“Rapid or Austria?” is known to be a sensitive question in the Austrian soccer world. Clear camps, childhood memories, strong emotions, purple or green. Even in our team, the topic is not entirely uncontroversial. For this project, however, we decided to remain neutral (well, almost neutral). Because we were allowed to organize the Vienna derby as part of the European Forum Alpbach. Within a few weeks, together with the Forum team and the two clubs, we convinced sponsors, organized jerseys and shoes, and put together an impressive starting lineup: four soccer legends, leaders from politics and business, and the Forum's scholarship holders.

From match plan to soccer party

Our strategy: develop the idea, coordinate clubs, manage invitations, coach teams on site, involve sponsors, and provide media coverage for the entire event. In other words, from the initial idea to the final whistle. After our organizational training, the big day finally arrived on August 26, when the soccer match at the EFA celebrated its comeback. Among those on the field were former Chancellor Christian Kern and Education Minister Christoph Wiederkehr for the “Veilchen,” as well as Walter Ruck (President of the Vienna Chamber of Commerce) and Peter Bosek (CEO of Erste Group) on the Rapid side. Tennis star Dominic Thiem took on what was probably the fairest role in the game: one half in purple, one half in green. They were joined by club legends Steffen Hofmann and Florian Sturm, as well as Florian Mader and Hannes Aigner, who created the right derby atmosphere. Our YIELD team may not have been on the field, but they were on the sidelines, in the coaching zone. Alexander Langgruber took on the role of coach for the Rapid team and Julian Saxer for the Austria team. After 60 minutes, the score was 1-1, with Michael Nowak (Huawei Austria) scoring for Rapid and Hannes Aigner for Austria. In the penalty shootout, the Austria team secured the derby victory with a 4-2 win.

Business cards instead of flares

EFA President Othmar Karas summed it up perfectly before kick-off: “The derby stands for tradition and passion like no other game.” That was exactly what could be felt in Alpbach. Only it was different from the Allianz Stadium or the Generali Arena: no flares, no chants, but politicians, businesspeople, and scholarship holders who exchanged views on the day's panels between cheering and small talk. While real derbies often see sparks fly on the field and in the stands, here there was laughter, discussion, and passionate excitement. This special atmosphere was also reflected on the pitch. Fortunately, legendary referee Konrad Plautz hardly had to intervene.

Extension in the media

A Vienna derby thrives on people talking about it. So we took the communication work just as seriously as the organization on the field. Thanks to a mixture of football passion and Alpbach spirit, we were able to generate eleven strong clippings with an ad value of €62,020 – in media such as Kurier, Krone, Die Presse, Puls 4, and the Tiroler Tageszeitung.

Sound bites from the field

In any case, the 60 minutes lived up to Othmar Karas's expectations. Peter Bosek, CEO, Erste Group and himself an active player in Rapid colors, said after the final whistle: “First of all, it's great to be here, with beautiful weather and sports facilities, and great artificial turf. It's pretty hot, but we've been preparing intensively for the game over the last five weeks.” 

Among the successful players was also Christoph Wiederkehr, Minister of Education, who played for the “Violets.” He too was enthusiastic about the sporting event at the European Forum Alpbach: “It's a great game, a strong sporting competition, but the focus is on the big picture—it's a very fair game and it's fun!” 

His Austria teammate Christian Kern, former Chancellor as well as Vice President and Board Member of the EFA, agreed: “It's great fun, we fought bravely, you can see that. As Bill Shankly once said: Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I don't like that attitude, it's much more serious than that.” 

Additional sparkle was provided by Dominic Thiem, who is known as former professional tennis player played a very special role: he played one half for each team so that neither side would have an advantage. “It's great fun, it's a very balanced duel. I have a special situation – one half for Austria, one half for Rapid, which I really like. I'm also a neutral fan and it's really cool to be here with legends Stefan, Hannes, Flo Sturm, and Wagner. As a soccer fan, I'm really enjoying the hour and would even play 90 minutes.” said Thiem after the final whistle. 

Conclusion

Whether purple or green: for us at YIELD, it was a match we won't forget anytime soon. The derby was our contribution to 80 years of the European Forum Alpbach and an example of how event organization, communication, and passion come together as a whole.

All pictures: (c) EFA/Andrei Pungovschi

From match plan to soccer party

Business cards instead of flares

Extension in the media

Sound bites from the field

Conclusion

Fred Mortagne “Powerlines” – New Leica photo series at the YIELD office

YIELD as playmaker: Vienna Derby in Alpbach

All five – Reinforcement for YIELD