Helsingborgs IF
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| Full name | Helsingborgs Idrottsförening | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Di Röe (The Reds) Mjölkkossan (The Milk Cow) |
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| Short name | HIF | ||
| Founded | 4 June 1907 | ||
| Ground | Olympia, Helsingborg (capacity: 17,200) |
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| Chairman | Claes Ohlsson | ||
| Manager | Roar Hansen | ||
| League | Allsvenskan | ||
| 2012 | Allsvenskan, 6th | ||
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Helsingborgs IF (alternative spelling Hälsingborgs IF between 1912 and 1971), commonly referred to as Helsingborg and locally HIF, is a Swedish football club located in Helsingborg. They are currently playing in the highest Swedish league, Allsvenskan. The club, formed 4 June 1907, has won five national championship titles and five national cup titles. Helsingborgs IF have also won Allsvenskan on two occasions when the title of Swedish champions was not decided by the outcome of that league.[1][A]
Helsingborg was a founder member of Allsvenskan, and between 1924 and 1968 they spent all but two seasons in the top division, and won the league five times. At the end of the 1968 season, HIF was relegated, and while most people initially expected a quick return, they went on to spend the next 24 seasons in the lower leagues before finally getting promoted back to the top flight in 1992. Since returning to Allsvenskan in 1993, Helsingborg has remained in the top division, and has re-established itself as one of Sweden's top clubs, winning the league in 1999 and 2011.
Helsingborg is the latest Swedish team to qualify for the UEFA Champions League (in the 2000/2001 season). The club is affiliated to the Skånes Fotbollförbund.[2]
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History [edit]
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This section does not cite any references or sources. (November 2011) |
1907 to 1920 [edit]
The club was formed in 1907 after the merger of Svithiod and Stattena (not to be confused with the Stattena IF of today), and the club played their first game on 6 June 1907, beating neighbours IFK Helsingborgs 6–2. Otto Malm was a star of the team; in the 1911–12 season he scored 69 goals in only 24 games. At the end of his time at Helsingborgs IF he had played 500 games and scored 735 goals. The year after the club's formation, John Pettersson joined as club president, and during his tenure the club won the league five times. The year after, the club changed their kit from white shirts and blue shorts to red shirts and blue shorts, as well as winning the Scandinavian Championships. In 1914 the club lost in the final of the Svenska Cupen (Swedish Cup) and also in the Svenssons Cup. That year the club were invited to play in the Swedish Series, but declined because they thought that playing friendlies brought higher attendances. Additionally, the club's players were part-time, meaning that regular away matches would have been impractical. On 30 May 1915, the club lost 5–4 to Gӧta in the District Championships. 1918 again saw the club finish second the Svenska Cupen, after losing to IFK Göteborg.
1998–1999: Success [edit]
With the arrival of Norwegian manager Åge Hareide things started to look very good for the first time in many years. During Hareides first year HIF finished 2nd in the league and won Allsvenskan in 1999, for the first time since 1941.
2005: Failed year [edit]
In 2005, Helsingborg opened strong with four wins from their first five matches. But they ended at sixth place in Allsvenskan losing both derbys with rivals Malmö FF in the process.
2006: A successful Autumn [edit]
Helsingborg went through the spring of the 2006 Allsvenskan season very slowly. They once again lost the derby against Malmö FF and their manager Peter Swärdh was fired. Following the World Cup break however, Henrik Larsson arrived at Helsingborg along with a new manager, Stuart Baxter, and Helsingborg started to win matches. After victory in the derby and a 3–2 win at home against IFK Göteborg, Helsingborg finished in fourth place in the league and as winners in the Svenska Cupen after a 2–0 victory over Gefle IF in the cup final.
2007: A disappointing year with a glimpse of hope [edit]
After a pretty mediocre season Helsingborg finished 8th in the league and everyones expectations were very low before the upcoming UEFA Cup qualifiers. Helsingborg however managed to make it to the group stage after eliminating the Dutch team SC Heerenveen. Helsingborg ended up in the same group as FC Girondins de Bordeaux, Galatasaray S.K, FK Austria Wien and Panionios F.C.
With wins against Galatasaray and Austria Wien, a draw against Panionios and a loss against Bordeaux, Helsingborg finished second in the group and faced Dutch powerhouse PSV Eindhoven in the round of 32. PSV proved too difficult and won with 2–0 at home and 2–1 away. Stuart Baxter had left the club shortly after the loss against FC Girondins de Bordeaux following a disagreement with the club president Sten-Inge Fredin and was replaced with the club's Director of Football Bo Nilsson. It was from the beginning only supposed to be temporary but after a few months of good results, Nilsson was contracted for the whole season.
2010 & 2011: Change at heart at Helsingborg and the historical treble [edit]
Before the season 2010 HIF introduced new management. A new manager was introduced, Conny Karlsson, who together with Reine Almqvist was to lead a new HIF. The club also introduced a new chairman, Claes Ohlsson. He took a more quiet approach to the job than his predecessor, Sten-Inge Fredin. Together with the sports director Jesper Jansson, who had been with the club since 2008, they led HIF into the new season.
With home-coming men Erik Edman (left the club in 1999) and Mattias Lindström (left the club in 2004), the club had a wonderful start to the season. Even though HIF were on top of the league far into the season (they held their 1st position until the 22nd round), they were eventually beaten by bitter rivals Malmö FF. HIF finished second in the league. In the cup they had better fortune and won the final away 1-0 against Hammarby IF after a goal by Rasmus Jönsson. Marcus Lantz was named Årets HIFare (Helsingborg player of the year).
During winter, two important players: Captain Marcus Lantz and defender Joel Ekstrand left the club for rivals Landskrona BoIS and Serie A side Udinese respectively. During the pre-season, Erik Edman made the headlines when he criticized the quality of the team's training sessions, stating that HIF were risking relegation, should they not improve. HIF started the season victorious in the Supercupen (a one-game cup between the league winners and cup winners the previous season), where they faced off against Malmö FF (2-1). In contrary to the previous season, Conny Karlsson had it rough in the beginning of the league season. Several players were criticizing the management and individual player development, even though the team was in 1st place in the league. The team with coaches regrouped and kept winning league games. However, during the season several important players were sold. Marcus Nilsson and Alexander Gerndt were acquired by FC Utrecht and Rasmus Jönsson left for VfL Wolfsburg. Also, Peter Larsson's loan ended and he went back to Copenhagen, after Helsingborg failed to match the danes' transfer fee demands. Experienced Norwegian duo Thomas Sørum and Erlend Hanstveit were brought in, as well as club legend Álvaro Santos, who had previously left the club for FC København in 2003.
Throughout the entire season HIF held a comfortable lead and was able to secure the league trophy three games from the end. After the last game of the season, HIF focused on winning the Swedish Cup, making it the first team in Swedish history to win a treble, comprising Super Cup, League and Swedish Cup titles. In the cup final HIF were the superior team and won against Kalmar FF 3-1. After the season, central midfielder May Mahlangu was named Allsvenskan player of the year. Goalkeeper Pär Hansson was named "Årets HIFare", Helsingborg player of the year.
Club culture [edit]
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This section does not cite any references or sources. (November 2011) |
Helsingborgs IF have a long-standing rivalry (known as the Skåne derby) with fellow Scanian club Malmö FF, another major club in southern Sweden, and other Scanian clubs like Landskrona BoIS in particular.
Helsingborg enjoys loyal support in the Northwestern Scanian region. Helsingborg come from a harbour city located close to continental Europe. This affects the club: It is always focusing hard on the European competitions and it has often been open to foreign influences. The club is also known for promoting attacking football - it is stipulated in Helsingborg's association bylaws that the team should play attractive football. Furthermore, as with most Scanian clubs, support for HIF is closely associated with a strong sense of belonging to Scania, rather than Sweden. For example, the Swedish flag is rarely seen among fans at Olympia, whereas the Scanian flag is far more common.
There are a few supportergroups in Helsingborg: "Kärnan", "tHIFo", "HIF-vänner", "Bortom Sans", "Helsingborg Soldiers", "Sundsbusarna", "Frontline" and "Helsingborg Hardcore", they support the team in each match. Helsingborg's supporter culture carries a certain tradition of Anglophilia. Some Helsingborg supporters have a friendship with FC København, who currently play in the Danish Superliga.
The official anthem of Helsingborg is "På Gator Röda och Blå" by Björns Band.[3]
Current squad [edit]
As of 4 April 2013 Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Available youth players [edit]
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan [edit]
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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For season transfers, see transfers winter 2012–13.
Retired numbers [edit]
17 – Henrik Larsson, forward (1992–1993, 2006–2009) – Larsson totalized 163 competitive matches and 104 goals for Helsingborgs IF
European cup history [edit]
UEFA Team Ranking 2012 [edit]
| Rank | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 158 |  AEK Larnaca F.C. |
9.366 |
| 159 |  Brøndby IF |
9.140 |
| 160 |  Hajduk Split |
8.916 |
| 161 |  Helsingborg |
8.625 |
| 162 |  Bnei Yehuda |
8.575 |
| 163 |  CSKA Sofia |
8.450 |
| 164 |  Rapid București |
8.444 |
As of 12 February 2013. Source
Managers [edit]
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Achievements [edit]
- Swedish Champions[A]
- Winners (5): 1932–33, 1933–34, 1940–41, 1999, 2011
League [edit]
- Allsvenskan:
- Winners (7): 1928–29, 1929–30, 1932–33, 1933–34, 1940–41, 1999, 2011
- Runners-up (7): 1927–28, 1948–49, 1953–54, 1995, 1998, 2000, 2010
- Division 1 Södra:
- Runners-up (3): 1990, 1991, 1992
Cups [edit]
- Svenska Cupen:
- Winners (5): 1941, 1997–98, 2006, 2010, 2011
- Runners-up (2): 1950, 1993–94
- Svenska Mästerskapet:
- Runners-up (2): 1914, 1918
- Svenska Supercupen:
- Winners (2): 2011, 2012
- Runners-up (1): 2007
Records [edit]
- Most appearances, Allsvenskan: 349,
Kalle Svensson (1943–62) - Most goals scored, Allsvenskan: 140, Knut Kroon (1925–42)
Footnotes [edit]
- A. ^ The title of "Swedish Champions" has been awarded to the winner of four different competitions over the years. Between 1896 and 1925 the title was awarded to the winner of Svenska Mästerskapet, a stand-alone cup tournament. No club were given the title between 1926 and 1930 even though the first-tier league Allsvenskan was played. In 1931 the title was reinstated and awarded to the winner of Allsvenskan. Between 1982 and 1990 a play-off in cup format was held at the end of the league season to decide the champions. After the play-off format in 1991 and 1992 the title was decided by the winner of Mästerskapsserien, an additional league after the end of Allsvenskan. Since the 1993 season the title has once again been awarded to the winner of Allsvenskan.[4]
Notes [edit]
- ^ "Helsingborgs IF". svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 2012-08-08.
- ^ "Kontaktuppgifter och tävlingar – Skånes Fotbollförbund – Svenskfotboll.se". Retrieved 2011-01-12.
- ^ "Björns band - På gator röda och blå". YouTube. Retrieved 14 July 2011.
- ^ "Svenska mästare 1896–1925, 1931–". svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 2009-11-25.
External links [edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Helsingborgs IF |
- Helsingborgs IF – official site
- Kärnan – official supporter club site
- HIF E-zine – supporter site
- tHIFo – the terrace arrangements group site
- Bakgatan – Supporter site
- HIF1907 – the leading HIF-blog
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