SK Rapid Wien

**S.K. Rapid Wien** is an Austrian football club. Rapid Wien was founded in 1898 and is one of the major clubs in Austria. The club plays in Vienna. Rapid is Austria's most successful team with 32 championships wins. Rapid also won a German title in 1941 when the country was part of Germany. 
## History
The club was founded in 1898 as First Workers' Football Club of Vienna but was renamed in S(port) K(lub) Rapid Wien on 8 January 1899. The first coulors were red and white. The teams uses these colours in away matches today. 

During the years before World War II, Rapid was one of the most successful clubs in Europe. Before the Second World War, Rapid won the Viennese championship 16 times. In these years there was no nationwide championship because professional football teams only played in Vienna. In 1930 Rapid won the Mitropacup against Sparta Praha (2:0; 3:2) (''La Coupe de l'Europe Centrale''), one of the first international competitions in Europe. Around this time, the rivalry with the other great club of Vienna, FK Austria, started and continues today. Rapid was the club of the working class, while supporters of FK Austria were more middle class. After the annexation of Austria through Nazi-Germany in 1938 Rapid played in the Gauliga Ostmark. Rapid won the Tschammerpokal (Cup) in 1938 with a 3–1 victory over FSV Frankfurt. 1941 they won the Championship  versus Schalke 04 (4-3).

Almost since the beginning of the club's history, the fans announce the last 15 minutes with clapping of their hands, the "Rapidviertelstunde". 

SK Rapid only won the Austrian championship twice since 2000. The greatest success in recent years was the victory over the Premier League club Aston Villa in the last qualifying round for the UEFA Europa League 2009 and 2010. They played in the group stage twice, but they did not reach the next round. Rapid last reached the group stage of the UEFA Champions League in 2005–06. They finished last in their group and lost all their matches. 

### Current squad
## Coaching history (21st century)
## Famous players
*   Josef Bican
*  Franz Binder
*  Robert Dienst
*  Ernst Dokupil
*  Toni Fritsch 
*  Gerhard Hanappi
*  Ernst Happel 
*  Andreas Herzog
*  Josef Hickersberger
*  Alfred Körner
*  Robert Körner
*  Hans Krankl
*  Max Merkel
*  Erich Probst
*  Karl Rappan
*  Josef Uridil
*  Walter Zeman
*  Zlatko Kranjčar
*  Antonín Panenka

## Honours
* **National Austrian Championship (16):** 1951, 1952, 1954, 1956, 1957, 1960, 1964, 1967, 1968, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1995–96, 2004–05, 2007–08

* **Viennese Championship (16):** 1912, 1913, 1916, 1917, 1919, 1920, 1921, 1923, 1929, 1930, 1935, 1938, 1940, 1941, 1946, 1948 

* **Austrian Cup (14):** 1919, 1920, 1927, 1946, 1961, 1968, 1969, 1972, 1976, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1995

* **Austrian Supercup:** 1986, 1987, 1988, 2008 (Unofficial edition)

* **German War-time Championship:** 1941

* **German War-time Cup:** 1938

*** Mitropa Cup:** 1930, 1951

*** Intertoto Cup:** 1992, 1993

* '''Cup Winners' Cup Runners Up:''' 1985, 1996

## Gallery

File:SK Rapid Wien - Teamphoto 2010-11.jpg|First Squad 2010/11
Image:2008 Steffen Hofmann.JPG|Steffen Hofmann celebrating the last championship 2008
File:FW Happelstadion3.jpg|Supporters of SK Rapid
File:Rudolf Edlinger - SK Rapid Wien (01).jpg|Rudolf Edlinger former chairman

## References