Östersunds FK facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Östersunds FK

Full name	Östersunds Fotbollsklubb
Short name	ÖFK
Founded	31 October 1996; 28 years ago (31 October 1996)
Ground	Jämtkraft Arena, Östersund
Ground Capacity	8,545
Chairman	Peja Lindholm
Head coach	Kiarash Livani
League	Superettan
2024	Superettan, 14th of 16
Home colours Away colours

Östersunds Fotbollsklubb, often called Östersunds FK or just ÖFK, is a professional football club from Östersund, Sweden. They play in Superettan, which is the second highest league in Swedish football.

The club was started in 1996 when several local football clubs in Östersund joined together. Their home games are played at Jämtkraft Arena. The team's colours are red and black, which you can see on their logo and uniforms.

ÖFK spent many years playing in the third tier of Swedish football. But in 2013, they moved up to Superettan. Then, in 2016, they made it to the top league, Allsvenskan, for the very first time! A big moment for the club was in 2017 when they won the Svenska Cupen (Swedish Cup). This win allowed them to play in the UEFA Europa League, a major European competition. In 2021, the club moved back down to Superettan.

Club History and Growth

Östersunds FK was formed in 1996 by combining three local clubs: Ope IF, IFK Östersund, and Östersund/Torvalla FF. Their goal was to create a strong team that could play in Sweden's top two football leagues. The next year, Frösö IF also joined. In 2000, Fältjägarnas IF became part of the club too.

Rise Through the Ranks

For many years, ÖFK played in the third tier. In 2007, the club started working with Swansea City, a team from England. ÖFK would borrow young players from Swansea to help them grow.

After a tough season in 2010, ÖFK dropped to the fourth tier. But things quickly changed! In 2011, Graham Potter, a young English coach, joined the team. With new players and strong support, ÖFK won the fourth tier, and then the third tier, in back-to-back years. This meant they were promoted to Superettan for the 2013 season.

Making it to the Top League

On October 27, 2015, ÖFK achieved a huge goal: they were promoted to Allsvenskan, Sweden's top football league, for the first time ever!

In 2017, they won their first big trophy, the Svenska Cupen, by beating IFK Norrköping 4–1 in the final. This victory meant they qualified for the 2017–18 UEFA Europa League, their first time playing in a European tournament.

European Adventures

ÖFK's journey in the Europa League was amazing! On July 13, 2017, they surprised everyone by beating the strong Turkish team Galatasaray 2–0 at home. They then knocked Galatasaray out of the competition after a 1–1 draw in Istanbul.

Later, they beat PAOK from Greece to reach the group stage. This made them the only Swedish team in a UEFA competition that season. They did incredibly well in their group, finishing second against teams like Athletic Bilbao and Hertha Berlin. This made them the first Swedish club to get past the Europa League group stage!

In the Round of 32, they even managed to beat the famous English team Arsenal 2–1 away from home. However, they were eliminated from the tournament after losing the first game 3–0.

Changes and Challenges

On June 11, 2018, coach Graham Potter left ÖFK to become the manager of Swansea City after eight successful seasons.

On October 31, 2021, ÖFK was relegated from Allsvenskan back to Superettan. In the 2022 season, they managed to stay in Superettan by winning a special playoff game. ÖFK played six seasons in Allsvenskan before moving down.

Players

Current Team Squad

No. Position Player 1 DF Adam Ingi Benediktsson 2 DF Christian Enemark (on loan from Hobro) 3 DF Chrisnovic N'sa 4 DF Theodor Johansson 5 DF Sunday Anyanwu 6 DF Adrian Edqvist 7 MF Nebiyou Perry 8 MF Erick Brendon 9 FW James Kirby 10 MF Simon Marklund 11 FW Jamie Hopcutt 15 MF Gideon Granström (on loan from Djurgårdens) 16 MF Albin Sporrong

No. Position Player 17 MF Gustav Odenlind 18 DF Philip Bonde 19 MF Mohamed Bawa (on loan from GAIS) 20 MF Michael Oluwayemi 21 FW Edgar Navassardian 22 MF Ahmed Bonnah 23 DF Ali Suljić (captain) 27 DF Ziad Ghanoum 28 MF Yannick Adjoumani 30 GK Tyree Griffiths 32 GK Frank Stople (on loan from Strømsgodset) — GK Christopher Lundhall

Famous Players of ÖFK

Many talented players have been part of Östersunds FK. Here are some of them:

Brian Wake scored 24 goals in 20 games in 2011, making him a top scorer in the fourth tier league.

Club Leadership

Coaching Staff

Here are some of the people who help lead the team:

Name	Role
Richard Persson	Chairman
Camilla Eriksson	CEO
Stefan Lundin	Sporting Director
Kiarash Livani	Head Coach
Fredrik Åsmund Eliassen	Assistant Coach
Arnold Origi	Goalkeeping Coach

Past Coaches

ÖFK has had several coaches over the years:

Englishman Neil McDonald helped ÖFK avoid relegation in 2007.

• Leif Widegren (1997)
• Christer Andersson (1998)
• Sören Åkeby (1999)
• Jan Westerlund (1999–2001)
• Hans Eskilsson (2002–2003)
• Ulf Kvarnlöf (2004–2005)
• Stefan Regebro (2006–2007)
• Neil McDonald (2007)
• Kalle Björklund (2008–2009)
• Lee Makel (2010)
• Graham Potter (2011–2018)
• Ian Burchnall (2018–2020)
• Amir Azrafshan (2020–2021)
• Per Joar Hansen (2021–2022)
• Magnus Powell (2022-2024)

Home Stadium and Fans

Östersunds FK plays its home games at Jämtkraft Arena, which opened in 2007. The stadium has a capacity of 8,545 people.

Jämtkraft Arena is ÖFK's home stadium, opened in 2007.

The number of fans attending ÖFK's games has changed over the years:

Club Achievements

Östersunds FK has won several titles and achieved high rankings in different leagues:

League Titles

• Superettan (Second Tier)
  • Second Place: 2015
• Division 1 Norra (Third Tier)
  • Winners: 2012
• Division 2 Norrland (Third Tier)
  • Winners: 1999
  • Second Place: 1998, 2003, 2005
• Division 2 Norrland (Fourth Tier)
  • Winners: 2011

Cup Wins

• Svenska Cupen (Swedish Cup)
  • Winners: 2016–17

See also

In Spanish: Östersunds FK para niños