Onslaught on US sport
A football festival with 600 fans in a village of 700 people
In Upper Austria, US sport is booming around the "Eierlaberl" more than ever. Six clubs regularly attract crowds to the sports fields, and on Sunday 600 fans came to the small village of Goldwörth, even though the Raccoons only play in League 4. But what is behind this football hype?
There are exactly 438 municipalities in Upper Austria, over 300 of which have at least one soccer club in the official league. One municipality that has lost Austria's favorite hobby is Goldwörth in the Urfahr-Umgebung district. Football has not officially been played there for almost 30 years. Nevertheless, the small village of 700 souls still has a real festival atmosphere.
"Let it melt in your mouth"
Like on Sunday, when almost 600 spectators stormed the pitch to support the Raccoons. "You have to let that melt in your mouth. But we also invest a lot, the whole family can enjoy a great day with us," says Thomas Beck, chairman of the football club founded in 2022.
Over 1000 fans in Traun and Wels
The club, which only plays in League 4, still attracts crowds like the other five Upper Austrian clubs. "We provide an event character, with good food, music and bouncy castles in addition to the sport," nodded Markus Campregher and Mario Zottele, the bosses of Traun and Wels. Both clubs have an average attendance of over 1000 spectators. There are no negative incidents such as riots or drunken, rowdy spectators. "We also have a 44% share of women," says Zottele.
The third division derby between Gmunden and Ried on Saturday (14:21) attracted 500 spectators, while the Innviertel club's home games usually attract over 900. And Steyr is also always packed.
"Limit reached"
With over 700 members, the clubs are also doing very well in terms of personnel, confirming the boom that has been going on in this country for years. Will this continue? "We've reached the limit and have to be careful that we don't take players and fans away from each other," says Campregher. Especially as there is also the JKU Linz university team.
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