What Grazer Athletiksport Klub 1902 does

Grazer Athletiksport Klub 1902 (GAK 1902, "Der Grazer Stadtklub") is an Austrian football association (Verein) founded on 18 August 1902 and headquartered at Weinzödl 6, Graz, with home matches played at the 17,425-capacity Stadion Graz-Liebenau (Merkur Arena) since promotion to a higher tier in 2019. The club operates a full multi-team football pyramid: a men's first team competing in the ADMIRAL Bundesliga, a women's team (Frauen I and II), an amateur side, a youth academy spanning U7 to U18 (including girls' age groups), a Fußballschule / football-camp offering, and a Special Olympics inclusive football program (Specials I and II) running since 2014.

The underlying technology stack is commodity rather than proprietary: an Odoo-powered online shop (shop.grazerak.at) operated through a wholly-owned subsidiary (GAK Merchandising GmbH), an in-house ticketing platform (ticket.grazerak.at), an Invision Community forum, a mobile app, a podcast channel (Stadtklub Insider) distributed on Spotify, Amazon Music, and Apple Music, and standard integrations with Google Analytics, Google Ads, PayPal, and Raiffeisenbank. No AI/ML or proprietary technology is disclosed.

GAK 1902 monetizes through five principal streams: (i) matchday ticket sales (Tageskarten and Dauerkarten), (ii) merchandise sales via DTC online shop and a physical fanshop at Weinzödl, (iii) sponsorship — anchored by main sponsor Mapei and kit supplier Macron with a tail of regional sponsors (Holding Graz, Energie Steiermark, Sorger/Salanettis, Puntigamer, Strommer-sha, Wiener Städtische, Sportwerk), (iv) annual club membership subscriptions with voting rights at general assemblies, and (v) VIP-Klub / corporate hospitality packages. The go-to-market is purely direct-to-consumer: the club sells to fans and corporate clients via its own digital storefronts, physical fanshop, and direct membership enrollment, with no third-party distribution or reseller channels in play.

Name

Grazer Athletiksport Klub 1902

Legal name

Grazer Athletiksport Klub 1902

Website

https://grazerak.at

Company type

Private

Founded year

1902

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Grazer Athletiksport Klub 1902 is an Austrian football club founded in 1902 and based in Graz, competing in the ADMIRAL Bundesliga. It runs men's, women's, youth, amateur, and Special Olympics teams, monetizing through matchday tickets, DTC merchandise, sponsorships, memberships, and corporate hospitality.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Graz

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from matchday tickets including day tickets (Tageskarten) and season tickets (Dauerkarten) for Bundesliga home games.
2. Merchandise Sales: Online and physical fanshop sales including kits, apparel, accessories, and souvenirs through GAK Merchandising GmbH.
3. Sponsorship: Main sponsor Mapei plus multiple secondary sponsors including Holding Graz, Energie Steiermark, Sorger/Salanettis, Macron (kit supplier), Puntigamer, and Strommer-sha.
4. Membership: Annual membership fees for club members with benefits including participation in club activities and voting rights at general assemblies.
5. VIP and Hospitality: VIP-Klub offerings for corporate hospitality and premium matchday experiences.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Grazer Athletiksport Klub 1902 is an Austrian professional football club that competes in the ADMIRAL Bundesliga and sells matchday and season tickets, official merchandise (kits, apparel, accessories), VIP/corporate hospitality, club memberships, sponsorship packages, and youth football camps. The club operates the men's first team, women's teams, amateur/reserve side, an inclusive Special Olympics football program, and a comprehensive youth academy spanning U7–U18 age groups.

Product overview

Grazer Athletiksport Klub 1902 operates a multi-faceted sports organization centered on its professional football team competing in ADMIRAL Bundesliga. The club's digital ecosystem includes an e-commerce fanshop for official merchandise (operated by GAK Merchandising GmbH), a community discussion forum, a mobile app, and an audio/podcast channel. The club also manages multiple team structures including women's football, amateur/reserve teams, a comprehensive youth academy (Nachwuchs/AKA) spanning ages U7 to U18, and an inclusive Special Olympics football program. Matchday services are supported through online ticketing, while hospitality offerings include a VIP club for business clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GAK 1902 Special Olympics: Inclusive football project for Special Olympics athletes with two teams (Specials I and Specials II) promoting inclusion in sports.
• GAK 1902 Amateure
• GAK 1902 Frauen
• GAK 1902 Akademie (AKA)

Products and services

• Matchday Tickets (Tageskarten) Single-match tickets granting entry to a specific ADMIRAL Bundesliga home fixture at Stadion Graz-Liebenau (Merkur Arena). Sold to individual fans and walk-up attendees via the online ticket platform and at the stadium.
• Season Tickets (Dauerkarten) Season-long ticket passes providing guaranteed entry to all home ADMIRAL Bundesliga fixtures at Stadion Graz-Liebenau. Sold annually to fans seeking full-season access.
• Club Membership Annual membership in the Grazer Athletiksport Klub 1902 association, granting members voting rights at general assemblies, participation in club activities, and member-only benefits. Operates on a recurring annual fee basis.
• Official GAK Merchandise Official club merchandise including kits, training wear, apparel (T-shirts, bodywarmers, caps), accessories, and fan souvenirs. Distributed through the GAK Online Fanshop (shop.grazerak.at) and the physical fanshop at Weinzödl 6, Graz, with units priced individually (e.g., Kids-Rucksack Logo €25.00, Bodywarmer 1902 €64.90, T-Shirts €29.90, Caps €34.90). Operated by wholly-owned subsidiary GAK Merchandising GmbH.
• VIP-Klub (Corporate Hospitality) Premium hospitality and business-club offering providing corporate clients with VIP matchday experiences, networking opportunities, and premium services at home ADMIRAL Bundesliga games. Structured as a recurring/subscription hospitality package for businesses and individuals seeking enhanced matchday experiences.
• Sponsorship Packages (Werbemöglichkeiten) Advertising and sponsorship packages sold to corporate partners (current sponsors include main sponsor Mapei plus Holding Graz, Energie Steiermark, Sorger/Salanettis, Macron, Puntigamer, and Strommer-sha), providing brand visibility through logo placement on kits, perimeter boards, club materials, and digital channels.
• GAK Football Camps (Fußballcamps) Youth football development camps (Fußballcamps) offered as part of the club's broader Nachwuchs (youth academy) program. Targeted at young players for skills development within the GAK 1902 training environment at Sportzentrum Graz-Weinzödl.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successful integration of Special Olympics athletes since 2014 with multiple national and international tournament achievements

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Special OlympicscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Partnership since 2014 supporting inclusive football. GAK 1902 Specials I and II teams provide football opportunities for athletes with intellectual disabilities. Thomas Kepplinger serves as Inclusion Officer and Federal State Coordinator Styria.
• MacroncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial kit supplier and technical partner providing match kits, training wear, and apparel for the club.
• ADMIRAL BundesligacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial league membership. GAK 1902 competes in the Austrian ADMIRAL Bundesliga (top division) and related cup competitions.
• Sky Sport AustriaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBroadcasting partner for Bundesliga matches. Sky Sport provides TV coverage of GAK 1902 home games.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Wolfsberger AC: Carinthian Bundesliga club operating in a similarly sized regional market with comparable sponsorship, ticketing, and merchandise dynamics. Strong peer for benchmarking non-top-three Austrian football economics.
• SK Rapid Wien: Historic Vienna-based Austrian Bundesliga club and one of the country's traditional 'big three'. Directly comparable as a membership-supported football club with merchandise, ticketing, sponsorship, and youth academy operations at significantly larger scale.
• LASK: Upper-Austrian Bundesliga club with comparable mid-tier scale, regional sponsor base, and stadium-led matchday economics. Useful as a like-for-like benchmark for non-Vienna, non-Salzburg Bundesliga clubs.
• FK Austria Wien: Vienna-based Austrian Bundesliga club with comparable Verein-rooted structure, multi-team setup (men, women, youth), and similar multi-stream revenue model including merchandise, ticketing, sponsorship, and VIP/hospitality.
• TSV Hartberg: Styrian Bundesliga club sharing regional sponsor overlap with GAK 1902 (e.g., Energie Steiermark ecosystem) and similar small-to-mid-market Austrian Bundesliga economics.
• SV Ried: Upper-Austrian Bundesliga club with similar historical lineage, regional identity, and mid-table Bundesliga commercial profile. Comparable on Verein-rooted structure and youth development emphasis.
• SK Puntigamer Sturm Graz: Fellow Graz-based Austrian Bundesliga football club and direct local rival. Competes in the same league, draws from the same regional fan and sponsor base, and shares the Styria catchment - making it the most directly comparable peer for GAK 1902.

Broad incumbents

• FC Red Bull Salzburg: Dominant Austrian Bundesliga incumbent backed by Red Bull. Competes in the same league with overlapping broadcast and sponsorship categories but operates at a fundamentally larger commercial scale and budget.

Emerging players

• FC Blau-Weiß Linz: Upper-Austrian Bundesliga participant with comparable organizational scale, regional identity, and youth-development orientation. Relevant peer for benchmarking the lower-to-mid tier of the Austrian Bundesliga.
• SK Austria Klagenfurt: Carinthian Bundesliga club with more recent top-flight presence, comparable scale, and overlapping regional sponsor pool. Useful as a peer for clubs recently re-established in the ADMIRAL Bundesliga.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/grazerak
• YouTubeopen.spotify.com/show/6HFSUzw8eISyTVlBXGNq08
• Facebookfacebook.com/grazerak
• Instagraminstagram.com/grazerak
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/grazer-athletiksport-klub

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Grazer Athletiksport Klub 1902