Few clubs have changed their image as radically as Salzburg. Its story begins on 13 September 1933, and on 13 September 2027 it turns 94 years old. It is the story of a team that wore violet for seven decades and then turned red.

Two teams become one

The club was born as SV Austria Salzburg, from the merger of the city's two clubs, Hertha and Rapid. Rapid wore green and white, Hertha blue and white, and they joined forces to meet the requirements of a new regional league.

In 1950 the club was dissolved and re-founded within the same year. That is why German Wikipedia also gives 1 June 1950 as the official founding date, while the club counts its history from 1933.

The "Violets"

For more than 70 years the team's trademark was violet and white. The sources we checked do not explain why violet was chosen, a colour rarely seen on European shirts.

From the 1971/72 season the team played at the Lehener Stadion, inside the city. Under sponsor names such as Casino Salzburg and later Wüstenrot Salzburg, it lived its best moments in the 1990s.

The Lehener Stadion remained its home until 2002. In 2003 the team moved to a new, modern ground in the neighbouring municipality of Wals-Siezenheim, two years before the big change.

The miracle of 1994

In 1993/94, coached by Otto Barić, Salzburg reached the UEFA Cup final. There they fell to Inter, who won both legs 1-0.

The consolation came with the Austrian titles of 1994, 1995 and 1997. All of them were won in the violet shirt, which for many old fans is still the "real" Salzburg.

2005: Enter the Bulls

On 6 April 2005 Red Bull bought the club and changed everything: name, crest, colours. Violet gave way to red and white, and the team became known as "Die Roten Bullen", the Red Bulls.

Owner Dietrich Mateschitz said at the time that this was a new club with no history, and the website first stated that it had been founded in 2005. The Austrian FA ordered the claim removed, and the history back to 1933 was later restored.

Fans who rejected the new identity founded their own SV Austria Salzburg after negotiations failed. So the old tradition lives on in a separate club.

A star factory

Playing at the Red Bull Arena in Wals-Siezenheim, Salzburg have reached a total of 17 league titles and 9 cups, every cup won as part of a double. In 2018 they reached the Europa League semi-finals, where Marseille knocked them out in extra time, and in 2021-22 they played in the Champions League round of 16 against Bayern Munich.

Their greatest gift is developing talent. Erling Haaland, Sadio Mané, Dominik Szoboszlai, Takumi Minamino and Marcel Sabitzer have all worn the shirt.

In 2025-26 they finished third in the Austrian Bundesliga, behind champions LASK. Since June 2026 their coach has been Danny Röhl.

Celebrate with us

From Lehen to the Red Bull Arena, violet or red, Salzburg's team turns 94 after a story full of twists. Happy birthday to all its fans, whatever colour they fell in love with!

See our collectible jerseys at sportarena.gr.

Photo: The Red Bull Arena during a match against Atlético Madrid (2021) – Fussballaustria, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.