AaB Fodbold

Coordinates: 57°2′37″N 10°1′15″E / 57.04361°N 10.02083°E / 57.04361; 10.02083
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

AaB
Full nameAalborg Boldspilklub af 1885
Nickname(s)De røde (The reds), De bolchestribede (The candy-cane striped)
Short nameAaB
Founded13 May 1885;
138 years ago
 (1885-05-13)
GroundAalborg Portland Park, Aalborg
Capacity13,800[1] (7,700 seated)
OwnerAaB A/S
Sports directorOle Jan Kappmeier
Head coachOscar Hiljemark
League1. Division
2022–23Superliga, 12th of 12 (relegated)
WebsiteClub website
Current season

AaB,

NordicBet Liga from 2023–24 after relegation from Danish Superliga in 2022–23 and has won four Danish football Championships and three Danish Cup trophies. Most recently the team won the double
in 2014.

AaB was founded on 13 May 1885 by English engineers who were building Jutland's railway system, and the first years were concentrated on the game of cricket. It was initially named Aalborg Cricketklub (Aalborg Cricket club) but the name of the club was changed to Aalborg Boldklub (Aalborg ballclub) in 1899. Football was adopted on an amateur basis in 1902, and has since been the main sport, as the name was changed to the current Aalborg Boldspilklub af 1885 (Aalborg ballgameclub of 1885) in 1906.

In 1995 AaB became the first Danish team to participate in the

Dynamo Kyiv was expelled from the tournament after one game for attempted match-fixing. AaB qualified for the 2008–09 Champions League and is with two appearances the Danish club who has participated the second most in the tournament after F.C. Copenhagen
.

History

AaB was founded on 13 May 1885 by English engineers who were building Jutland's railway system, and the first years was concentrated on the game of cricket. It was initially named Aalborg Cricketklub (Aalborg Cricket club) but the name of the club was changed to Aalborg Boldklub (Aalborg ballclub) in 1899. Football was adopted on an amateur basis in 1902, and has since been the main sport, as the name was changed to the current Aalborg Boldspilklub af 1885 (Aalborg ballgameclub of 1885) in 1906.

Aalborg BK was part of the top-flight Danish leagues from the 1928–29 season, until the

Danish football championship. Despite its many years in the Danish championship, the club never won a championship title, but Aalborg BK won the Danish Cup competition in 1966 and 1970. Paid football was introduced in Denmark by the Danish Football Association in 1978. As Aalborg BK returned to the best Danish league, the club founded the professional branch of AaB A/S in 1987 to run a professional football team.[4]

Through the 1990s, the club won its first two Danish championships. In the

Hans Backe
. Once again, Aalborg BK faced Dinamo Kyiv in the Champions League qualification, but again felt short, losing 1–2 at home and drawing 2–2 in Kyiv after a late Aalborg BK goal was disallowed for being behind the goal line.

Since then, the club established itself in the top half of the Superliga and won a bronze medal and qualified for the

Sampdoria in the First Round, which have Antonio Cassano and Vincenzo Montella as notable players, made the task seem impossible. Aalborg made it again on the away goal rule (getting 2–2 in Genoa and managing 0–0 in Aalborg), and qualified for the group stage – being the first Danish team ever, to send an Italian team "out of Europe." In the group stage Aalborg BK was seeded in the lowest pot, and drew Anderlecht, Tottenham Hotspur, Getafe, and Hapoel Tel Aviv
. Drawing with Anderlecht at home, and losing 2–3 to Tottenham (after being ahead 2–0 after the first half) forced Aalborg to win at home against Getafe, a match Aalborg BK lost 1–2.

In the 2007–08 season, Aalborg won their third Danish Championship and qualified for the

FK Modriča 7–1 on aggregate. In the third round, before the group stage, they defeated FBK Kaunas 2–0 both at home and away and reached the group stage of the Champions League for the second time, the first time a Danish team achieved this. In the group stage, they were drawn in Group E along with defending champions Manchester United, Villarreal and Celtic. Aalborg finished third in the group, ahead of Celtic, with 6 points and progressed to the 2008–09 UEFA Cup
knockout stage.

Their first match in their UEFA Cup run was against Spanish side Deportivo de La Coruña. Aalborg BK won the first leg at home 3–0 and the second leg at the Estadio Riazor 1–3, securing a 6–1 aggregate. Aalborg BK thereby earned a place among the last 16 teams. where they faced Manchester City. After a 2–0 loss in Manchester in the first leg Aalborg BK fought back to tie the score with a 2–0 win at home. The tie ended in agony however, as Aalborg were defeated by 4–3 on penalties.

On 11 May 2014, the club won their 4th Danish Championship, and four days later the double was secured, as the club defeated F.C. Copenhagen 4–2 in the Cup final.

On 3 June 2023, AaB suffered relegation to Danish 1st Division for the first time since 1986 and the first after the establishment of the Danish Superliga in 1991, due to finishing in last place.

Stadium

The northern facade of Nordjyske Arena, 2008

Since 1920, Aalborg BK has played its games at Aalborg Stadion. The stadium was opened on 18 July 1920 with a north-south aligned playing field. The first spectator seats were built in 1927, and in 1937 a wooden terrace for 3,000 standing spectators was built. In 1960, the stadium burned down and a new east-western aligned concrete stadium was opened in 1962. In recent years the stadium has been enlarged and rebuilt so that it now has modern facilities and roof over all spectator stands.[5] The stadium currently has a capacity of 13,997 people (8,997 seats) or 10,500 people (all seats).

Supporters and rivalries

Aalborg BK's official fanclub is AaB Support Club. Formed in 1990, it is one of the oldest fanclubs in Denmark. Aalborg BK's fan-culture is thriving, with both official and unofficial groups like Auxilia Ultras, AaB Tifo Kaos and Generationen offering fanatical support at all games home and away. All fan groups for Aalborg BK, both official and unofficial also work together under the name "Vesttribunen" (The Western-Stand), in reference to the tribune where the active fans stand. Some Ultras of Aalborg BK have a friendship with those of Hammarby IF and SK Brann.

AaB's traditional rivals are AGF with whom they contest "Den Jyske Klassiker" (The Jutland Classic), a match between the two largest cities and most popular clubs in Jylland. The rivalry was most prominent in the 70's, 80's and 90's and has since declined in tension due to both clubs starting to see FC Copenhagen and Brøndby IF as greater rivals. The creation of Randers FC also saw a new local-rivalry for AGF which eased the tension with AaB as AGF developed a new and very intense rivalry with Randers FC. The Jutland Classic is however still considered one of the biggest games in danish football, and the history and rivalry between the two clubs shows on matchday with massive crowds, bold chanting and fanatical support between both sets of fans. The fans of both clubs still considers it one of the biggest and most important games of the season.

Players

Current squad

As of 5 February 2024[6]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Croatia CRO Josip Posavec
3 DF Denmark DEN Jakob Ahlmann
4 DF Netherlands NED Lars Kramer
7 FW England ENG Jubril Adedeji
8 FW Sweden SWE Melker Widell
9 FW Denmark DEN Nicklas Helenius
10 FW Denmark DEN Younes Bakiz
14 MF Denmark DEN Malthe Højholt
15 DF Spain ESP Diego Caballo
16 MF Kenya KEN Richard Odada (loan from Philadelphia Union)
No. Pos. Nation Player
17 MF Ghana GHA Emmanuel Toku (loan from OH Leuven)
18 MF Sweden SWE Daniel Ask
20 DF Denmark DEN Kasper Jørgensen
22 GK Netherlands NED Rody de Boer
24 DF Sweden SWE André Álvarez Pérez (loan from Malmö)
26 DF Denmark DEN Rasmus Thelander
30 FW Denmark DEN Mathias Jørgensen
34 DF Denmark DEN Sebastian Otoa
38 FW Denmark DEN Oliver Ross
40 GK Australia AUS Max Vartuli (loan from Sydney FC)

Youth players in use 2023-24

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
32 MF Denmark DEN Mads Bomholt
36 MF Denmark DEN Sebastian Stahlfest
37 MF Denmark DEN Oscar Meedom
No. Pos. Nation Player
39 FW Denmark DEN Patrick Allentoft
45 DF Iceland ISL Nóel Atli Arnórsson
48 MF Denmark DEN Kasper Davidsen

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
DF Denmark DEN Andreas Poulsen (at Silkeborg IF until 30 June 2024)
MF Denmark DEN Jeppe Pedersen (at Kolding IF until 31 December 2024)
No. Pos. Nation Player
FW Denmark DEN Marco Ramkilde (at Hvidovre IF until 30 June 2024)
FW Serbia SRB Milan Makarić (at Borac Banja Luka until 30 June 2024)

Retired numbers

12 –

defender
(1984–2001)

Notable former players

Current management

Position Staff
Sports director Germany Ole Jan Kappmeier (2023–)
Head coach Sweden Oscar Hiljemark (2023–)
Assistant coach Norway Mathias Haugaasen (2023–)
Assistant coach/Head of U-19 Denmark Peter Løvenkrands
Goalkeeping coach Denmark Poul Buus (2007–)
Physical trainer Spain Javier Agenjo (2021–)

AaB Fodbold is owned by AaB A/S.

Head coaches

The following managers have coached AaB since it re-entered the Danish top-flight in 1986:

Honours

Domestic

Leagues

Cups

European

Superliga history

AaB's final ranking in the Danish Superliga standings since 1991
Season Pos. Pl. W D L GS GA P Cup
1991 SL 6 18 6 5 7 29 33 17 final
1991–92 SL 6 32 10 12 10 45 44 32 quarter-final
1992–93 SL 4 32 12 12 8 48 40 36 final
1993–94 SL 5 32 8 15 9 46 44 31 quarter-final
1994–95 SL 1 32 19 6 7 74 38 44 semi-final
1995–96 SL 5 33 15 6 12 57 38 51 quarter-final
1996–97 SL 5 33 12 11 10 46 40 47 quarter-final
1997–98 SL 7 33 12 8 13 54 48 44 quarter-final
1998–99 SL 1 33 17 13 3 65 37 64 final
1999–00 SL 5 33 12 13 8 57 40 49 final
2000–01 SL 5 33 13 10 10 51 49 49 5th round
2001–02 SL 4 33 16 6 11 52 45 54 quarter-final
2002–03 SL 6 33 14 4 15 42 45 46 semi-final
2003–04 SL 5 33 16 9 8 55 41 57 final
2004–05 SL 4 33 15 8 10 59 45 53 5th round
2005–06 SL 5 33 11 12 10 48 44 45 semi-final
2006–07 SL 3 33 18 7 8 55 34 61 2nd round
2007–08 SL 1 33 22 5 6 60 38 71 4th round
2008–09 SL 7 33 9 12 12 40 49 39 final
2009–10 SL 5 33 13 9 11 36 30 48 4th round
2010–11 SL 10 33 8 11 14 38 48 35 quarter-final
2011–12 SL 7 33 12 8 13 42 48 44 2nd round
2012–13 SL 5 33 13 8 12 51 46 47 4th round
2013–14
SL 1 33 18 8 7 60 38 62 Winner
2014–15 SL 5 33 13 9 11 39 31 48 quarter-final
2015–16 SL 5 33 15 5 13 56 44 50 semi-final
2016–17
SL 10 34 10 8 16 31 49 38 quarter-final
2017–18 SL 5 36 10 15 11 38 44 45 quarter-final
2018–19 SL 9 34 10 12 12 44 44 42 semi-final
2019–20 SL 5 36 16 6 14 54 44 54 final
2020–21 SL 7 32 12 10 10 44 41 46 4th round
2021–22 SL 5 32 13 6 13 47 45 45 4th round
2022–23 SL 12 32 6 9 17 34 45 27 final
2023–24 1D TBD 32 0 0 0 0 0 0 TBD

References

  1. ^ "AaB's hjemmebane - Aalborg Portland Park". aabsport.dk. Archived from the original on 28 September 2017. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  2. ^ Årsrapport for 2011 Archived 23 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine, Aalborg Boldspilklub A/S, p.9
  3. ^ Denmark – Danish Super League Archived 13 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine UEFA.com
  4. ^ (in Danish) Om Aalborg Boldspilklub af 1885 Archived 8 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine at Aalborg Boldspilklub af 1885
  5. ^ (in Danish) Aalborg Stadion 1920–2001[permanent dead link], Aalborg.dk, 8 February 2006
  6. ^ "AaB 3F Superliga-spillertrup". Archived from the original on 24 February 2017. Retrieved 14 July 2018.

External links

57°2′37″N 10°1′15″E / 57.04361°N 10.02083°E / 57.04361; 10.02083