SK Brann
Bergen | |||
Capacity | 17,686 | ||
---|---|---|---|
Chairman | Aslak Sverdrup | ||
Head coach | Eirik Horneland | ||
League | Eliteserien | ||
2023 | Eliteserien, 2nd of 16 | ||
Website | Club website | ||
| |||
Sportsklubben Brann is a Norwegian professional football club based in Bergen. Founded on 26 September 1908, Brann has been in the Eliteserien, Norway's premier division of football, since 1987, except in 2015 and 2022, when they played in the 1. divisjon.[1] They play their home matches at Brann Stadion[2] where they had a record-breaking average attendance of 17,310 in the 2007 season,[3] the season in which they won their first league title since 1963.
Overview
As the biggest club in Norway's second-largest city Bergen, Brann is historically one of the major clubs in Norway in terms of public interest, and hence there are high expectations for the club every season. Brann won their first Norwegian top flight titles in 1961–62 and 1963, but after this Brann was involved in the race for the league title only in seasons 1974–76, 1990 and 2006. In 2007, they reclaimed the league title and thus ended a 44-year-long waiting period.
Despite the limited success, the club has never failed to spark considerable interest from the Norwegian media and keeping an epidemic of football hysteria continuously running in Bergen. Moreover, Brann have regularly been winners and runners-up of the
Formation and early years
On 26 September 1908 Christen K. Gran and Birger Gjestland together with eight other men, met in a local café in Bergen. Due to dissatisfaction of the current state of the local football clubs in Bergen, they decided to form a new football club. They called it Ski- og Fodboldklubben Brann (Ski and Football Club Brann). This was later changed to Sportsklubben Brann (Sport Club Brann).
Brann played their first match against a local Bergen team on New Year's Day 1909, drawing 1–1. During the first years, Brann struggled with poor results. Then in 1917,considered the breakthrough year for Brann, they managed to qualify for the cup final. Brann lost the match 1–4 against
The following years Brann entered a recession. Brann had to wait until 1947 before again qualifying for the top league that was now called Norgesligaen (Norwegian league). In 1950 Brann once again managed to qualify for the cup final, losing 0–3 to
1960s and 1970s: Glory and relegation
In the 1960s Brann produced two of Norway's most profiled players. With
In
Brann were promoted back into the top league in 1967, and Brann won the
1980s: The "yo-yo" years
With the 1980s came Brann's "
Brann hadn't had any real challenge from local rivals at least since the 1950s. In 1989, however, the Bergen-based
1990s: Derbies, medals and brief European success
Unlike for example the English
In 1991, after a shock resignation of manager
Fyllingen IL were promoted back into the top division in 1992. In 1993 Brann got their two first-ever wins against their local rivals. A 6–1 thrashing in the penultimate league round sent Fyllingen down, while securing continued top division status for Brann. After the season, Brann purchased Fyllingen's key player Per-Ove Ludvigsen, and this put an end to Fyllingen and the derby matches. Fyllingen are now a mediocre fourth division side without top flight ambitions.
Brann were notorious for lacking a regular goal scorer ever since the 1970s, but this ended with
In 1996, as in 1990, Brann were denied bronze medals in injury time of the last game, after a terrible blunder by keeper
In 1997, Brann finally won league silver medals after a solitary last match again from former manager Mons Ivar Mjelde. Later, Brann have also won league medals after finishing second in the 2000 and 2006 season and third in 1999 and 2004.
In 1998, as in 1995, Brann found themselves at the bottom of the table halfway through the season. The manager Kjell Tennfjord was replaced by Harald Aabrekk, and a host of quality players were purchased. This saved Brann from relegation, but combined with the construction of a new stand on Brann Stadion it gave them grave financial problems that only recently were resolved.
2000s: First title in decades
Teitur Thordarson was named new manager in 2000 after the departure of Harald Aabrekk. For the second time in four seasons, Brann became runners-up, secured after defeating Molde 4–0 in the last game of the season. Thorstein Helstad became the league's top goalscorer in 2000 and 2001.
The 2002 season was the worst season for Brann in twelve seasons. They finished third from the bottom and had to face Sandefjord in a play-off to stay in the Tippeligaen. Brann narrowly avoided relegation thanks to a 2–1 home win after the first leg had ended with a 0–0 draw.
A third-place finish in the 2004 season saw Brann qualify for the Scandinavian Royal League.
In their impatient but unfruitful struggle to reclaim the glory of the 1960s, Brann over the years gained a reputation for inept leadership, unfounded enthusiasm or optimism and almost continuous internal unrest, deservedly or not. Since Mons Ivar Mjelde took over as manager in 2003, however, this image has changed, as the leadership has embraced continuity and extremely down-to-earth principles. Brann were now considered one of the best-run and harmonic clubs in Norway.
Being one of the biggest clubs in Norway in terms of public interest, it is generally agreed that Brann have underperformed compared to their potential at least since the mid-1970s. However, on 7 November 2004, Brann won their first title in 22 years, defeating Oslo side
For most of the 2006 season Brann were top of the league and by many considered to be favourites to win the title. However, a poor run of form after the summer break, coupled with a correspondingly good run of form from arch-rivals Rosenborg meant that Brann hopefuls were disappointed.
Brann won the league in 2007, finishing six points ahead of Stabæk. The team did cause a small sensation, and bitter disappointment among tens of thousands of Brann-supporters who had gathered in Bergen to watch the game live, on 20 October by losing to Aalesund 1–2 in the 24th of 26 rounds, a match where a draw would have set aside all doubt about Brann's league win.
The 2008 season was a major disappointment for all the fans hoping to repeat the success of the 2007 season. In the
Steinar Nilsen took over the team, and Brann finished fifth in the 2009 league.
2010s: Rebuilding, relegation and promotion
The 2010 season was a poor season for Brann. On 19 May the team surprisingly was knocked out of the cup after losing 0–1 to the 3rd division (fourth tier) team Fyllingen. The head coach Steinar Nilsen resigned two days later,[13] and was replaced by Rune Skarsfjord.[14] In the 2010 league, Brann finished in 13th place, thus securing the last spot that avoided relegation or relegation play-offs.
Expectations for Brann were low ahead of the 2011 season, with
On 28 July 2012, following his previous football team, Portsmouth going into administration, Huseklepp returned to Brann.[18]
On 3 December 2013 Swedish manager Rikard Norling signed a contract with Brann lasting until the end of the 2016 season, after the club decided not to renew their contract with former manager Rune Skarsfjord. With him, he brought optimism to the club as Norling had recently won the league gold with Malmø FF in Sweden. The 2014 season ended disastrously, however, with relegation for the first time in 29 years. Brann had a difficult year throughout and was on a direct relegation spot for most of the season. A crucial win over Sogndal in the penultimate round lifted them to 14th place (third to last, qualification spot), and a last round win over Haugesund ensured it, allowing Brann a chance of salvaging a berth in next year's Tippeligaen through a qualifying match against the challenger Mjøndalen IF who had finished third in Adeccoligaen. However, Brann lost the qualifier after the first leg at home in Bergen on 23 November ended in a 1–1 draw, while the second leg away ended in a 3–0 victory for Mjøndalen. This result meant that Mjøndalen was promoted to the Tippeligaen at the expense of Brann who faced relegation.[19] The following season the team continued to struggle, and after immense pressure from fans, Norling was sacked on 27 May 2015.[20][21]
Two days later, Lars Arne Nilsen was hired as interim manager,[22] and for the rest of the season, Brann performed well, eventually ending on second place and ensuring promotion with two rounds left of the season. The day after the season ended, on 2 November 2015, Nilsen was given a three-year contract.[23]
Honours
League
- Eliteserien:
- Winners (3): 1963, 2007
- Runners-up (7):
- Winners (3):
- Norwegian First Division:
Cup
Recent history
Season Pos. Pl. W D L GS GA P CupEurope Notes 2005 Tippeligaen6 26 10 7 9 43 32 37 Quarterfinal UC First round 2006 Tippeligaen2 26 14 4 8 39 36 46 Fourth round UC Second qualification round Fair play2007 Tippeligaen1 26 17 3 6 59 39 54 Fourth round UC Last 32 2008 Tippeligaen8 26 8 9 9 36 36 33 Fourth round CL
UCThird qualification round
First round2009 Tippeligaen5 30 12 8 10 51 49 44 Quarterfinal 2010 Tippeligaen13 30 8 10 12 48 50 34 Second round 2011 Tippeligaen4 30 14 6 10 51 49 48 Final 2012 Tippeligaen6 30 13 3 14 57 50 42 Semifinal 2013 Tippeligaen8 30 11 6 13 46 46 39 Third round 2014 Tippeligaen↓ 14 30 8 5 17 41 54 29 Quarterfinal Relegated to the 1. divisjon20151. divisjon↑ 2 30 14 11 5 46 35 53 Fourth round Promoted to Tippeligaen2016 Tippeligaen2 30 16 6 8 42 27 54 First round 2017 Eliteserien5 30 13 8 9 51 36 47 Fourth round EL Second qualification round 2018 Eliteserien 3 30 17 7 6 45 31 58 Fourth round 2019 Eliteserien 9 30 10 10 10 32 37 40 Fourth round EL First qualification round 2020 Eliteserien 10 30 9 9 12 40 49 36 Cancelled 2021 Eliteserien ↓ 14 30 5 11 14 38 55 26 Fourth round Relegated to the 1. divisjon20221. divisjon↑ 1 30 26 3 1 95 16 81 Winner Promoted to Eliteserien 2023 Eliteserien 2 30 19 4 7 55 35 61 Quarterfinal ECL Play-off round
- CL: UEFA Champions League
- UC: UEFA Cup
- EL: UEFA Europa League
- ECL: UEFA Europa Conference League
Source:[24]
Brann in Europe
Brann's first competitive European match was a 2–0 victory (9–0 on aggregate) over
UEFA club coefficient ranking
As of 8 September 2022, Source: [1]
Rank | Team | Points |
---|---|---|
265 | Viking FK | 4.500 |
266 | FK Haugesund | 4.500 |
267 | Brann | 4.500 |
268 | Vålerenga IF |
4.500 |
269 | Lillestrøm SK | 4.500 |
Players and staff
Current squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
For season transfers, see transfers winter 2023–24 and transfers summer 2024
Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
First team staff
- As of 9 February 2024[25]
Sporting director: Per-Ove Ludvigsen |
Head coach: Eirik Horneland |
Assistant coach: Erik Huseklepp |
Analyst: Daniel Pedersen |
Phsyical trainer: Helge Haugen |
Goalkeeper coach: Dan Riisnes |
Kitman: Raymond Sanden |
Physician: Arne Instebø |
Manual therapist: David Tovi |
Phsyical and manual therapist: Nicolay Morland |
Physical therapist: Robert Dyvik |
Massage therapist: Bjørn Rune Skråmestø |
Player of the year
Since 2000, Brann's official supporters' club, Bataljonen, has selected the player of the year at the end of each season.
- 2000: Roy Wassberg
- 2001: Raymond Kvisvik
- 2002: Tommy Knarvik
- 2003: Raymond Kvisvik
- 2004: Ragnvald Soma
- 2005: Paul Scharner
- 2006: Håkon Opdal
- 2007: Thorstein Helstad
- 2008: Olafur Örn Bjarnason
- 2009: Erik Huseklepp
- 2010: Petter Vaagan Moen
- 2011: Rodolph Austin
- 2012: Piotr Leciejewski[27]
- 2013: Piotr Leciejewski[28]
- 2014: Stéphane Badji[29]
- 2015: Vadim Demidov[30]
- 2016: Vadim Demidov
- 2017: Vito Wormgoor[31]
- 2018: Fredrik Haugen
- 2019: Håkon Opdal
- 2020: Ole Martin Kolskogen
- 2022: Mathias Rasmussen
- 2023: Bård Finne
Coaches
- Karl Geyer (1938–39)
- Billy Cook(1947)
- Alf Young (1948)
- Billy Cook(1949–51)
- George Ainsley (1955)
- Oddvar Hansen (1955–57), (1960–63)
- Josef Stroh (1 January 1964 – 31 December 1964)
- Oddvar Hansen (1965–68)
- Karol Bučko (1969–72)
- Ray Freeman (1972–73)
- Billy Elliott (1974–78)
- Les Shannon (1 January 1980 – 31 December 1981)
- Arve Mokkelbost (1982–83)
- Tony Knapp (1 January 1986 – 31 December 1987)
- Teitur Thordarson (1 January 1988 – 31 December 1990)
- Kalle Björklund(1 January 1991 – 31 December 1992)
- Hallvar Thoresen (1 January 1993 – 25 June 1995)
- Kjell Tennfjord (25 June 1995 – 5 July 1998)
- Harald Aabrekk (9 July 1998 – 31 December 1999)
- Teitur Thordarson (1 January 2000 – 31 December 2002)
- Mons Ivar Mjelde (1 January 2003 – 31 December 2008)
- Steinar Nilsen (1 January 2009 – 21 May 2010)
- Rune Skarsfjord, interim (22 May 2010 – 31 December 2010)
- Rune Skarsfjord (1 January 2011 – 6 November 2013)
- Kenneth Mikkelsen, interim (6 November 2013 – 31 December 2013)
- Rikard Norling (1 January 2014 – 27 May 2015)
- Lars Arne Nilsen (29 May 2015 – 3 August 2020)
- Kåre Ingebrigtsen (8 August 2020 – 19 July 2021)
- Eirik Horneland, interim (20 July 2021 – 19 November 2021)
- Eirik Horneland (19 November 2021 – )
Top goalscorers
Women's team
Bergen | |||
Capacity | 17,686 | ||
---|---|---|---|
Chairman | Aslak Sverdrup | ||
Head coach | Martin Ho | ||
League | Toppserien | ||
2023 | Toppserien, 4 of 10 | ||
Website | Club website | ||
| |||
Previously known as IL Sandviken Kvinner, the women's football team of SK Brann plays in Norway's top league, Toppserien.[32] Starting in 2024, the team plays their home games at Brann Stadion.
History
The team used to be part of IL Sandviken. Sandviken's women's team won the Toppserien in 2021,[33] and the Norwegian Women's Cup in 1995.[34] The team was renamed SK Brann Kvinner ahead of the 2022 season,[35][36] and in January 2023 they were fully merged with Brann.[37] In their first season, Brann were crowned champions of both the 2022 Toppserien and the 2022 Norwegian Women's Cup.[38]
Current squad
- As of 29 March 2024[39]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
Former players
Current coaching staff
- As of 10 September 2023[39]
Head coach: Martin Ho |
Assistant coach: Knut Slatleim |
Head of player development: Thomas Lyngbø |
Goalkeeping coach: Håvard Smedsgård |
Administrative staff
Chairman: Aslak Sverdrup |
CEO: Christian Kalvenes |
Director of women's football: Alexander Olsen |
Honours
Recent seasons
Season Pos. Pl. W D L GS GA P Cup Notes 2004 TS 7 18 4 6 8 23 44 18 3rd round 2005 TS 8 18 4 3 11 25 58 15 3rd round 2006 TS 8 18 4 1 13 25 63 13 3rd round 2007 TS ↓ 11 22 2 3 17 16 76 9 3rd round Relegated 2008 D1 ↑ 1 18 15 2 1 63 13 47 3rd round Promoted 2009 TS ↓ 11 22 3 2 17 20 72 11 3rd round Relegated 2010 D1 ↑ 1 22 16 5 1 69 24 53 3rd round Promoted 2011 TS 10 22 5 4 13 24 51 19 3rd round 2012 TS 6 22 9 2 11 45 51 29 Quarter-finals 2013 TS ↓ 12 22 3 1 18 19 56 10 3rd round Relegated 2014 D1 ↑ 1 22 21 1 0 90 10 64 3rd round Promoted 2015 TS 9 22 5 6 11 23 36 21 Quarter-finals 2016 TS 6 22 7 6 9 29 28 27 Quarter-finals 2017 TS 9 22 4 6 12 23 34 18 3rd round 2018 TS 4 22 11 6 5 42 29 39 Runners-up 2019 TS 4 22 12 4 6 43 32 40 Quarter-finals 2020 TS 4 18 9 3 6 29 23 30 Semi-finals 2021 TS 1 18 17 1 0 50 6 52 Runners-up 2022 TS 1 18 14 3 1 53 13 45 Winners 6 4 2 0 10 4 20 2023 TS 4 27 13 7 7 52 30 46 Quarter-finals
Source:[40]
References
- ^ a b "Sportsklubben enBrann - Ekte lidenskap har et navn". Brann.no. Archived from the original on 5 September 2008. Retrieved 6 September 2008.
- ^ "NIFS - Norsk & Internasjonal Fotballstatistikk". Nifs.no. Retrieved 6 September 2008.
- ^ "NIFS - Norsk & Internasjonal Fotballstatistikk". Nifs.no. Retrieved 6 September 2008.
- Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation. 9 April 2009. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
- ^ Scott Murray (21 January 2011). "The Joy of Six: Newly promoted success stories". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
- ^ Karel Stokkermans (17 June 2018). "English Energy and Nordic Nonsense". RSSSF. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
- ^ - Der kunne du blitt helten, Erik ("There you could have been the hero Erik") VG, 20 October 2007(in Norwegian)
- ^ Brann er årets seriemester ("Brann is the year's league champion") NRK, 22 October 2007 (in Norwegian)
- ^ Olsen, Bjørn Thomas; Madsen, Elin. "Tapte så det sang". ba.no. Retrieved 23 February 2008.
- ^ Châtelet, Christian. "Marseille squeeze past battling Brann". uefa.com. Retrieved 2008-11-13.
- ^ "Spanish sides take varied routes to success". uefa.com. Retrieved 2008-11-13.
- ^ "End of an era for Mjelde and Brann". uefa.com. Retrieved 13 November 2008.
- ^ Bergersen, Tormod (21 May 2010). "Steinar Nilsen ferdig i Brann" (in Norwegian). Bergensavisen. Retrieved 17 September 2011.
- ^ Brakstad, Thomas; Benjamin Bye Åsali (22 May 2011). "Skarsfjord: - Spillerne må ha tunnelsyn" (in Norwegian). Verdens Gang. Retrieved 17 September 2011.
- ^ Lyngøy, Roar (5 April 2011). "VG tror fortsatt på Brann-nedrykk" (in Norwegian). Bergens Tidende. Archived from the original on 11 April 2011. Retrieved 17 September 2011.
- ^ "Rune Skarsfjord: – En gave til det bergenske publikum" (in Norwegian). TV2. 21 September 2011. Retrieved 25 September 2011.
- ^ "Aalesund ødela Branns medaljehåp". vg.no (in Norwegian). Verdens Gang. 27 November 2011. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
- ^ "Huseklepp Makes Brann Move". Portsmouth FC. 28 July 2012. Archived from the original on 30 July 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
- ^ Lyngøy, Roar (26 November 2014). "Mjøndalen ydmyket svake Brann" (in Norwegian). Bergens Tidende. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
- ^ "Norling ferdig i Brann :- Vi passet ikke helt sammen, dessverre". bt.no (in Norwegian). Bergens Tidende. 27 May 2015. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
- ^ "Rikard Norling er Branns nye trener". brann.no (in Norwegian). SK Brann. 3 December 2013. Archived from the original on 6 December 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
- ^ "Nilsen ny Brann-trener". dagbladet.no. 29 May 2015. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
- ^ "Her presenteres Nilsen-avtalen". bt.no. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
- ^ "SK Brann". NIFS (in Norwegian). NTB. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
- ^ a b "Lag". Brann (in Norwegian). Retrieved 8 February 2024.
- ^ "Fire spillere har fått nye draktnummer". Brann (in Norwegian). Retrieved 8 February 2024.
- ^ "Mest lest - Brann". Sportsklubben Brann.
- ^ "Nyheter - Brann". Sportsklubben Brann. Archived from the original on 2013-11-10.
- ^ "Nyheter - Brann". Sportsklubben Brann.
- ^ "Bataljonen kåret Demidov til Årets spiller". Sportsklubben Brann.
- ^ Pamer, Anders (7 December 2017). "Lærte lederskap av superstjernen". Bergens Tidende (in Norwegian). p. 28.
- ^ "Årsmøtet stemte for kvinnelag i 2022". SK Brann (in Norwegian). 21 October 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
- ^ a b "Norwegian women league champions". RSSSF. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
- ^ a b "Norway - List of Women Cup Finals". RSSSF. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
- ^ "Sandviken blir en del av Brann". NRK (in Norwegian). 11 November 2021. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
- ^ "IL Sandviken Toppfotball endrer navn til SK Brann Kvinner f.o.m. 01.01.22". Toppserien (in Norwegian). 17 December 2021. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
- ^ "Brann kvinner fusjoneres helt inn i SK Brann" (in Norwegian). NRK. 16 September 2022. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
- ^ "Tok "The Double" etter seier i cupfinalen". SK Brann (in Norwegian). 5 November 2022. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
- ^ a b "A-lag Kvinner". SK Brann (in Norwegian). Retrieved 11 February 2024.
- ^ "SK Brann Kvinner". NIFS (in Norwegian). NTB. Retrieved 6 November 2022.