Molde FK facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Molde

Full name	Molde Fotballklubb
Short name	MFK
Founded	19 June 1911; 114 years ago (1911-06-19) (as International) 1915; 110 years ago (1915) (as Molde FK)
Ground	Aker Stadion
Ground Capacity	11,249
Chairman	Odd Ivar Moen
Manager	Erling Moe
League	Eliteserien
2023	Eliteserien, 5th of 16
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Molde Fotballklubb is a football club from Molde, Norway. They play in the Eliteserien, which is the top football league in Norway. The club started on June 19, 1911, and was first called International. In 1915, they changed their name to Molde.

Molde is a very successful club. They have won the league five times (in 2011, 2012, 2014, 2019, and 2022). They have also won the Norwegian Cup six times (in 1994, 2005, 2013, 2014, 2022, and 2023). Molde is one of only two Norwegian clubs to have played in the UEFA Champions League, which is a big European tournament.

The team plays its home games at the Aker Stadion. This stadium can hold 11,249 fans. It opened in 1998 and was a gift from local business people Kjell Inge Røkke and Bjørn Rune Gjelsten. Molde's fan club is called Tornekrattet, which means "Thicket of thorns". This name comes from Molde city's nickname, "The Town of Roses". Molde's biggest rival is Rosenborg.

Club History

Molde FK has a long and interesting history, growing from a small local team to one of Norway's best.

Early Days (1911–1963)

Molde FK was started on June 19, 1911, by Klaus Daae Andersen. The first chairman was J. Ferdinand Dahl. The club was first named International. This might have been because they played against teams from cruise ships or trading ships. Or it could have been to welcome the many Danish workers in the Gideon engine factory.

On August 5, 1912, the club played its first official match. It was an away game against Kristiansund and ended in a 2–2 draw. In 1915, the club changed its name to Molde Fotballklubb. They played in the top league for the first time in 1939–40. But that season was stopped because of the German occupation. In 1947–48, Molde was moved down from the top league.

Breaking Through (1964–1977)

On August 2, 1964, Molde surprised everyone. They beat Fredrikstad 3–2 in the Norwegian Cup. Fredrikstad was a very strong team back then. Players like Jan Fuglset, Torkild Brakstad, and Harry Hestad played for Molde during this time.

In 1970, Molde moved up to the second-highest league. They stayed there for three seasons. Then, on September 16, 1973, they won 5–1 against Sogndal. This win meant they were promoted to the top league, the Eliteserien.

In 1974, Molde was back in the top division. Many talented young players joined the team. Also, older stars like Fuglset, Brakstad, and Hestad returned. Molde did very well that season. They were even leading the league for many weeks. In the end, they finished second, just one point behind the champions, Viking. Since then, Molde has usually stayed in the top league. They have become one of Norway's top clubs. Many Molde players have also played for the national team.

Ups and Downs (1978–1993)

Between 1978 and 1984, Molde often moved between leagues. They were moved down from the top league in even-numbered years. Then they were promoted back up in odd-numbered years.

In 1982, Molde played in their first ever cup final. They lost 3–2 against Brann at Ullevaal Stadion. This was even though they were moved down from the top league that year.

The 1987 season was very exciting. Molde was very close to winning the league title. They just needed a draw at home against Moss in the last game. But Moss won 2–0, and Molde finished second. The crowd for that game was 14,615, which was a record for the old Molde stadium.

Molde played in another cup final in 1989. They drew 2–2 with Viking in the first match. But Viking won the replay 2–1. In 1993, Molde was moved down from the top league again. The club also had money problems. But local business people Kjell Inge Røkke and Bjørn Rune Gjelsten started to help the club. They invested a lot of money to pay off debts and buy new players. They also helped build the new stadium.

The Silver Generation (1994–2000)

In 1994, Åge Hareide was Molde's coach. The team finished second in their league group and moved back up to the top division. Molde also reached the semi-final of the 1994 Norwegian Cup. They beat their main rivals Rosenborg 4–3 overall. Molde then won their first ever trophy by beating Lyn 3–2 in the final.

Molde striker Ole Gunnar Solskjær was signed by Manchester United after his successful two-season spell at Molde

In 1995, Molde became famous for their three strikers: Ole Gunnar Solskjær, Arild Stavrum, and Ole Bjørn Sundgot. In their first league game, Molde won 6–0 against Brann. Solskjær scored two goals in that game. Molde won six games in a row and stayed near the top of the league. They finished second, 15 points behind Rosenborg.

Solskjær scored 31 goals in 42 games for Molde. He was then sold to Manchester United in 1996. Molde finished eighth that season. In 1997, they finished fourth.

In 1998, Molde did not lose any of their first 21 matches. This was a Norwegian record for a long time. But then they lost to Vålerenga. Rosenborg then took over the top spot. Rosenborg won the league that year, and Molde finished second again.

The year 1999 was a very good season for Molde. They finished second in the league. They also reached the semi-final of the 1999 Norwegian Cup. Molde also played in the UEFA Champions League. They beat CSKA Moscow and Mallorca to reach the group stage. This was a huge achievement for a team from a small city. In the group stage, Molde played against big teams like Real Madrid, Porto, and Olympiacos. They won one game and lost five, finishing last in their group.

From "Gunder method" to Relegation (2001–2006)

In 2001, Gunder Bengtsson became Molde's head coach. In 2002, he led Molde to second place in the league. However, fans were not very excited because of the team's defensive style of play.

In 2003, Molde started the season poorly. Bengtsson was fired and Odd Berg took over. Molde struggled but avoided being moved down from the league. In 2004, the team finished 11th.

In 2005, Bo Johansson became the new coach. Molde won their second Norwegian Football Cup title. They beat Lillestrøm 4–2 in the final after extra time. But in the league, they finished 12th. They had to play a special playoff to stay in the top league, which they won. Bo Johansson left after one season. Arild Stavrum became the new coach.

Because they won the Norwegian Cup, Molde played in the 2006–07 UEFA Cup. They played against the Scottish team Rangers. Molde lost 2–0 overall. In the same year, Molde was moved down from the top league. They had been close to being moved down for four seasons. Arild Stavrum was fired at the end of the season.

A New Era (2007–Present)

In December 2006, Kjell Jonevret became the new head coach. In 2007, Molde won the second-highest league, the 2007 1. divisjon. This meant they were promoted back to the top league. In 2009, Molde was again the second-best team in Norway, behind Rosenborg. Molde also beat Rosenborg 5–0 in the cup quarter-final. In the final, Molde lost to their local rivals Aalesunds FK after a penalty shootout.

In 2010, Jonevret was fired because the team was not doing well. Uwe Rösler took over as coach. Under him, Molde played much better and avoided being moved down.

Before the club's 100-year anniversary in 2011, former Molde and Manchester United player Ole Gunnar Solskjær came back to manage the club. On June 19, 2011, Molde celebrated their anniversary with a 2–0 win. They were at the top of the league table. Molde then won their first league championship on October 30, 2011. They successfully defended their title in 2012. In 2013, Molde won the Norwegian Cup for the third time. Solskjær left the club in January 2014 to manage Cardiff City.

Under the new manager Tor Ole Skullerud, Molde won both the league and the cup in 2014. This was their first "double" win. But Skullerud was fired in 2015, and Solskjær returned. On December 19, 2018, Solskjær left again to become manager of Manchester United. Erling Moe then became Molde's permanent manager. Moe led Molde to their fourth league title in his first full season.

Team Kit

Molde's home kit is blue shirts, white shorts, and white socks. Their away kit usually has white shirts, blue shorts, and blue socks. For European games, they often wear all-blue home kits or all-white away kits.

Molde's first shirt sponsor was Opel in 1980. Over the years, they have had different sponsors. Since 2003, Sparebanken Møre has been their main shirt sponsor.

From 2002 to 2013, Molde's shirts were made by Umbro. In 2014, Molde signed a deal with Nike. Since 2022, Adidas has been their kit supplier.

Molde's jersey (worn by Eirik Hestad in 2018) was manufactured by Nike, with Sparebanken Møre as the shirt sponsor.

Kit Suppliers and Shirt Sponsors

Home Stadiums

Molde's current stadium is the Aker Stadion. It is located by the sea in central Molde. The stadium cost a lot of money, mostly paid by investor Kjell Inge Røkke. Because of him, the stadium is sometimes called "Røkkeløkka". The official name became Aker Stadion in 2006.

Aker Stadion

The stadium opened on April 18, 1998. The Prime Minister of Norway, Kjell Magne Bondevik, who was a Molde fan, officially opened it. In the first game, Molde beat Lillestrøm 4–0. About 13,010 fans came to watch. The record number of fans at Aker Stadion is 13,308. This was for a game against Rosenborg in 1998. When Molde played in the 1999–2000 UEFA Champions League group stage, more seats were added. Today, the stadium can hold 11,249 people.

Before Aker Stadion, Molde played at Molde Idrettspark since 1955. This was a city-owned sports ground. It opened on August 28, 1955. About 2,500 fans watched the first game there. The record attendance at Molde Idrettspark was 14,615 in 1987. Today, Molde Idrettspark is used by other local teams.

Fan Support

Molde's official fan club is called Tornekrattet. This name means "The thicket of thorns" in English. It refers to Molde city's nickname, "The Town of Roses." The fan club started after Molde won the 1994 Norwegian Football Cup final.

Rivalries

Molde's biggest rival is Rosenborg. These two teams have often fought for the top league title. They have won many titles between them, making their games very exciting. Molde also has rivalries with other teams from their region, like Aalesund and Kristiansund.

Players

Current Squad

No. Position Player 2 DF Martin Bjørnbak 3 DF Casper Øyvann 4 DF Valdemar Lund 5 MF Eirik Hestad 7 MF Magnus Wolff Eikrem (captain) 8 FW Fredrik Gulbrandsen 9 FW Frederik Ihler 10 MF Mads Enggård 11 FW Aaron Olanare 14 FW Veton Berisha 15 MF Markus André Kaasa 16 MF Emil Breivik 17 MF Mats Møller Dæhli 18 MF Halldor Østervold Stenevik 19 DF Eirik Haugan 20 MF Kristian Eriksen

No. Position Player 21 DF Martin Linnes 22 GK Albert Posiadała 23 MF Sondre Granaas 24 MF Johan Bakke 25 DF Anders Hagelskjær 26 DF Isak Amundsen 27 FW Ola Brynhildsen (on loan from Midtjylland) 28 DF Kristoffer Haugen 29 FW Gustav Nyheim 31 DF Mathias Fjørtoft Løvik Fs player|no=32|nat=NOR|name=Peder Hoel Lervik|pos=GK}} 33 MF Niklas Ødegård 34 GK Sean McDermott 36 DF Filip Kristoffersen 43 FW Magnus Tomren Solheim 55 GK Mads Eikrem Myklebust

Player Records

Here are some interesting records held by Molde FK players in the top division. Current players are shown in bold.

Player of the Season

This award is given to the best player of the season.

Molde FK Player of the Season (1983–2013)
Season	Name	Nationality	Position	Notes	Ref
1983	Berg, JanJan Berg	Norway	Midfielder	RB-kruset (Awarded by newspaper Romsdals Budstikke)
1984	Bratteteig, IngeInge Bratteteig	Norway	Goalkeeper	RB-kruset
1985	Bratteteig, IngeInge Bratteteig	Norway	Goalkeeper	RB-kruset
1986	Møller, UlrichUlrich Møller	Norway	Defender	RB-kruset
1987	Møller, UlrichUlrich Møller	Norway	Defender	RB-kruset
1988	Olsen, Thor AndréThor André Olsen	Norway	Goalkeeper	RB-kruset
1989	Olsen, Thor AndréThor André Olsen	Norway	Goalkeeper	RB-kruset
1990	Olsen, Thor AndréThor André Olsen	Norway	Goalkeeper	RB-kruset
1991	Leonhardsen, ØyvindØyvind Leonhardsen	Norway	Midfielder	RB-kruset
1992	Møller, UlrichUlrich Møller	Norway	Defender	RB-kruset
1993	Bakke, MortenMorten Bakke	Norway	Goalkeeper	RB-kruset
1994	Bakke, MortenMorten Bakke	Norway	Goalkeeper	RB-kruset
1995	Rudi, PetterPetter Rudi	Norway	Midfielder	RB-kruset
1996	Singsaas, Petter ChristianPetter Christian Singsaas	Norway	Defender	RB-kruset
1997	Bakke, MortenMorten Bakke	Norway	Goalkeeper	RB-kruset
1998	Andersen, TrondTrond Andersen	Norway	Defender	RB-kruset
1999	Lund, AndreasAndreas Lund	Norway	Forward	RB-kruset
2000	Olsen, Odd IngeOdd Inge Olsen	Norway	Midfielder	RB-kruset
2001	Berg Hestad, DanielDaniel Berg Hestad	Norway	Midfielder	RB-kruset
2002	Gustafsson, EddieEddie Gustafsson	Sweden	Goalkeeper	RB-kruset
2003	Kihlberg, MagnusMagnus Kihlberg	Sweden	Midfielder	RB-kruset
2004	Rudi, PetterPetter Rudi	Norway	Midfielder	RB-kruset
2005	Berg Hestad, DanielDaniel Berg Hestad	Norway	Midfielder	RB-kruset
2006	Singsaas, Petter ChristianPetter Christian Singsaas	Norway	Defender	RB-kruset
2007	Berg Hestad, DanielDaniel Berg Hestad	Norway	Midfielder	RB-kruset
2008	Forren, VegardVegard Forren	Norway	Defender	RB-kruset
2009	Thioune, MakhtarMakhtar Thioune	Senegal	Midfielder	RB-kruset
2010	Hoseth, MagneMagne Hoseth	Norway	Midfielder	RB-kruset
2011	Bugge Pettersen, EspenEspen Bugge Pettersen	Norway	Goalkeeper	RB-kruset
2012	Wolff Eikrem, MagnusMagnus Wolff Eikrem	Norway	Midfielder	RB-kruset
2013	Linnes, MartinMartin Linnes	Norway	Defender	Decided by Molde players and staff

2014–Present

Season	Name	Nationality	Position	Notes	Ref
2014	Forren, VegardVegard Forren	Norway	Defender	RB-kruset
2015	Elyounoussi, MohamedMohamed Elyounoussi	Norway	Midfielder	RB-kruset
2016	Gabrielsen, RubenRuben Gabrielsen	Norway	Defender	Vote on club website
2017	Sigurðarson, BjörnBjörn Sigurðarson	Iceland	Forward	Decided by Molde players and staff
2018	Hestad, EirikEirik Hestad	Norway	Midfielder	RB-kruset
2019	Eikrem, Magnus WolffMagnus Wolff Eikrem	Norway	Midfielder	RB-kruset
2020	Gregersen, Stian RodeStian Rode Gregersen	Norway	Defender	RB-kruset
2021	Aursnes, FredrikFredrik Aursnes	Norway	Midfielder	RB-kruset
2022	Eikrem, Magnus WolffMagnus Wolff Eikrem	Norway	Midfielder	RB-kruset
2023	Eikrem, Magnus WolffMagnus Wolff Eikrem	Norway	Midfielder	RB-kruset

Club Officials

Molde FK has a team of people who help run the club.

Club Directors

Coaching Staff

Role	Name
Manager	Erling Moe
First team assistant coach	Trond Strande
First team assistant coach	Eirik Mæland
First team goalkeeping coach	Per Magne Misund
Fitness coach	Kristian Gjøstøl
Individual players coach	Mattias Moström
Analysis manager	Petter Rudi
Performance analyst	Eric Kirkevold
Chief Scout	Espen Sørum Hansen

Club Achievements

Molde is one of the most successful football clubs in Norway. They have won many trophies.

Domestic Trophies

League Titles

Top League (Eliteserien)

• Champions (5 times): 2011, 2012, 2014, 2019, 2022
• Runners-up (11 times): 1974, 1987, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2009, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021

Cup Wins

• Norwegian Cup:
  • Winners (6 times): 1994, 2005, 2013, 2014, 2021–22, 2023
  • Runners-up (3 times): 1982, 1989, 2009

Double Wins

• League and Cup: 2014 (They won both the league and the cup in the same year!)

Club Records

Daniel Berg Hestad holds the club record for competitive appearances with 666.

Here are some of Molde FK's impressive club records.

European Football History

Molde FK has played in several big European football tournaments. Here are their overall statistics in these competitions.

Recent Seasons

This table shows Molde's performance in the league and cup in recent years.

Molde Managers

Here is a list of the managers who have led Molde FK over the years.

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