Kalmar FF facts for kids
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| Full name | Kalmar Fotbollförening | |||
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| Nickname(s) | Röda bröder (Red brothers), Smålands stolthet (The pride of Småland) | |||
| Short name | KFF | |||
| Founded | 15 June 1910 (as IF Göta) | |||
| Ground | Guldfågeln Arena, Kalmar | |||
| Capacity | 12,000 | |||
| Chairman | Anders Henriksson | |||
| Head coach | Stefan Larsson | |||
| League | Superettan | |||
| 2024 | Allsvenskan, 15th of 16 (relegated) | |||
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Kalmar FF is a professional football club from Kalmar, Sweden. Their full name is Kalmar Fotbollförening. They are often called Röda bröder (Red brothers) or Smålands stolthet (The pride of Småland).
The club started on June 15, 1910. They play their home games at Guldfågeln Arena. Kalmar FF has won one Swedish national championship title in 2008. They have also won the national cup, called Svenska Cupen, three times: in 1981, 1987, and 2007.
Kalmar FF has played 35 seasons in the top Swedish league, Allsvenskan, since 1949. They are one of only 14 Swedish clubs to have won both the national championship and the national cup. They are also one of 14 clubs that have always played in one of the top three Swedish football leagues. Their main local rivals are Östers IF.
Contents
Club History: How Kalmar FF Started
The Early Days of Football in Kalmar
On June 15, 1910, a club called IF Göta was formed. However, they couldn't join the Swedish Sports Confederation because another club already had that name. In 1912, they changed their name to IF Gothia and were then accepted.
In 1918, a new sports ground called Fredriksskans opened. Around the same time, many football clubs in Kalmar decided to merge. IF Gothia joined with Kamraterna to form Kalmar Idrotts Sällskap. Later, in 1927, Kalmar Idrotts Sällskap changed its name to Kalmar FF.
First Steps into the Big Leagues
In 1927–1928, Kalmar FF qualified for a local league. Another team, IFK Oskarshamn, won that league. But they gave up their spot in the next higher league. So, Kalmar FF got to move up instead! This league covered both Småland and Skåne. Some clubs complained because train connections to Kalmar were not good then. But the Swedish railway company solved the problem. In their first game in this new league, Kalmar FF beat Malmö FF 6–0.
Reaching the Top League
In 1949, Kalmar FF reached Allsvenskan, Sweden's top football league, for the first time. They won a key game against Halmstads BK to get there. On July 31, they played their first Allsvenskan game against Degerfors IF and lost 2–0. A famous player, Gunnar Nordahl, said he had seen worse new teams! On September 4 of that year, Kalmar FF played Malmö FF in front of 15,093 fans. This is still the record for the most people at a game at Fredriksskans.
Between 1950 and 1955, the club moved between Allsvenskan and Division 2. In 1955, they went down to Division 2 and stayed there for 20 years. During this time, famous players like Hungarian Ference Marko played for the club. In 1959, Sune "Mona-Lisa" Andersson, who won an Olympic medal, became their manager. On October 19, 1975, Kalmar FF beat Västra Frölunda and returned to Allsvenskan.
In 1976, the club played its 100th game in Allsvenskan. But they lost badly, 9–2, to GIF Sundsvall. This led to their manager being fired. The 1977 season was their most successful yet. With help from sponsors, they bought Benno Magnusson. The club finished in 3rd place, winning their first medal.
In 1981, Kalmar FF won their first ever title! They beat IF Elfsborg 4–0 to win the Svenska Cupen. However, they were relegated from Allsvenskan that same year. But they quickly returned in 1983.
The 1985 season was very successful. Kalmar FF finished second in Allsvenskan, just behind Örgryte IS. Two of their players, Billy Lansdowne and Peter Karlsson, were top goalscorers in the league. The next year, they were relegated again. But in 1987, they won the Cup title again, beating GAIS.
In 1988, Kalmar FF won Division 2 without losing a single game. This was a record! From 1989 to 1997, the club mostly played in the second-highest league. This caused some money problems for the club.
The Brazilian Influence and Championship Win
A New Era and Brazilian Players
After returning to Allsvenskan in 1998, Kalmar FF was relegated again in 1999. But the good news was that their money problems were solved. In 2000, they had to fight hard to stay in the second-highest league.
For the 2001 season, the goal was to get back to Allsvenskan. They bought new players like Lasse Johansson and Lucas Nilsson. They succeeded and returned to Allsvenskan, but were relegated right away. In 2002, the first Brazilian player, Alysson, joined the club.
In 2003, Kalmar FF spent only one year in Superettan (the second league). They won the league easily, thanks to new Brazilian players like Daniel Mendes and Dudu.
In 2004, three more Brazilian players joined: Dedé Anderson, Fábio Augusto, and César Santin. They helped the club finish 5th in Allsvenskan. The club also got a new chairman, Tommy Strandman.
Becoming Champions of Sweden
In 2005 and 2006, Kalmar FF finished 3rd and 5th. Then, in 2007, they had a fantastic season. They finished second in the league, just behind IFK Göteborg. They also won the Svenska Cupen that year, beating IFK Göteborg 3–0 at Fredriksskans.
Before the 2008 season, many experts thought Kalmar FF could win the championship. The club started strong and got better as the season went on. They won many games with big scores. Only IF Elfsborg could keep up with them.
The championship came down to the very last game of the season. Kalmar FF played against Halmstads BK in Halmstad. Before this match, Elfsborg was 3 points and 9 goals behind. The game against Halmstads BK ended in a 2–2 draw. This result put Kalmar FF one point ahead of Elfsborg, making them the champions! Patrik Ingelsten was the league's top goalscorer with 19 goals.
Kalmar FF also reached the Svenska Cupen final again in 2008, once more against IFK Göteborg. This time, IFK Göteborg won on penalties after a 0–0 draw. The club also played in the UEFA Cup. They played well against teams from Luxembourg and Belgium. Then they faced the Dutch team Feyenoord. Kalmar FF won 1–0 away in Rotterdam. But they lost 1–2 at home, playing in Borås because their stadium didn't meet UEFA rules. They were knocked out of the competition because of the "away goals rule".
Team Colors and Kits
Kalmar FF's colors and kits have changed many times. When the club started in 1910, they wore green and red stripes. In 1915, they changed to red shirts and black shorts. After 1927, they had red-white striped shirts and red shorts.
In 1934-35, they went back to red shirts and black shorts. In 1940, it was red-and-white stripes and red shorts again. The full red shirt and white shorts, which they wear today, first appeared in 1944. From 1952–56, like many other Swedish clubs, they wore the popular "Arsenal costume" with white sleeves.
Kit Makers and Sponsors
The club's first kit maker was Adidas. Then, Umbro made their kits from 1995. Puma took over in 1998 and stayed for 17 years. In 2016, Hummel became the new kit maker for Kalmar FF.
European Competitions
Kalmar FF has played in several European football tournaments. Here's a quick look at some of their games:
- In 2009–10, they played in the qualifying round. They drew 3–3 with Debreceni from Hungary but were knocked out by the away goals rule.
- In 1979–80, they lost to Keflavik from Iceland.
- In 1986–87, they lost to Bayer Leverkusen from Germany.
- In 2008–09, they had a great run! They beat Racing Union Luxembourg and AA Gent. Then they faced Feyenoord from the Netherlands. They won 1–0 away but lost 1–2 at home, getting knocked out by the away goals rule.
- They also played in the Europa League in 2010–11 and 2012–13, reaching the third qualifying round both times.
- They played in this competition in 1978–79, 1981–82, and 1987–88. In 1987–88, they reached the second round, beating IA Akranes before losing to Sporting Lisbon.
- In 2023–24, they played in the qualifying round and lost to FC Pyunik from Armenia.
UEFA Club Ranking
Football clubs are ranked by UEFA based on how well they do in European competitions. As of March 25, 2024, Kalmar FF is ranked 296th in Europe.
Players
Current Squad
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Players on Loan
Sometimes players play for another team for a short time. This is called being "on loan."
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Retired Numbers
Some football clubs retire jersey numbers to honor special players. This means no one else can wear that number.
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Club Management
Board Members
The board helps run the club.
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
 Anders Henriksson |
Acting Chairman |
| Joachim Lantz |
Board Member |
| Karin Ekebjär |
Board Member |
| Thomas Johansson |
Board Member |
| Per Stephani |
Board Member |
| Martin Bergvall Nilsson |
Board Member |
| Lotta Petersson |
Board Member |
| Andreas Öhlin |
Board Member |
Coaching and Support Staff
These are the people who train the players and help the team.
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
 Henrik Jensen |
Manager |
| Stefan Larsson |
Assistant Manager |
| Rasmus Elm |
Individual Coach |
| Donald Arvidsson |
Goalkeeping Coach |
| Lucas Nilsson |
Academy Director |
| Ola Ragnarsson |
Team Coordinator |
| Jörgen Pettersson |
Sports Director |
| Johan Öhlin |
U16 Trainer |
| Mathias Svensson |
Groundkeeper |
Club Achievements
National Championships
- Swedish Champions
- Winners (1): 2008
League Titles
- Allsvenskan: (Sweden's top league)
- Winners (1): 2008
- Runners-up (2): 1985, 2007
- Superettan: (Sweden's second league)
- Winners (2): 2001, 2003
- Division 1 Södra: (A former second-tier league)
- Winners (1): 1998
Cup Titles
- Svenska Cupen: (Sweden's main cup competition)
- Winners (3): 1980–81, 1986–87, 2007
- Runners-up (3): 1977–78, 2008, 2011
- Svenska Supercupen: (A super cup played between league and cup winners)
- Winners (1): 2009
- Runners-up (1): 2008
Images for kids
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The official logo of Kalmar FF.
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A chart showing the progress of Kalmar FF through the Swedish football league system.
See also
In Spanish: Kalmar FF para niños
