Shortly after the First World War, a man named Franz Promberger is said to have brought the soccer game from the Seitenstetten Abbey (Lower Austria) to Ebensee. The team he put together played against another team for the first time in autumn 1921: in two away games against Gmunden they lost 2:3 and 1:6.
The following year the club became SK Ebensee (which also had sections for swimming, wrestling, boxing and other sports). Around the year 1933, the Ebenseer Kicker got a slag pitch at the Solvay dam and got into championship operations. During the war, however, the SK Ebensee ceased operations. During this time, only Hitler Youth ran after the ball in Ebensee.
Fans on the Traunseedampfer
After the club was re-established in 1946, this time under the name ATSV Ebensee, things really took off: Heribert Meisel, who later became the legendary sports commentator from Baden near Vienna, moved in with his Ebensee uncle, became a reporter for the Salzkammergut newspaper and introduced Ebensee put together a team that was second to none. It consisted largely of liberated prisoners from the Ebensee concentration camp. Some of the kickers had been internationals in their home countries. The sporting highlight was the fall championship title in 1946 after a 3-1 win against LASK.
“It was a great time,” Heribert Meisel recalled in 1954. At that time, he had long since left the Traunsee and was now popular throughout Austria as a sports reporter (Kurier, ORF). “The football battles between Ebensee and Gmunden in 46/47 were among the most nerve-wracking events that the Salzkammergut ever experienced,” says Meisel. “Special steamers were used to bring thousands of battle loafers from one lake shore to the other.”
In 1954, the Ebenseers managed to get promoted to the second highest league in Upper Austria, but after that they romped around in the football cellar for 30 years. Only with the championship titles in 1987 (2nd class south) and 1988 (1st class south) did the resurgence begin. The next championship title followed in 1993 (district league south) and then eight years in the second national league.
Today the SV Ebensee plays in the 1st class south. The next home game is on Saturday against SPG Lambach. Kick-off is at 2 p.m. (horn/ebra)
Source: Nachrichten
