Wien home purchase club fiscal health leg-up

Article posted by Coliseum, April 10^th, 2025

Image: Generali Arena, Ailura, CC BY-SA 3.0

The City of Vienna has purchased the Generali Arena in Vienna, Austria. An independent expert appraisal has valued the Generali Arena at €42.3 million.

The above step will help to improve the financial health of the top-flight club FK Austria Wien whose residence is the Generali Arena.

‘Die Presse’ stated that after deducting the eligible construction subsidies the transfer fee will amount to €39.4 million (excluding real estate transfer tax). The appraisal also included the calculation of a standard market lease. Accordingly, the Austrian professional association football club FK Austria Wien must pay the City €1.4 million annually for using the Generali Arena.

The 17,500-capacity Franz Horr Stadium, formally known as the Generali Arena for sponsorship reasons and the Viola Park for international matches, is an association football stadium in the South of Vienna, Austria. It has been the home ground of the FK Austria Wien since 1973.

The FK Austria Wien, known in English as the Austria Vienna and Austria Wien in the German-speaking countries, is an Austrian professional association football club from the capital City of Vienna. It plays in the Austrian Bundesliga – the highest level of the Austrian football league system. It has won the most trophies of any Austrian club from the top flight with 24 Austrian Bundesliga titles and 27 Austrian Cup titles. It has never got relegated from the Austrian top flight.

‘Die Presse’ further stated that the City Councilor for Sport Peter Hacker informed the members of the State Sports Council recently about the above development and has received huge support from the committee.

The Vienna City Council is expected to approve the takeover of the multifunctional stadium on April 23^rd. As part of the exercise the existing building lease agreement will be terminated and a new lease agreement will be inked following which the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) four-star stadium will become the property of the City of Vienna.

Nyon (Switzerland)-based the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs football, futsal and beach football in Europe and the transcontinental countries of Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Kazakhstan as well as in the West Asian countries of Cyprus, Armenia and Israel. The UEFA consists of 55 national association members. Since 2022, due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the FIFA and the UEFA has suspended all Russian national teams and clubs from any FIFA and UEFA competitions.

The FK Austria Wien will call the shots of the Generali Arena. The City will have the control rights through MA 51 – Sport Vienna.

The MA 51 – Sport Vienna is the central contact point for Vienna’s sports scene. It offers the adults, and especially the children and the youth, a wide range of diverse sporting activities.

League Stadia Owned by Cities

It’s not uncommon for a City to bail out cash-strapped clubs. The Austria Wien pays by far the highest rent, their peer teams – the SK Sturm Graz – pays approximately €400,000 per year to the City of Graz (Austria) and the FC Blau-Weiß Linz pays €330,000 per year to the City of Linz (Austria). ‘The Violets’ are also an isolated case. Eight out of 11 Bundesliga stadiums are owned by the respective City.

Multifunctional Use

The multifunctional use requested by Hacker will be contractually stipulated. The corresponding agreement, which was reached with the Austria Wien in recent weeks, will be signed following the City Council’s resolution and includes the following points: Ensuring the Austria Wien’s match operations, the Bundesliga, the ÖFB Cup (the annual football cup competition in Austria for the Men’s teams), and the European Cup, the match operations of the special needs teams, the ÖFB international matches, the ÖFB Cup Finals, American football, etc.

Furthermore, the Austria AG (a State-owned holding company that manages the Republic of Austria’s investments in partially or entirely nationalized companies essentially acting as a sovereign wealth fund) undertakes to make the sports facility available for recreational sports activities to an extent of at least 20 percent for professional use. Should the City of Vienna be in need of the stadium to host the World or European Championships it will be made available free of charge and without advertising.

Purchase Reactions

Observed Hacker, “The City’s departments have done excellent work in recent weeks. We have reached an agreement with the Austria Wien on the terms and conditions and can now implement the same from December. I would like to thank the City’s Finance Department and the real estate management for their total cooperation. The Austria Wien’s home ground is one of the City’s most important sports venues. My goal was and remains to secure this important infrastructure and ensure that it benefits Viennese sports in the long term. However, one thing is clear: The City’s willingness to take over the stadium is tied to very strict rules. These include by far the highest rent of any Austrian Bundesliga club and use beyond the club’s professional division and football.”

Maintained Harald Zagiczek, Chief Financial Officer of Austria AG, “The sale of the stadium property is the result of a very intensive and transparent process. Accordingly, we are very pleased to have finalized this process with the City of Vienna. In consultation with the future owner we will continue to manage the stadium as the general operator in the interests of the Austria Wien and the City of Vienna as a Sports City. We pay a market-standard rent – proceeds from additional events remain with the Austria Wien. With this sale we are taking an important step towards improving the club’s financial health and, at the same time, have secured the home for our fans and supporters for the long term. Since the City of Vienna has owned the property since the stadium was built combining the ownership of the property is the best solution for both sides and represents a win-win situation.”

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