Danish Football Association facts for kids
| UEFA | |
|---|---|
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| Full name | Lua error in Module:Wd at line 1575: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). |
| Short name | DBU |
| Founded | 18 May 1889 |
| Folded | Lua error in Module:Wd at line 1575: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). |
| Headquarters | Lua error in Module:Wd at line 1575: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). |
| FIFA affiliation | 21 May 1904 |
| UEFA affiliation | 1954 |
| President | Jesper Møller (2014–) |
The Danish Football Union (Danish: Dansk Boldspil-Union), often called DBU, is the main organization for football in Denmark. It helps run all the football activities in the country. This includes managing professional Danish football leagues. It also looks after the men's and women's national teams.
The DBU is located in Brøndby, Denmark. It was one of the first members of both FIFA and UEFA. These are big international football organizations. Since 2008, the DBU has also been in charge of futsal in Denmark. Futsal is a type of indoor football.
Contents
The Start of DBU
The DBU was created on May 18, 1889. It was the very first national football group outside of Great Britain and Ireland. This makes it one of the oldest football organizations in the world. However, the DBU did not officially record games until the 1908 Summer Olympics. This means that a win in the 1906 Intercalated Olympics was not officially noted by the DBU.
Football Competitions by DBU
The DBU organizes many exciting football competitions in Denmark. These include leagues and cup tournaments for both men and women.
Men's Competitions
- Leagues:
- Superliga: This is the top league for men's football in Denmark.
- First Division (1. Division): The second-highest league.
- Second Divisions (2. Division): The third level of competition.
- Third Divisions (3. Division): The fourth level.
- Denmark Series (Danmarksserien): This league has four different groups.
- Cups:
- DBU Pokalen: A knockout tournament where teams compete to win a cup.
Women's Competitions
- Leagues:
- Elite Division (Elite Divisionen): The highest league for women's football.
- First Division (1. Division): The second level.
- Danish Series (Danmarksserien): This league has three different groups.
- Cups:
- Cup (Landspokalturneringen): A knockout cup competition for women's teams.
How DBU is Organized by Region
The DBU works with six regional groups. These groups help manage football in different parts of Denmark. They are based on older county areas.
- DBU Jutland: Covers the large Jutland peninsula. It is split into four smaller regions.
- DBU Funen: Manages football on the island of Funen.
- DBU Zealand: Covers the island of Zealand and nearby areas.
- DBU Copenhagen: Focuses on the cities of Frederiksberg and Copenhagen.
- DBU Lolland-Falster: Covers the islands of Lolland and Falster.
- DBU Bornholm: Manages football on the island of Bornholm.
It is interesting to know that the Faroe Islands and Greenland are part of Denmark. However, they have their own football organizations. They are not part of the DBU. The Faroe Islands are members of FIFA and UEFA, but Greenland is not.
Denmark's National Teams
The DBU is in charge of all the national football teams that play for Denmark. These teams represent Denmark in international football games. As of June 2021, the DBU manages many teams.
Women's National Teams
- A-level National Team: This is the main senior team.
- Under-23 National Team
- Under-19 National Team
- Under-17 National Team
- Under-16 National Team
Men's National Teams
- A-level National Team: This is the main senior team.
- Under-21 National Team
- Under-20 National Team
- Under-19 National Team
- Under-18 National Team
- Under-17 National Team
- Under-16 National Team
- Futsal National Team: A team for indoor football.
- Oldboys National Team: For older players.
Yearly Awards
The DBU gives out awards each year to honor the best players. These awards celebrate players from the national teams. There is an award for the best senior player. There are also awards for the best players in some of the youth teams.
- Player of the Year
Since 1963, the DBU has given out the Danish Player of the Year award. Danish players vote for who they think is the best. For a long time, only players who played in Denmark could win. Later, in 1983, the award was opened to all Danish players, even those playing for teams in other countries. Morten Olsen was the first player to win under these new rules. The player who has won this award the most times is Brian Laudrup. He won it four times.
- Young Players of the Year
The Young Players of the Year Awards are for talented young players. These awards have had different sponsors over the years. They help to recognize rising stars in Danish football.
Agreements with National Teams
Sometimes, the DBU and the national teams need to agree on terms for playing. These agreements cover things like how players are supported.
- Women's national team
In 2017, there were discussions about new agreements with the women's national team. Because an agreement was not reached in time, a World Cup qualification match against Sweden was cancelled. The team was not able to play that game. Even though an agreement was later made, the match could not be played.
- Men's national team
After the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the agreement between the DBU and the men's national team ended. New discussions about terms were needed. For a short time, the DBU selected a team without players from the top leagues. This was while new agreements were being worked out.
The DBU badge is still used on the Danish men's team uniform. This includes for the European Championship 2020, which was played in 2021.
See also
In Spanish: Unión Danesa de Fútbol para niños
