Vålerenga Fotball facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Vålerenga

Full name	Vålerenga Fotball
Nickname(s)	Enga Bohemene (The Bohemians) De kongeblå (The Royal Blues) St. Hallvards menn (St. Hallvard’s Men)
Short name	VIF
Founded	29 July 1913; 111 years ago (1913-07-29)
Ground	Intility Arena Valle Hovin, Oslo
Ground Capacity	16,555
Chairman	Thor Gjermund Eriksen
Head coach	Geir Bakke
League	Eliteserien
2024	First Division, 1st of 16 (promoted)
Home colours Away colours

Vålerenga Fotball is a professional football club from Oslo, Norway. It's part of a bigger sports club called Vålerengens IF. The team currently plays in the Norwegian first division. They were moved down from the top league, Eliteserien, in 2023.

The club started in 1913 and is named after the Vålerenga area in Oslo. Vålerenga's home stadium is Intility Arena, located in Valle-Hovin. Vålerenga has won the league five times and the Norwegian Football Cup four times. Their last league win was in 2005, and their last cup win was in 2008. Many people think Vålerenga is the biggest football club in Oslo.

Club History: Vålerenga's Journey

VIF players at Sotahjørnet in 1946, a corner in the Vålerenga neighborhood.

How Vålerenga Started (1913–1945)

The story of Vålerenga Fotball began with a football group called Fotballpartiet Spark in 1898. It was started by a pastor named Hans Møller Gasmann. He wanted to give young people in the area fun activities and exercise.

Later, on July 29, 1913, a new club called Idrettslaget Spring was formed by young factory workers. A year later, they changed their name to Vaalerengens Idrættsforening. The club was based in the Vålerenga neighborhood in eastern Oslo. Many workers from the area became players and supporters.

In its early years, Vålerenga competed with other big Oslo clubs like Lyn and Frigg. While Lyn and Frigg were linked to richer people, Vålerenga became known as a working-class club.

Vålerenga had some ups and downs at first. But things got better in the 1920s. They moved up to the Oslo Championships in 1921. Vålerenga won the Oslo Championships four times before a national league started in 1937. In the 1948–49 season, Vålerenga finished second in the league. After this, the team had some tough times and was moved down from the top division twice in the 1950s.

The Bohemians Era (1946–1968)

After World War II, a person named Helmuth Steffens helped build the club's spirit. In the early 1960s, new local players joined Vålerenga's main team. Players like Einar Bruno Larsen, Terje Hellerud, and Leif Eriksen became key members of a group known as Bohemene (The Bohemians).

Leif Eriksen was a famous player from the Bohemene group.

The club became known for its exciting style of football, and more people came to watch their games. The players were popular for their funny comments and cheerful attitude. Vålerenga finished third in the league in 1961.

In 1965, Vålerenga won the First Division for the first time. With the help of manager Helmuth Steffens and coach Anton Ploderer, the club won the title with a team of local players. They won the league in an exciting way, with their rivals Lyn fighting for the title until the very last games.

The "Bohemian" time ended when the club was moved down from the First Division in 1968. Then they were moved down again to the Third Division in 1970. Vålerenga didn't get back to the top league until 1974. In 1976, Vålerenga signed Odd Iversen, a player who had scored many goals. Iversen helped the club get back on its feet in the First Division.

Years of Glory (1977–1986)

The 1980s brought a new generation of players. With players like Tom Jacobsen and Vidar Davidsen, Vålerenga won its first cup title in 1980.

Led by coach Leif Eriksen, the team won the First Division title for the second time in 1981. Their playing style was known for being strong and well-organized. The club couldn't win the league in 1982, but they won it again in 1983 and 1984. During this decade, Vålerenga also finished second in the cup twice and third in the league in 1985. Vålerenga became a strong top team, which was a first for them.

In 1985, they signed a striker named Jørn Andersen. He scored 23 goals in 22 games in his only season for Vålerenga. However, the club faced serious money problems in 1987. Luckily, Vålerenga was saved from going bankrupt.

Ups and Downs (1987–2003)

In 1990, the club, now simply called Vålerenga, was moved down after 14 seasons in the top division. Vålerenga almost got moved down even further in 1992. But they managed to stay in the second-highest division thanks to a 3–0 win in the last game. In 1994, Vålerenga returned to the top division. But they were moved down again in 1996.

In 1997, Vålerenga won the cup and the 1. divisjon, and were promoted back to Tippeligaen. Like earlier in the 1990s, their time in the top division only lasted a few years.

Kjetil Rekdal joined Vålerenga in 2000 and became a player-manager in 2001.

In the 2000 season, Vålerenga lost their play-off games and were moved down to the 1. divisjon. Vålerenga returned to Tippeligaen and won the cup in 2002.

The 2003 season was not good for Vålerenga. They finished third from last in the league. This meant they had to play against Sandefjord to avoid being moved down. They drew 0–0 in Sandefjord and won 5–3 in Oslo. So, Vålerenga stayed in the top league.

Recent Times (2004–Present)

Vålerenga did much better in the 2004 season. They were a strong challenge to the top team, Rosenborg, for the league title. In the exciting final game, Vålerenga beat Stabæk 3–0. But they still missed out on the title because Rosenborg won their game. Vålerenga finished second, with the same points and goal difference as Rosenborg. But Rosenborg had scored more goals, so they won the league.

At the start of the 2005 season, Rosenborg was not playing well. It seemed like it was Vålerenga's chance to win. After a strong start, IK Start, a newly promoted team, challenged Vålerenga. The two clubs took turns leading the league until the final game. On October 29, it was a thrilling last round. Both Start and Vålerenga had the same points. But Start had a slightly better goal difference. In the end, Fredrikstad, who needed to win to avoid being moved down, beat Start 3–1. At the same time, Vålerenga drew 2–2 against Odd Grenland. Vålerenga moved up one spot from the year before and won the title by one point! This was Vålerenga's first league title in 21 years. It ended Rosenborg's 13-year winning streak.

Morten Berre has played the most games in the top division for Vålerenga.

The 2006 season didn't start well for the champions. They were at the bottom of the table after seven games. But they slowly got better and reached 6th place by mid-season. In late July, they had a series of bad results. This included losing to their main rival FK Lyn. They also left the UEFA Champions League after losing to a Czech club. After losing five out of seven games, coach Kjetil Rekdal quit. Assistant coach Petter Myhre took over. The club improved and finished third in the league. This earned them a spot in the 2007–08 Europa League.

In November 2007, Martin Andresen became the new manager. The club invested a lot of money and signed several well-known players. But despite winning the 2008 Norwegian Football Cup, the next season was disappointing. Vålerenga finished 10th in the league. In 2009, Vålerenga finished 7th and reached the cup semifinal. In 2010, Vålerenga was much better. They had strong forwards like Mohammed Abdellaoue, Bengt Sæternes, and Luton Shelton. Vålerenga finished second in the league.

However, Vålerenga couldn't repeat this success in 2011 and 2012. In October 2012, Andresen and Vålerenga decided to go separate ways.

Kjetil Rekdal returned as head coach in January 2013. The club faced money problems from previous seasons. They also didn't have a shirt sponsor. Vålerenga was at risk of going bankrupt in 2014. But they finally signed a new sponsorship deal on July 29. Signing striker Vidar Örn Kjartansson in 2014 was a huge success. The Icelandic player scored 25 goals in 29 games. He helped the Oslo club get to sixth place in the league.

On July 13, 2016, Ronny Deila was named the new head coach. He was supposed to start in January 2017. But he helped with the coaching team for the last games of the 2016 season. Kjetil Rekdal was going to become the sports director. But he left the club in early 2017. In December 2019, Ronny Deila left to coach New York City Football Club. In January 2020, Dag-Eilev Fagermo became the new head coach.

Vålerenga moved into their new stadium, Intility Arena, in September 2017. This was a big moment for the club. They had spent 104 years without owning their own home stadium. The new stadium is also close to the Vålerenga neighborhood.

Team Colors

Before 1913, Vålerenga's uniform was moss green. In 1914, the Norwegian State Railways had some blue and red uniforms left over. Vålerenga bought them cheaply, and so blue and red became their official colors.

Home Stadium: Intility Arena

In 2017, Vålerenga opened their very own home stadium at Valle Hovin in Eastern Oslo. It's called Intility Arena. The stadium can hold 17,333 people for local games. For international games, it holds 15,389. The playing field is made of artificial grass.

The very first game at the stadium was played by the Vålerenga women's team. They beat Kolbotn Fotball 2–0 on September 9, 2017. Stephanie Verdoia scored the first goal ever at the Arena. The next day, the men's team lost 2–1 to Sarpsborg 08 in their first game there. The stadium was first called Vålerenga kultur- og idrettspark. But then the club made a deal with the IT company Intility to rename it.

Building the New Arena

On May 15, 2008, Vålerenga announced they would move to Valle Hovin. They bought the land for the stadium for a very small price: 1 Norwegian Krone. In late 2014, the city council of Oslo approved the plans. On June 10, 2014, the European Free Trade Association Surveillance Authority also approved the stadium plans.

The first stone of the new stadium was laid on July 29, 2015. This was the club's 102nd birthday. Construction began in the summer of 2015 and was finished in 2017.

Past Stadiums

Before moving to Intility Arena, Vålerenga played at Ullevaal Stadion. This stadium is owned by the Football Association of Norway and Vital Eiendom.

From the 1960s to the 1980s, and for a short time in the late 1990s, Bislett Stadium was Vålerenga's home. Bislett Stadium also hosted ice skating and track and field events. It even hosted the 1952 Winter Olympics. But the stadium was in poor condition. So, Vålerenga had to move to Ullevaal. They shared the stadium with FK Lyn.

After Vålerenga left Bislett Stadium, they started planning to build their own ground. But bad results and money problems stopped those plans for a few years. After finishing second in 2004 and winning the league in 2005, and after a businessman helped clear the club's debt in 2003, the idea of building a home for Vålerenga came up again.

Vålerenga Supporters

Vålerenga supporters in the stand nicknamed "The West Bank."

Vålerenga has always had strong support from the Vålerenga, Oslo area. They also have fans from other parts of the east end of Oslo. Today, fans come from all over Oslo and nearby areas.

Before the early 1990s, Vålerenga's supporters were not very organized. An independent fan club called Klanen ("The Clan") was started in 1991. Today, it has about 10,000 members. The Vålerenga team has set aside shirt number 12 for their supporters. This is because fans are often called the 12th man in football. Vålerenga's supporters, especially Klanen, are often thought of as the best football fans in Norway.

Club Rivalries

Vålerenga's main rivals include Lillestrøm, Ham Kam, Kongsvinger, Brann, and Lyn. Since the 1990s, the main fan club has worked hard to support good causes and fight against hooliganism.

Klanen celebrating the bronze medal after the final game of the 2006 season.

Club Achievements (Honours)

• Eliteserien (Top League):
  • Winners (5): 1965, 1981, 1983, 1984, 2005
  • Runners-up (3): 1948–49, 2004, 2010
• Norwegian Cup:
  • Winners (4): 1980, 1997, 2002, 2008
  • Runners-up (2): 1983, 1985
• Norwegian First Division/Landsdelsserien:
  • Winners (7): 1953–54, 1958–59, 1976, 1993, 1997, 2001, 2024
• Superfinalen:
  • Runners-up (1): 2009

European Football Record

Vålerenga has played in several European football competitions. Here's a quick look at their overall performance:

Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against. Some older competitions are no longer played.

Club Records

• Biggest win in the top division: 8–0 against Lisleby in 1951.
• Longest time in the top division: 17 seasons (from 2002 to 2023).
• Most top division games since 1963: Morten Berre, with 281 matches (2003–2014).
• Most goals in official games: Einar Bruno Larsen, with 99 goals (1957–1968).
• Most goals in one season: Viðar Örn Kjartansson, with 25 goals in 29 games (2014).
• Highest attendance at a game: 24,894 fans at Ullevaal Stadion on October 23, 2005, for the last home game of the 2005 season against Rosenborg.
• Biggest win in a European cup game: 6–0 against Ekranas on August 30, 2007 (they won 7–1 overall).

Players and Staff

First-team Squad

No. Position Player 2 DF Christian Borchgrevink (captain) 3 MF Aleksander Hammer Kjelsen 4 DF Aaron Kiil Olsen 5 DF Nathan Fasika (on loan from Cape Town City) 6 DF Vegar Eggen Hedenstad 7 MF Magnus Bech Riisnæs 8 MF Henrik Bjørdal 9 FW Mees Rijks 14 FW Onyebuchi Obasi 15 MF Elias Hagen 17 MF Carl Lange 18 DF Simen Juklerød

No. Position Player 19 FW Ola Kamara 20 FW Lorents Apold-Aasen 21 GK Magnus Smelhus Sjøeng 22 MF Stian Sjøvold Thorstensen 24 MF Petter Strand 25 FW Jones El-Abdellaoui 26 FW Filip Thorvaldsen 29 MF Brice Ambina 30 GK Storm Strand-Kolbjørnsen 31 FW Omar Bully Drammeh 32 DF Max Bjurstrøm 55 DF Sebastian Jarl 80 FW Muamer Brajanac

Players Out on Loan

No. Position Player 1 GK Jacob Storevik (at Viking until end of 2024) 10 FW Mohamed Ofkir (at HamKam until end of 2024) 13 GK Magnus Stær-Jensen (at Sogndal until end of 2024)

No. Position Player 33 DF Eneo Bitri (at MKS Cracovia until end of 2024)

Retired and Reserved Numbers

• Number 12 is saved for the fans. They are often called the 12th man because of their support.

Coaching Staff

Position	Name
Director of football	Joacim Jonsson
Head coach	Geir Bakke
Assistant coach	Petter Myhre
Assistant coach	Jan Frode Nornes
Assistant coach	David Ribeiro
Individual players coach	Trond Fredriksen
Goalkeeper coach	Gjermund Østby
Fitness coach	Aaron Horne
Head of analysis	Lars-Erik Samuelsen
Head of academy	Thomas Hafstad
Reserve team coach	Øystein Sanden
Physio	Carl Fredrik Birkemo
Physio	Martin Flesland
Equipment manager	Egil Larsen
Club doctor	Erik Rosenlund

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