Helsingborgs IF
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| Full name | Helsingborgs Idrottsförening | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Di Röe (The Reds) | ||
| Short name | HIF | ||
| Founded | 4 June 1907 | ||
| Ground | Olympia, Helsingborg | ||
| Capacity | 16,500 | ||
| Chairman | Sten-Åke Tjärnlund | ||
| Manager | Vacant | ||
| League | Superettan | ||
| 2016 | Allsvenskan, 14th (relegated via play-offs) | ||
| Website | Club website | ||
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Helsingborgs IF (alternative spelling Hälsingborgs IF), commonly referred to as Helsingborg or (especially locally) HIF, or (more rarely) HeIF is a Swedish football club located in Helsingborg. They are currently playing in the second highest Swedish league, Superettan. 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. Having returned to Allsvenskan in 1993, Helsingborg remained in the top division until 2016, winning the league twice in 1999 and 2011.
The club is affiliated to the Skånes Fotbollförbund.[3]
History
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.
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.
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.
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 PSV Eindhoven in the round of 32. PSV won 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.
Club culture
The official anthem of Helsingborg is "På Gator Röda och Blå" by Björns Band.[4]
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Players
First-team squad
- As of 11 August 2016[5]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Current youth players with first-team experience
- As of 11 August 2016[B]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Retired numbers
- 12 – Fans of the club
- 17 – Henrik Larsson, forward (1992–1993, 2006–2009)
European cup history
UEFA Team Ranking 2016-17
| Rank | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 191 |  FK Crvena Zvezda |
7.230 |
| 192 |  Servette FC |
7.175 |
| 193 |  Strømsgodset IF |
7.165 |
| 194 |  Helsingborgs IF |
6.945 |
| 195 |  Debreceni VSC |
6.900 |
| 196 |  FC Shakhter Karagandy |
6.900 |
| 197 |  KF Skënderbeu |
6.883 |
As of 24 November 2016. Source
Managers
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Achievements
- Swedish Champions[A]
- Winners (7): 1928-29, 1929-30, 1932–33, 1933–34, 1940–41, 1999, 2011
League
- 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
- Svenska Cupen:
- Winners (5): 1941, 1997–98, 2006, 2010, 2011
- Runners-up (2): 1950, 1993–94, 2013–14
- Svenska Mästerskapet:
- Runners-up (2): 1914, 1918
- Svenska Supercupen:
- Winners (2): 2011, 2012
- Runners-up (1): 2007
Records
- Most appearances, Allsvenskan: 349,
Kalle Svensson (1943–62) - Most goals scored, Allsvenskan: 140, Knut Kroon (1925–42)
Footnotes
- ^ 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.[2]
- ^ Current youth players who at least have sat on the bench in a competitive match.
References
- ^ "Helsingborgs IF". svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 8 August 2012.
- ^ "Svenska mästare 1896–1925, 1931–". svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 25 November 2009.
- ^ "Kontaktuppgifter och tävlingar – Skånes Fotbollförbund – Svenskfotboll.se". Retrieved 12 January 2011.
- ^ "Björns band – På gator röda och blå". YouTube. Retrieved 14 July 2011.
- ^ "A-laget" (in Swedish). Helsingborgs IF. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
See also
External links
- 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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