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International Friendly: SV Austria Salzburg v FC United - 7th July 2018

International Friendly: SV Austria Salzburg v FC United - 7th July 2018We are delighted to announce a friendly match against Austrian supporter-owned football club SV Austria Salzburg at the Austria Stadion which will take place on Saturday 7th July 2018 kick-off 6pm (local time).



This friendly not only provides FC United with the opportunity to play a match against European opposition, and against a club who have a very similar history to that of FC United, but an opportunity to raise much needed funds for both clubs, where the gate receipts will be shared.

On 4th February 2017 the two club’s met at Broadhurst Park with FC United winning 3-0 in front of a crowd of 1,562, and saw over 300 Salzburg fans making the trip and creating a great atmosphere.

We hope that this fixture is well supported and provides an opportunity to celebrate supporter-ownership in football as well as helping raise money for FC United and SV Austria Salzburg. Both clubs will also use this fixture to say a big thank you to their dedicated supporters who have been directly involved in the running of their respective clubs.

The kick-off time of 6pm has been agreed by both clubs to allow for our supporters to arrive on the day of the match.

Like FC United, SV Austria Salzburg was formed in 2005 by some supporters of the original SV (Austria) Salzburg after their club was renamed FC Red B*** Salzburg by its new owners, who also changed the club’s colours from its traditional violet and white to red and white.

The club commenced participation in the seventh tier of Austria’s national league system in 2006, then rose through four successive championships to the third tier, Regionalliga West, in 2010. In 2015, the club gained promotion to the Erste Liga, one tier below the Austrian Bundesliga, only to be relegated a year later.

The original club was formed in 1933. It was subject to a takeover by the Red Bull company in 2005. They renamed the club FC Red B*** Salzburg, changed the team colours and claimed that it was a new team. This caused a group of supporters, known as the "Violet-Whites", to want to preserve the 72-year-old traditions of their club, which had been completely disregarded by Red B***.

On 7 October 2005, the Violet-Whites successfully registered the old club’s original name "SV Austria Salzburg" and the old club emblem. For the second half of the 2005–06 season SV Austria fielded a unified team with the football section of the PSV Schwarz-Weiß Salzburg, which played in the 1. Salzburg Landesliga, the fourth tier of Austrian football, but at the end of the season the PSV members voted against continuing the link. Thus, the Violet-Whites formed a completely new team, which entered 2. Klasse Nord, the seventh tier of Austrian football, for the 2006–07 season.

In the 2014–15 season, the club was promoted to the First League, the second tier of Austrian football, by winning the Regionalliga West, after a change in the rules that see an automatic promotion place for one of the Regionalligas being rotated each season.

Having done the work to meet the original requirements for the 2.Bundesliga license, the requirements were changed over the summer and at the start of the season, Austria Salzburg had to play games away from Salzburg, some behind closed doors, also being fined and deducted points. All this and meeting the further requirements put the club in substantial debt. The club’s General Manager at the time had indicated that he was willing to sell up to 51% of the ownership of the club to an investor, as long as its name, colours and crest would not be altered. However the members did not approve of this – Austria Salzburg is not for sale! A new General Manager is now in place. However, Austria Salzburg were unable to prevent relegation and are back in the Regionalliga West this season.

Manager Tom Greaves said "We’re delighted to be making the return trip next year, hopefully we can go and put on a good performance for everyone!"

More details of the fixture, including tickets, will be announced in due course.

European Friendly Match
Saturday 7th July 2018 ko 6pm
SV Austria Salzburg v FC United of Manchester

Austria Stadion
Salzburg
10 Euro/8 Euro/5 Euro. Under 12’s free.



First Posted ~ 14:30 Fri 22 Dec 2017
News ID ~ 7727
Last Updated ~ 16:00 Fri 19 Feb 2021