Why the 76th Vienna Handball Derby is so special

Jakob Nigg knows exactly where he was on May 29, 2023. “In the southern part of the city, we lost the last derby against West Vienna,” said the leading player from city rivals from Margareten, the Fivers. “Still, it’s an incredible memory. I have never experienced the Südstadt as crowded as it was back then.” West Vienna made it to the final, won the championship title in a row and said goodbye to the professional stage for financial reasons.

A year and a half later, the traditional club is back, promoted with a young amateur team. On Wednesday (7:30 p.m.) the Fivers will be welcomed to the Wiener Stadthalle for the 76th Derby dance. “To be honest, I didn’t expect there to be another derby so quickly. I think that even surprised the West Viennese people,” admits 21-year-old Nigg, showering his rival with roses. “It shows how good the work is at Westwien and how strong the young players are.”

West Vienna coach Roland Marouschek is also looking forward to the traditional duel. “All over the world, derbies are something special. Both teams play practically at home, in their city. Two worlds of audiences collide, and in handball it usually happens very amicably.” Not like in football. “We would like to have the spectator numbers of Rapid and Austria, but not the side effects of a derby,” says Marouschek, alluding to the recurring riots. “In the 60 minutes we are rivals, but before and after we are friends.”

Distribution of roles

This time the Fivers are favorites again. Nigg practices diplomacy: “Basically, it is a victory for both teams that we can play against each other again. But if we lost, it would be more difficult for the club to cope with than for West Vienna. We are the clear favorites and want to show that we are number 1 in Vienna.” This can be deduced from the table alone, where the Fivers are in sixth place, while newly promoted West Vienna is second to last with only one win.

Patience is the trump card at West Vienna anyway, as Marouschek emphasizes: “We don’t look so much at the table, but rather at ourselves. If we get the maximum out of it, then we’ll be an unpleasant opponent for any team.”

First and foremost, it’s about the development of the young team, and then about staying in the league. The talents were recently able to gain valuable experience in the European Cup. “We can be proud that we train such players at both clubs in Vienna. And as West Vienna coach, I also say that about the Fivers.”

But things won’t be quite so amusing on Wednesday from 7.30 p.m. in the town hall when the number 1 in Vienna is determined. In the 75 meetings so far, the Fivers have emerged victorious 49 times and West Vienna 24 times.