Introducing
the Host

Or, to put the story of FC Wojtyla a little more poetically, more ‘theatrically’:

It happened in those early summer days in 2003 that a star rose near the Vienna Prater. This star was seen by wise men from all over the world, whose commonality was their work in various areas of the Viennese theatre and stage scene. Actors, directors, musicians, technicians, bookers, organisers: they met in a field located between the Danube Tower and Vienna's Uno City, which became famous because Pope Carol ‘John Paul II’ Wojtyla, who was not yet blessed at the time, celebrated mass here at the Austrian Catholics' Day in 1983. This place has been known as the ‘Pope's Meadow’ ever since and an oversized cross still bears witness to this.

Not far from this monument, people met up and converted park benches or training bags into football goals in order to indulge their passion for football in a completely undramatic yet theatrical way. When, on one of the first days, the first president jokingly invited people to the Pope's meadow, but used the euphonious phrase ‘training in Wojtyla Park’ in the text message (and thus confused taxi drivers into thinking they were in the wrong play), the name was born. FC WOJTYLA.

And its protagonists were encouraged to subtly honour the name in their stage shows and guerrilla missions. The story is still told, for example, that Fritz Rainer - the second president - forwent a drum solo in favour of a dramatic ball kick from the stage in the direction of the Wojtyla footballers in the audience. And even casting for theatre ensembles is said to have been made dependent on the way the actors played football.

As the theatre itself developed out of the religious rite, it was only natural that the first uniforms for the theatrical football clergy in Poland were made in-house: a black cross on a white background. And instead of a sponsor's logo, the Pope's coat of arms adorned the right trouser leg.

Contrary to Roman traditions and rather referring to the early church, lay people from the theatre were soon also admitted to concelebrate - whereby the stage remained the focal point of the ball followers. Soon invitations were accepted and people were travelling from Korneuburg to Darmstadt, from Pürbach to Rome, from Bordeaux to Berlin to fulfil the missio - regardless of whether there was room for them in a hostel.

Shepherdesses, called ‘Zierliederinnen’, were always camped on the sidelines, singing angelic, motivating fan songs. However, as in many religious movements, we have long since had to do without this muse-like accompaniment.

Now that we are getting a little long in the tooth, we are happy to see those who have long (even without a miracle cure) or have recently joined the ranks of football fans. At the same time, we keep this heavenly story in our hearts; who on the football pitches of this world can invoke the intercession of a saint as their patron saint?

And time and again, FC Wojtyla proves that theatre invokes religion and football invokes many a theatre. And in turn, some religions refer to football. 

Urbi & Orbi!