty on May 15, 1955, or October 2, 1991, when Franz Viehböck became the first Austrian to travel into space. But for the history of a small football club from the north of Vienna, this day represents an important milestone.
Five years after the founding of First Vienna FC 1894, football in the Austro-Hungarian Empire was still in its infancy. There was not yet an official league championship. At that time, one of the highlights of the football calendar were the many matches between First Vienna FC and the Vienna Cricket and Football-Club. The so-called “original derby” always promised excitement and heated emotions.
A key step in the development of football in the monarchy was the creation of the Challenge Cup. The founder of the competition was John Gramlick, who had also been involved in establishing the Cricketer club. The first match of the newly created competition took place in 1897 in the Prater in Vienna. All clubs from across the Austro-Hungarian territory were eligible to participate. For the Vienna, the first appearance in the Challenge Cup in autumn 1897 ended with a semifinal defeat—ironically against the Cricketer.
However, Vienna did not let the bitter elimination stand. In the following edition they managed to take revenge: on that very day, March 5, 1899, Vienna faced AC Victoria Wien in the Challenge Cup final. The Blue-Yellows won the match convincingly 4–1, securing not only the Challenge Cup but also the first title in the club’s history.
Mark Nicholson
Closely connected with the early successes of the club from Döbling is one particular person: Mark Nicholson. In 1897, the British-born Nicholson moved to Vienna for professional reasons and joined First Vienna FC 1894. He improved the club in every aspect—first as a player and later as an official. Nicholson shaped not only the development of Austria’s oldest football club but also the development of football in Austria as a whole.
As the first major success in the club’s history, the victory in the Challenge Cup naturally holds special significance. Interestingly, Vienna managed to defend the title the following year—this time defeating their rivals from the Vienna Cricket and Football-Club in the final.
