Based in the capital city Vienna, SK Rapid Wien, as they are known locally, are the most successful football club in Austria. They have won no less than 32 Austrian championship titles, including the first ever title in 1911-12, and a German championship in 1941 under Nazi rule. The club is famous for the tradition of Rapidviertelstunde, a rhythmic clapping performed by their fans in the last 15 minutes of every game, whether home or away, and regardless of the score. This tradition first began in 1913 and continues to this day. The following is from a report of the match SK Rapid vs Rudolfshügel, appearing in a Vienna newspaper in 1918: “It has always been difficult to topple Rapid on their own patch. Rapid is a team that knows how to fight and which has menacing support that artificially propels them to victory. Almost always in the “famous quarter hour” the opposition know to submit, whilst in the middle of this desert cacophony even the most questionable appeals are awarded by the referee in order to simply have his peace”.

 

Die Grün-Weißen (the Green-Whites) became a dominant force in the years between the World Wars. This was an era in which Austria was one of the leading football nations in the world. In 1919, the club added another feat to their history by winning the inaugural Austrian Cup, along with its first hat-trick of titles from that year to 1921. Attending Rapid Vienna games increasingly became a favourite hobby of the local Viennese. Due to this fact, the clubs home ground, the Pfarrwiese (Parish Meadow), which could initially accommodate 4,000 spectators, gradually increased in size over the following years to accommodate double the amount of fans. It wasn’t long before this was still not enough, with further construction increasing capacity to 20,000, thanks to the clubs rising popularity. The improved ground was the catalyst for continued on-field success, and Rapid won the league eight times in total by 1923. Rapid had to negotiate a difficult period in the mid-1920s due to a generation transition, but with a new batch of Hutteldorfers, the club came back even stronger. 

In 1927, The Mitropa Cup was founded. This was the precursor to the European Cup, and more recently, The Champions League, and was a pioneering tournament contested between the greatest central European clubs. In the cups first two years, Rapid Vienna made the final each time, losing to Sparta Prague and Ferencvaros respectively. However, Rapid finally lifted the trophy in 1930 following an exhilarating final against Sparta, and returned to Hutteldorf accompanied by the Mitropa Cup. Rapid remained at their storied ground of Parish Meadow until 1977, and the ground saw them achieve many more great victories over the years.

Achievements: Austrian Championship – Champions x4
                        Austrian Cup – Winners x3