License granted at the first instance

President Kurt Gollowitzer: “I am very pleased that we have once again received the license in the first instance this year, for the third consecutive year. My thanks go to all the club’s employees, especially Financial CEO Harald Zagiczek and his finance team for their excellent work. The entire sports department and the team also deserve great praise: despite years that were not always easy financially, they have delivered very strong performances with consistency and focus and have contributed significantly to the steadily growing crowd support at our stadium. I would also like to thank our committees, partners, investors, and fans who support us on our journey. This confirms that we have been moving in the right direction for several years now and that Austria is once again on a stable financial footing.”

Financial CEO Harald Zagiczek: “The fact that we have once again been granted the license in the first instance confirms that we are on the right track. This year, the new A-license criterion was applied for the first time, which requires an annual reduction of negative equity by ten percent. Given our current financial situation, this will remain a challenge in the coming years. This makes it all the more important to generate regular operating surpluses—the half-year balance sheet as of December 31, 2025, shows an operating surplus of 330,000 euros for the first time in eight years. We laid the foundation for this by reducing liabilities by 55 million euros over the past two years. To achieve consistently positive results, transfer surpluses and further cost savings remain essential, as a club like Austria Vienna relies on net revenue from sports operations and income from European Cup league phases cannot be reliably budgeted.”