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| Full name | Sportclub Schwarz-Weiß Bregenz | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1919; 106 years ago (1919) 27 June 2005; 20 years ago (27 June 2005) (refounded)[1] | ||
| Ground | ImmoAgentur Stadion | ||
| Capacity | 5,000 | ||
| Chairman | Thomas Fricke | ||
| Manager | Regi Van Acker | ||
| League | 2. Liga | ||
| 2024–25 | 2. Liga, 9th of 16 | ||
Schwarz-Weiß Bregenz orSW Bregenz (formerlySportclub Bregenz orSC Bregenz) is anassociation football club based in the town ofBregenz,Vorarlberg, Austria. The club competes inAustrian 2. Liga, the second tier of the Austrian football. Founded in 1919, it is affiliated to theVorarlberg Football Association. The team plays its home matches atImmoAgentur Stadion, where it has been based since 1951. The club's history includes numerouspromotions and relegations and some spells of sustained success, including participation in theUEFA Intertoto Cup in2002 and2004. The club went bankrupt in 2005 and was subsequently refounded.
FC Bregenz was founded on 28 June 1919 with the club colours being black and white, making it the fourth oldest football club in theVorarlberg region.[2] In its early history, the club played mainlyfriendly matches against German and Swiss clubs from aroundLake Constance. In 1927, theBregenz based club made its first appearance in the Vorarlberger A-Klasse, the highest level in Vorarlberg at the time, where they finished second.[3] Already in 1928, FC Bregenz became Vorarlberg champions ahead of FA Turnerbund Lustenau (todaySC Austria Lustenau) andFC Lustenau. In 1930, FC Bregenz only reached fourth place and, as a result, were relegated from the A-Klasse. In 1933, the Bregenz team was back in the top flight and managed to stay in the Vorarlberger A-Klasse until its upheaval in 1938. After theAnschluss in 1938, the Vorarlberger A-Klasse was replaced by the Bodensee-Vorarlberg Bezirksklasse.[3] The best clubs in Vorarlberg (including FC Bregenz) now played in the same league with clubs such asVfB Friedrichshafen, VfL Lindau, SV Weingarten, FC Lindenberg, and other clubs fromMeckenbeuren,Langenargen,Ravensburg, and other areas in Germany. The1941–42 season was cancelled due toWorld War II.[3]
After the end of the war, FC Bregenz returned to its footballing activities. However, the club had to choose a new name as ordered by theFrench occupying forces. In 1945, the club was therefore renamed Schwarz-Weiß Bregenz.[3] The club logo, which was designed by Bregenz honorary member Hans Kolb, also dates from this year. As early as 1946, Schwarz-Weiß Bregenz played in the highest league in Vorarlberg, which was now called 1. Klasse Vorarlberg.[3] A Vorarlberg league championship was held until 1950. In 1950, theArlbergliga was founded by the football associations of Vorarlberg andTyrol.[4] After winning several championships, Schwarz-Weiß Bregenz became the first club from Vorarlberg to be promoted to the top division of Austria, theStaatsliga, in 1954.[3][4] However, the club only managed one season at the highest level, and they were relegated again the following year. In 1960, theRegionalliga West was founded, in which Bregenz played for many years.[3]
In 1966, Schwarz-Weiß ventured into the top Austrian division for a second time and even finished sixth (1966–67 season).[4] Two years later they were relegated again – only to return in the1970–71 season under the sponsor nameSC Olymp Bregenz. After one year, they relegated again.[3]
The 1970s were marked by several mergers and name changes. In the1973–74 campaign, after a merger with FC Rätia Bludenz, which had been promoted to the first division, the club was calledFC Vorarlberg for a short time. In the1974–75 season the official name wasSC Vorwerk Vorarlberg (Bregenz) after the new sponsor was introduced. The most momentous merger occurred in 1979: Schwarz-Weiß Bregenz merged withFC Dornbirn 1913 and was namedIG Bregenz/Dornbirn until 1987.[3] Under the name Schwarz-Weiß Bregenz, the team was promoted to thesecond division in 1996. AfterCasinos Austria became the main sponsor, the Bregenz club started playing asCasino SW Bregenz.[5]
Between 1999 and the2004–05 season, the club played in theAustrian Bundesliga. In2002 and2004, Bregenz also played European football in theUEFA Intertoto Cup.[6] Opponents includedTorino, against whom the club was eliminated after a 1–0 away defeat at theStadio Delle Alpi and a 1–1 draw at home.[7]
After a successful run, the club ran into increasingly severe financial problems. A poor 2004–05 season was followed by relegation to the second-tierErste Liga. However, the club was denied a licence for the following season due to financial problems.[8] After also losing the battle before the permanent neutral arbitration court of the Austrian Bundesliga, Bregenz filed for bankruptcy and was consequently dissolved.
The senior team was admitted to the 5th level of the Austrian football pyramid and adapted the traditional black and white club colours of the former SW Bregenz in the 2009–10 season. On 8 July 2013 the club was renamedSchwarz-Weiß Bregenz again and they also took over the logo of the former club.
The club was relegated fromAustrian Regionalliga West in 2016.
In 2022–23, Schwarz-Weiß Bregenz secure promotion to Austrian 2. Liga from 2023 to 2024 and champions of Regionalliga West in 2022–23.
TheImmoAgentur Stadium inBregenz, which was constructed in 1994 as the Casino Stadium to replace the demolished Bodensee Stadium, has a capacity of 12,000 spectators (of which approx. 4,000 are seated).[9] The record attendance was 10,800 for theVorarlberg derby againstSC Austria Lustenau in theAustrian Bundesliga in the autumn of 1999. Since the bankruptcy of SW Bregenz in 2005, the successor club SC Bregenz and, since the 2013–14, Schwarz-Weiß Bregenz, have played their home games there. The stadium is located close to the city centre (next to the railway station and the Festspielhaus Bregenz) and in the immediate vicinity ofLake Constance.[10]
| Season | Competition | Round | Club | Home | Away | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | UEFA Intertoto Cup | 1R |  Enosis Neon Paralimni | 3–1 | 2–0 | 5–1 |
| 2R |  Torino | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | ||
| 2004 | UEFA Intertoto Cup | 1R |  Khazar Universiteti | 0–3 | 1–2 | 1–5 |
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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