Wolfsberger AC

History

Wolfsberger AC was founded by Adolf Ptazcowsky, Karl Weber, Hermann Maierhofer, Franz Hafner and Michael Schlacher in 1931. After spending the first thirty-seven years of its existence on lower tiers of the Austrian league pyramid, the club eventually achieved promotion to the Austrian Regional League, which was on the second tier of the pyramid at that time, in 1968. WAC stayed at this level, with one exception during the 1977–78 season, for the next seventeen years, establishing themselves as a mid-table side.

At the end of the 1984–85 season, Wolfsberger AC eventually dropped back to the third level. The club returned for two further second-level appearances during the 1988–89 and 1990–91 seasons, but was immediately relegated each time. In 1994, the club was a founding member of the reactivated Regional League as the third tier of the pyramid. After being in the promotion race for the first few years in the new league, strength of the club gradually declined and eventually led to relegation at the end of the 2001–02 season.

In 2007, WAC and neighbours SK St. Andrä decided to enter a cooperation. While both clubs remained as separate entities, they closely worked together on almost all aspects: "Central areas of both clubs like administration, management, economy, marketing, gastronomy, as well as the athletic section as the core (both the senior and junior teams) will be centrally administered from the newly created offices of WAC/St. Andrä at Wolfsberg." Since SK St. Andrä were playing at the Regional League, the team began at this level, from which it was promoted to the First League in 2010. At the end of the 2011–12 season, the cooperation secured promotion to the Bundesliga with one round of matches to go. Soon afterwards, the cooperation was dissolved; Wolfsberger AC thus competed as an independent club on the highest level of Austrian football for the first time in their history.

After their first year in the highest class they came in 5th. After the season manager Nenad Bjelica left the club and became manager of FK Austria Wien, the champion of the 2012–13 season. Slobodan Grubor replaced him but after weak performances in the new season he was replaced by Dietmar Kühbauer.

The team became known as 'RZ Pellets WAC' from the 2014–15 season, due to sponsorship.

Wolfsberger AC qualified to the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League group stage for first time in their history, after finishing third in the 2018–19 Austrian Football Bundesliga. They were knocked in the last 32 after losing 8–1 on aggregate to Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur.

In the 2024/25 season Wolfsberger AC sensationally won the Austrian Cup and finished 4th in the Bundesliga, being in the title race until the very last matchday.

Honours

Domestic

League

• 2. Liga
  • Winners (1): 2011–12

Cup

• Austrian Cup
  • Winners (1): 2024–25

European record

Current squad

Out on loan

Club officials

Managers

• Austria Helmut Kirisits (7 April 1989 – 4 November 1990, 7 June 1991 – 30 June 1991, 13 October 1992 – 17 October 1995)
• Austria Hans-Peter Buchleitner (1 July 1995 – 30 June 1997)
• Austria Peter Hrstic (1 July 2007 – 26 October 2008)
• Austria Hans-Peter Buchleitner (27 Oct 2008 – 9 May 2010)
• Croatia Nenad Bjelica (10 May 2010 – 17 June 2013)
• Austria Slobodan Grubor (17 June 2013 – 1 September 2013)
• Austria Dietmar Kühbauer (2 Sep 2013 – 25 November 2015)
• Austria Heimo Pfeifenberger (25 Nov 2015 – 17 March 2018)
• Austria Robert Ibertsberger (caretaker) (18 March 2018 – 31 May 2018)
• Austria Christian Ilzer (1 June 2018 – 30 June 2019)
• Austria Gerhard Struber (1 July 2019 – 19 November 2019)
• Tunisia Mohamed Sahli (caretaker) (20 Nov 2019 – 31 December 2019)
• Austria Ferdinand Feldhofer (1 January 2020 – 4 March 2021)
• Austria Roman Stary (caretaker) (4 March 2021 – 31 May 2021)
• Germany Robin Dutt (1 July 2021 – 5 March 2023)
• Austria Manfred Schmid (6 March 2023 – 30 June 2024)
• Austria Dietmar Kühbauer (1 July 2024 – 8 October 2025)
• Austria Peter Pacult (13 October 2025 – 12 November 2025)
• Germany Ismail Atalan (12 November 2025 – present)

References

References

1. "Getting to know: WAC RZ Pellets | Official Site | Chelsea Football Club".
2. (27 May 2019). "Nach historischem Erfolg: WAC sucht Coach und Stadion". SPOX.
3. "Alli impresses as Spurs cruise through". BBC Sport.
4. m.b.H., STANDARD Verlagsgesellschaft. "WAC setzt Trainer Kühbauer vor die Tür".