SC Mils — Terrace Edition

Words: Mike Bayly

Images: Mike Bayly

After several trips to Austria, I have learned that planning photography around weather forecasts is a quixotic endeavour.

This is a country that can tantalise you with the prospect of snowcapped vistas before casually concealing an entire mountain range behind an indifferent wall of cloud, leaving the imagination to dwell upon unseen immensities.

It is an occupational hazard of seeking Austria's most rewarding football experiences, which are often hidden away among its capricious Alpine hinterlands.

It was certainly true of SC Mils 05, a fourth-tier club nestled beneath the imposing peaks of the Karwendel Mountains.

The forecast had offered little encouragement. Rain seemed inevitable and the surrounding landscape destined to remain hidden from view.

©Mike Bayly/ Terrace Edition. SC Mils 05.

Instead, the sun arrived with impeccable timing, piercing the cloud and revealing a football ground of startling beauty.

What had threatened to become a compromised excursion was transformed into something altogether more memorable: a magnificently elevated football setting and one of the most endearing clubs I have encountered in my travels.

The origins of SC Mils 05 lie in SportClub (SC) Mils, formed in 1971. Located a few miles east of Innsbruck at an altitude of over 2000 feet, Mils was relatively late in establishing a sporting identity due to its geographical setting and historically small population.

SC Mils quickly became integrated into village life, and in the space of a year boasted over 250 members. Beginning primarily as a skiing and community sports club, a football section emerged around 1980 as the institution expanded.

SC Mils 05 were formed in 2005 following its separation from the parent organisation, gaining promotion from the fifth-tier Tiroler League to the Regionalliga Tirol in 2024.

The club’s home, Sportplatz Mils, is accessed via an arduous uphill walk from Hall in Tirol railway station. If the climb doesn’t take your breath away, the amphitheatre of mountainous grandeur, almost certainly will.

After deploying a few well-practiced phrases at the gate to explain who I was (my German vocabulary effectively consists of ‘I’m a football photographer’, ‘please can I have a takeaway cappuccino?’ or apologetically declaring ‘sorry, I’m English’), I was introduced to one of the players, Daniel Zauner, who was sidelined with a knee injury.

Thankfully, he spoke excellent English, avoiding the prospect of two strangers awkwardly trying to converse through the medium of mime and Google translate.

Beginning his career with SC Mils 05 in 2012 and returning to his hometown club in 2021, Daniel arranged pitch side access, a complimentary drink and insisted on refunding the entrance fee.

It was an incredible gesture of hospitality similar to that I’ve experienced at other Austrian clubs, where officials seem genuinely touched (and I suspect, slightly baffled) that someone would fly across Europe to watch an amateur side play a football game in front of a few hundred people.

Attendance figures are often wielded by supporters to as a measure of a club’s superiority or importance, but it is a fallacious measure of worth.

While SC Mils 05 have ambitions, their focus is on providing opportunities and representation for the town’s residents.

“SC Mils 05 remains firmly rooted in its community and prides itself on maintaining an independent identity, particularly in youth development” Daniel told me.

“Every summer the club runs its own football camp, giving local children a week of intensive coaching during the school holidays. Thanks to an artificial pitch and indoor facilities, training continues throughout the year, allowing players to develop both technical skills and a love of the game regardless of the weather.”

What makes the club particularly distinctive is its commitment to fielding teams made up entirely of local players. Unlike a lot of clubs at this level, SC Mils 05 have no desire to chase success through financial investment.

Although some of their rivals operate on a paid semi-professional basis, SC Mils 05 have chosen a different path. As Daniel put it, “Camaraderie, community spirit and long-term youth development take precedence over money, enabling Mils to remain competitive while staying true to its values.”

Due to the administration of regional leagues, first team and reserve fixtures are frequently played back-to-back on the same day. Aside from offering a bonus opportunity to watch more football, players of different ages and abilities become a more visible avatar for the club’s development philosophy.

As appears to be traditional at these venues, the pre-match music included a mix of contemporary rock ballads. It is faintly surreal to see players warming up while the chords of Dire Straits swell across the Tirolean valleys.

Indeed, music would be a theme throughout the afternoon. Each home goal was greeted with a specially commissioned song that repeated ‘SC Mils’ over a catchy guitar riff. The reserves won 6-2. The tune is still stuck in my head.

The first team fared rather worse, losing 7-1. By the final whistle, any lingering warmth was consumed by gathering darkness.

My optimistic attire of thin hiking wear spoke of a man who failed to heed any meteorological lessons from previous expeditions in the region.

I could happily spend my retirement – an alarmingly real prospect rather than a distant afterthought of youth – wandering around Austria watching lower-league football.

The weather won’t always be favourable, the scenery not always visible, but the game remains woven into the everyday life of a community where, for an afternoon at least, a stranger is made to feel at home.

Mike is on X and Instagram: @mike_bayly

SC Mils 05 are on Instagram: @scmils05

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