Halmstads BK
Full name | Halmstads Bollklubb | |||
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Nickname(s) | HBK | |||
Founded | 7 February 1914 | |||
Ground | Örjans Vall, Halmstad | |||
Capacity | 10,873 | |||
Chairman | Pelle Nilsson | |||
Manager | Magnus Haglund | |||
League | Allsvenskan | |||
2023 | Allsvenskan, 12th | |||
Website | Club website | |||
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Halmstads Bollklubb, also known simply as Halmstad (
The club gained some European recognition in October 1995, when they defeated the successful Italian club Parma A.C. 3–0 at Gamla Ullevi (in Gothenburg) in the first of two matches in the Cup Winners' Cup. However, their second encounter, in Parma in November of the same year, ended with a crushing 0–4 defeat, eliminating them from the tournament.
History
In the beginning
In 1913 a group of youngsters, who called themselves Viking, wishing to create a more serious organization, met at Hotel Lugnet and decided to create an organization. They gave their new organization the name Halmstads Bollklubb and chose Axel Winberg as the club's first chairman. They also applied for membership in the Swedish Sports Confederation (Swedish: Riksidrottsförbundet).[1]
Except for soccer, the club also played bandy during the early years.[2]
On 6 March 1914, the club was allowed entrance to Riksidrottsförbundet; the following year they played in their first competition, Pokalserien, a local tournament in which they faced
In 1920 the club won its first district championship title by defeating Falkenbergs FF with 4–0 in the final and boxing was introduced by the club. In 1921 the club yet again won the championship, this time by defeating IS Halmia, the club also won Hallandspostens pokal after defeating Halmstads IF 5–0. The same year, a women's section was added to the athletics part of the club. Halmstads BK won the Bernhard Aronssons vandringspris after defeating IS Halmia in 1922; the club also won a series of tournaments in Jönköping, Malmö and Ängelholm, however the district championship was lost to Varberg this year. The local rivalry with Halmia was also seen in bandy. The first-ever bandy game between two organised teams in Halland, is thought to have been played between these rival clubs in 1922.[3]
By winning Hallandsserien the club was able to reach Sydsvenskan in 1923, which led to third place in 1924 after Varbergs GIF and Malmö FF, an international exchange of matches was started with FC Rudolfshügel from Austria and Danish B 03. In 1925 the club won the district championship and came in second place in Sydsvenskan. Halmstads BK was able to win Sydsvenskan in 1926 and was to play qualifying matches against IF Elfsborg to reach Allsvenskan, however, Elfsborg proved to be too strong and won 2–1 after three matches. Halmstad only reached third place in 1927, a large series of injuries made the club use 32 different players in total. In 1928 the club took part in the newly formed Division 2 Söder; the club also employed amateur coach Henning Helgesson, Örjans Vall was only selected as the second-best arena in the series duo to the lack of warm showers. In 1929 Halmstads BK celebrated 15 years with a match against SpVgg Sülz from Cologne, Germany; 1600 people watched the game in heavy rain, SpVgg Sülz won 5–2, the club also failed to win Division 2 Söder after a hard race with Stattena IF and Redbergslids IK, ending up in third place.
Division 2 and upwards
Halmstads BK started the next decade by ending up in 4th place in the league. A visit by
Halmstads BK also took part in the bandy district championships in Halland in the 1930s.[4]
Due to the ongoing
The 1950s started poorly as the club reached 2nd place behind Råå IF; several injuries to key players disturbed the season, and in 1951 the club board decided to rejuvenate the squad and which led to a 7th place. In 1952 the club yet again ended up in 2nd place, the club also went on a trip, first to Germany, where they played a series of matches, and then to the French Riviera, where the club played a game and enjoyed the weather and beach, they then returned home and played a game against Brazilian team Corinthians with a mixed team of Halmstads BK and IS Halmia players, the Brazilians won with 10–1, Sylve Bengtsson returned from the 1952 Summer Olympics with a bronze medal. 1953 saw a change in the league system and Halmstads BK was lucky as the club was able to stay only because of better goal difference as 6 teams was relegated. Things changed in 1954 as Halmstads BK dominated the new league and won promotion with 12 points ahead of IK Sleipner in second place, then made yet again a trip south, this time to North Africa and Spain, bowling was added to the club. Halmstads BK reached their best position so far in 1954–55 season as the club ended up in 2nd place, winning Stora Silvret (eng: The Big Silver), then during 1955–56 season, Halmstads BK biggest victory was recorded as they club crushed Västerås SK with 9–0, Östen Ståhl scored 6 goals in the match, Sylve Bengtsson also became the league's top goal scorer with 22 goals, Halmstads BK ended in 7th position. Just as in the beginning of the decade the end was far from good, the club ended up in 8th place both in 1957 and 1958, during 1958 Sweden hosted FIFA World Cup and 2 matches, Northern Ireland against Czechoslovakia (1–0) and Argentina against Northern Ireland (3–1) were played at Örjans Vall, and in 1959 the club was relegated back to Division 2 after ending up second to last.
The dark decade
The 1960s wasn't Halmstads BK's decade, the club ended up in 4th place in 1960 even after Kjell "Lill-Goggo" Karlsson and Sylve Bengtsson had scored 34 goals together, in 1961 the club ended up in 7th position after poor play, in 1962 the club went through a rejuvenation and only won 9 matches out of 22, making the club end in 6th place, then in 1963 two victories against Norrby IF and IK Oddevold helped the club to 9th place, this year saw ice hockey become a part of the club's organization. Halmstads BK won Division 2 in 1964, but in the new qualify for Allsvenskan, a group of the four different Division 2 winners, the club played poorly and ended up dead last. 1965 was the darkest year for the club so far as it was relegated to Division 3 for the first time ever in club history, it took the club 2 years to return Division 2 again after ending up in 2nd place both 1966 and 1967, then in 1968 the club dominated Division 3 and had a goal difference of 87–23, a record in the Swedish league system, the ice hockey left the organization and started their own. The club made a strong return in Division 2 and ended up in 4th position, Lennart Alexandersson, Ingvar Andersson, Roland Fransson and Lars Nordin became the first contracted players in the club.
Champions
With only 3 point in total in all away games saw Halmstads BK end up in 6th place in 1970. The year 1971 was turbulent, as manager Janne Holmberg left in the middle of the season due to a dispute with the board. Former top player Sylve Bengtsson replaced him and the club subsequently defeated
Just like after last time winning Allsvenskan, Halmstad ended up in 8th place in 1980 and in the
Allsvenskan and Europe
The 1990s decade started far from promising for the club; in 1990 season the club ended in 9th place and a new play-off was started in 1991, Halmstads BK just missed the play-off on goal difference to
Halmstads BK started the new millennium with taking their fourth Allsvenskan title, they also reached second round in the
Relegation to Superettan
Halmstad began the 2008 Allsvenskan season well enough, with four wins and three ties after the first ten rounds. The team continued on in this fashion, ending at a respectable 8th place with 41 points. But the following season did not end nearly as good. The team began very impressively, with consecutive wins and very few losses. But, following several losses, the team eventually found themselves in the bottom region of the table. However, the team ended the season better and finished 13th with 32 points, just three points from having to play in a relegation playoff series.
The 2011 season was not a good season for neither Halmstad nor its fans. With just 14 points after 26 rounds, and at least another 10 points needed to reach the relegation playoffs, Halmstad had to win against Syrianska FC in the following round. Halmstad lost the game 1–0 and thus were relegated to Superettan for the 2012 season, after 19 consecutive seasons in Allsvenskan.
Bouncing back
HBK was now back in the second division, a division they had been away for 19 years. But as previously 4 times, they quickly bounced back through a play-off win against GIF Sundsvall. The next year, 2013, ended with a 14th place and once again GIF Sundsvall was the opponent in the play-offs. But as in 2012 HBK ended up as the winner and could celebrate their 100-year anniversary in the top division.
Supporters
Halmstads BK's official supporter group is Bollklubben Support, it was earlier known as Kvastarna (eng: The Brooms), and were created in 1995, they are located in the center of the terrace section of Örjans Vall during the home games. There is also another supporter group known as “Boys In Blue”, which were formed in 2021. Boys In Blue belong to the supporter category called “Ultras”.
Halmstads BK used to have an average of 4000–6000 spectators when playing home, when playing teams like Djurgårdens IF, IFK Göteborg or Malmö FF then audience it could rise to 8000-10000 people, however much because of the away supporters. Today the attendance is more modest and rises to maximum of 5000–6000 on the "big" games.
Stadium
Halmstads BK plays it home matches on Örjans Vall, which they share together with local rivals IS Halmia. However, since Örjans Vall is an old stadium, built in 1922, it doesn't meet the present European demands for stadiums, forcing Halmstads BK to play their European games on Olympia, Helsingborg, or at Ullevi, Gothenburg.
Örjans Vall was the site of 2 games during the 1958 FIFA World Cup, Northern Ireland–Czechoslovakia and Argentina–Northern Ireland.
Match programmes and newspaper
In 2006 all Swedish clubs in Allsvenskan was given an offer from Aftonbladet to print their match programmes, aside from AIK, Djurgårdens IF and Hammarby IF, who signed a deal with newspaper competitor Expressen. Halmstads BK rejected the offer and chose to print their own match program, making them the only club in the top league with their own match programme at the time.[8]
The club also print a minor newspaper known as Tidningen HBK (eng: Newspaper HBK), which contains interviews with players, fans and other people connected to the club. It comes out as a supplement to the local newspaper Hallandsposten. It is also available to download on the club's homepage.[9]
In popular culture
Swedish comedians Hans Alfredson and Tage Danielsson, also known as Hasse och Tage, made a skit about former HBK manager Roy Hodgson when Halmstads BK won Allsvenskan in 1976, known as Fotbollstränare Bob Lindeman (Eng: Football manager Bob Lindeman).
Players
First-team squad
- As of 31 March 2024[10]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Notable players
List criteria:
- player has made 250 or more appearances in Allsvenskan for the club,[11] or
- player has won Guldbollen,[12] or
- player has received more than 50 caps for Swedenor other national team.
Name | Years | Games | Goals | Guldbollen | National team |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Torbjörn Arvidsson | 1989–2005 | 306 | 22 | ||
Tommy Jönsson | 1989–2005 | 304[13] | 29 | ||
Håkan Svensson | 1990–2002 | 253 | 0 | ||
Freddie Ljungberg | 1994–1998 | 79 | 10 | 2002 2006 |
75 games for Sweden
|
Mikael Nilsson
|
2000–2004 | 103 | 17 | 64 games for Sweden
| |
Niclas Alexandersson | 1989–1995 | 157 | 29 | 109 games for Sweden
| |
Artim Šakiri | 1997–1998 | 43 | 8 | 75 games for Macedonia
| |
Yaw Preko | 2004–2005 | 49 | 11 | 68 games for Ghana | |
Tomas Žvirgždauskas | 2002–2011 | 211 | 6 | 56 games for Lithuania |
Allsvenskan top goalscorers
Name | Season | Goals | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Sylve Bengtsson | 1956 | 22 | |
Rutger Backe | 1976 | 21 | |
Henrik Bertilsson | 1993 | 18 | Shared with Mats Lilienberg |
Mats Lilienberg | 1997 | 14 | Shared with Christer Mattiasson and Dan Sahlin |
Stefan Selaković | 2001 | 15 | |
Markus Rosenberg | 2004 | 14 | |
Gunnar Heiðar Þorvaldsson | 2005 | 16 |
Technical staff
- As of 4 May 2022.
Role | Name |
---|---|
Head Coach | Magnus Haglund |
Assistant coach | Per Olsson
|
Assistant coach | Johan Bergström |
Goalkeeping coach | Dennis Nilsson |
Physiotherapist | Simon Bakkioui |
Head Groundsman | Jay Knowles |
Noted managers
This is a list of managers who have won one or more titles at the club.
Name | Years | Allsvenskan | Svenska Cupen |
---|---|---|---|
Roy Hodgson | 1976–1980 | 1976 1979 |
— |
Mats Jingblad | 1992–1995 | — | 1995 |
Tom Prahl | 1996–2001 | 1997 2000 |
— |
Achievements
Domestic
Domestic
- Swedish Champions[A]
- Winners (4): 1976, 1979, 1997, 2000
League
- Allsvenskan (Tier 1)
- Superettan (Tier 2)
- Winners (1): 2020
- Division 1 Södra(Tier 2)
- Division 2 (Tier 2)[B]
- Division 3 Sydvästra Götaland(Tier 3)
- Hallandsserien (Tier 3)
- Winners (2): 1921–22, 1922–23
Cups
- Svenska Cupen
- Winners (1): 1994–95
Records
- Most appearances, Allsvenskan: 306, Torbjörn Arvidsson (1989–2004)
- Most goals scored, Allsvenskan: 77, Rutger Backe (1972–1981)
- Most appearances, in European cups: 28, Torbjörn Arvidsson (1989–2004), Fredrik Andersson (1990–2001)
- Most goals scored, in European cups: 11, Stefan Selakovic(1996–2001)
- Biggest victory: 12–0 vs. Fässbergs IK, 7 September 1968
- Biggest victory, Allsvenskan: 9–0 vs. Västerås SK, 23 October 1955
- Biggest defeat: 0–12 vs Malmö FF, 3 June 1943
- Highest attendance (before renovation): 19 783 vs. Djurgårdens IF, 10 June 1955
- Highest attendance (after renovation): 16 867 vs. IFK Göteborg, 30 October 2004
Footnotes
- ^ The title of "Swedish Champions" has been awarded to the winner of four different competitions over the years. Between 1896 and 1925 the title was awarded to the winner of Svenska Mästerskapet, a stand-alone cup tournament. No club were given the title between 1926 and 1930 even though the first-tier league Allsvenskan was played. In 1931 the title was reinstated and awarded to the winner of Allsvenskan. Between 1982 and 1990 a play-off in cup format was held at the end of the league season to decide the champions. After the play-off format in 1991 and 1992 the title was decided by the winner of Mästerskapsserien, an additional league after the end of Allsvenskan. Since the 1993 season the title has once again been awarded to the winner of Allsvenskan.[14]
- ^ This includes different regional divisions within the league: Division 2 Sydsvenska Serien, Division 2 Södra, Division 2 Sydvästra, Division 2 Götaland, Division 2 Västra Götaland and Division 2 Södra Götaland.
References
- ^ "Historia". Halmstads BK. Archived from the original on 2008-12-19. Retrieved 2008-12-13.
- ^ "130 år sedan Axel Winberg föddes" (in Swedish). Halmstads BK. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- ^ svenskbandy.se: "Hallands bandyförbund går i graven", 7 June 2016 Archived 19 August 2017 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved 19 August 2017
- ^ Eric Sköld (ed.): Boken om bandy, Uppsala: Bygd och Folk Förlag (1948), p. 332 (in Swedish)
- ^ "HBK:s jätteknall i Europa" (in Swedish). Hallandsposten.se. 2005-09-30. Retrieved 2008-12-13.
- ^ "MIRAKLET I LISSABON" (in Swedish). Expressen.se. 2005-09-30. Retrieved 2008-12-13.
- ^ "BollKlubben Support" (in Swedish). BollKlubben Support. Retrieved 2008-12-13.
- ^ "HBK continues to produce their own match programmes". Hallandsposten.se. 2006-12-16. Retrieved 2008-05-27. [dead link]
- ^ "Tidningen HBK nr2" (in Swedish). HBK.se. 2008-07-07. Archived from the original on 2008-08-01. Retrieved 2008-08-21.
- ^ "Herrlaget". Halmstads BK. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
- ^ "Allsvenska spelare". www.hbk.se (in Swedish). Halmstads Bollklubb. Archived from the original on 7 October 2012. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
- ^ "Guldbollen". svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). The Swedish Football Association. Archived from the original on 2012-04-03. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
- ^ "Tommy Jönsson". www.hbk.se (in Swedish). Halmstads Bollklubb. Archived from the original on 8 February 2012. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
- ^ "Svenska mästare 1896–1925, 1931–" [Swedish champions 1896–1925, 1931–]. svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). The Swedish Football Association. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
- ^ "Records". HBK.se. Archived from the original on 2008-05-31. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
External links
Official sites:
- Halmstads BK – official site (in Swedish)
- Halmstads BK – official SvFF site (in Swedish)
- Halmstads BK – official UEFA site (in Swedish)
Supporter sites:
- Kvastarna – official supporter club site (in Swedish)
- Himlen är blå – supporter site (in Swedish)