Leopold Stastny: Survivor, Visionary, Legendary Coach – Exhibition Opens in Innsbruck

The open-air exhibition “Leopold Stastny – Survivor of Nazi Terror, Legendary Coach and Inventor of the School League” opened with an impressive ceremony in the plenary hall of Innsbruck City Hall on June 17, 2025. It will be on display at Sparkassenplatz in Innsbruck until July 11, in the middle of a public space and therefore accessible to everyone.

The exhibition honors the extraordinary life of Leopold Šťastný (1911–1996): once a celebrated player and coach in Bratislava, later a formative figure in Austrian soccer – and a Jewish survivor of National Socialism. Aspects of his biography that have remained largely unknown until now are now being brought to light.

Numerous guests attended the opening, including prominent companions, sports officials, and representatives from politics, academia, and civil society. It was particularly emotional when Michael Stastny, the son of the honoree, took the floor:

“My father was not only a coach, but a visionary who embodied perseverance, integrity, and excellence. His story is not just one about soccer, but one about survival.” When asked why his father never spoke about his Jewish heritage, he said: “His life effectively began in 1945 – talking about the time before that, about the murder of his parents, was taboo.”

A project between history, sport, and remembrance

The exhibition was initiated by the fairplay initiative at the VIDC, the Innsbruck City Archives/City Museum, and the Innsbruck Fan Initiative – in cooperation with the Museum of Jewish Culture in Bratislava, the ÖFB, and FC Wacker Innsbruck.

“Sport moves people, and soccer is part of the city's history,” emphasized curators Joachim Bürgschwentner, Niko Hofinger, and Georg Spitaler at the opening. “With this exhibition, we want to build a bridge between the past and the present – and show how sport can also serve as a means of remembrance.”

Innsbruck's mayor Johannes Anzengruber also underscored the social significance: “Stastny not only shaped Tyrolean soccer, but also created an institution that is still effective today in the form of the school league. The focus on fair play and confronting misanthropic ideologies is particularly important.”

Democratic education through sport

A central concern of the exhibition is educational communication: guided tours and workshops offer young people the opportunity to engage with topics such as anti-Semitism, diversity, and the prevention of extremism. Kurt Wachter from fairplay emphasized: “Role models can build bridges – especially for young people. That's why we particularly recommend school classes to visit the exhibition.”

Sport Austria President Hans Niessl, who also took part in the opening talk, spoke about his personal connection to Stastny: “I began my training as a licensed coach with Šťastný. That time had a formative influence on me – he was ahead of his time and used new training methods.”

Josef Geisler, President of the Tyrolean Football Association, added: “Stastny was the pioneer of modern training methods – the architect of today's successes.”

Football as a place of learning

Accompanying the exhibition, a panel discussion on the socio-political role of football will take place on July 11 at 5:30 p.m. at the Wilten neighborhood center. Under the title “From the stadium as a political space to a place of learning,” Lore Hayek (University of Innsbruck), Moritz Janke (Fan Project Munich), Bernd Kosta (Fan Initiative Innsbruck), and Kurt Wachter, among others, will discuss the topic.

An important sign – not just for soccer

In his speech, Deputy Mayor Georg Willi thanked the city archives for expanding the exhibition to include the aspect of Jewish sports in Innsbruck: “This exhibition in a public space will attract attention – it tells not only the history of sports, but also the history of the city and of survival.”

Leopold Stastny symbolizes what sport can achieve: hope, community, and responsibility. The exhibition reminds us of this and invites us to pause, learn, and think ahead.