Tromsø IL

Football club infobox
clubname = Tromsø


fullname = Tromsø Idrettslag
nickname = "Gutan" (The Boys/Lads)
founded = September 15, 1920
ground = Alfheim Stadion Tromsø
capacity = 7.500
chairman = Jens Johan Hjort
manager = Steinar Nilsen
league = Tippeligaen
season = 2007
position = Tippeligaen, 6th
shirtsupplier=Puma
shirtsponsors=Sparebanken
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Tromsø I.L. is a Norwegian professional football team founded in 1920, and based in Tromsø. They play their home games at Alfheim Stadium. Tromsø I.L. currently play in the Norwegian Premier League, and holds the position as the northernmost top-level football club in the world.

History

1920-1939: The pre-war years

The club was founded on September 15, 1920, and given the name Tromsø Turnforenings Fotballag ("Tromsø Gymnastics Association's Football Team"), or Turn for short. The first match after the formal foundation was against cross-town rivals IF Skarp, a match which ended in a draw, 0-0. It would not take long before success came to Turn, though, and in 1927, the club won its first district championship.

In 1930, the club changed its name to Tromsø Idrettslag, because the Norwegian Sports Association thought the club's name was too close to the name of Tromsø Gymnastics Association. This was only temporary, though, and the club changed its name to Tor in 1931. 1931 would also be the year the club won its first Northern Norwegian Cup, the highest possible achievement for a Northern Norwegian club at the time. The club beat Mo I.L. 3-1 in the final. The year after, the Norwegian Sports Association ruled that the club could not be named Tor, and so Tromsø Idrettslag was again chosen, this time permanently. Tromsø I.L. also won its second district championship in 1932, but was knocked out in the semi final of the Northern Norwegian cup. The thirties proved to be a good decade for Tromsø I.L., as the club won district championships in 1933, 1936, and 1937, as well. However, sports activities came to an end in 1940, because of the second world war, and so the club did not play again before 1945.

1945-1969: Two Northern-Norwegian cup championships

Tromsø I.L. started the post-war years in a good fashion, winning the club's sixth district championship in 1946. In 1949, Tromsø I.L. won its second Northern Norwegian cup. This time, the final match was played at Harstad Stadium, and Tromsø I.L. were to play F.K. Bodø/Glimt. Tromsø I.L. won 3-1, just like in 1931.

Tromsø I.L. then won 5 consecutive district championships in the years between 1950 and 1954, before the club was introduced into the Norwegian league system (Northern Norwegian clubs could still not be promoted to the top division, however). The club's third and last Northern Norwegian cup came in 1956. Tromsø I.L. met Harstad I.L. - the champions of the previous three years - in Harstad, making Harstad I.L. big favorites. However, Tromsø I.L. won the match 2-0.

Clubs from Northern Norway were allowed into the Norwegian cup in 1963, and Tromsø I.L. participated for the first time in 1964, advancing to the second round after beating F.K. Mjølner. The club was knocked out in the second round by Nidelv I.L.. The sixties were also a period of stadium expansions for the club, with both Valhall Stadium and Alfheim Stadium getting grass fields. Because of the inclusion of Northern Norwegian clubs in the Norwegian cup, the Northern Norwegian cup was eventually dropped. Tromsø I.L. played its last Northern Norwegian cup match in 1969.

1970-1985: Build-up for the top division

With Northern Norwegian clubs accepted in the cup, the only thing left to be included in was the top division. This happened in 1972, when F.K. Mjølner was moved to the 1st division. At the time, however, Tromsø I.L. was fighting in the bottom of the Northern Norwegian 2nd division (Until 1979, the 2nd division was divided in three different groups, two southern and one northern - with the winners of the southern groups being promoted to the top division, while the winner of the northern group would have to face the 2nd placed teams of the two southern groups), and was eventually relegated. In 1975, Tromsø I.L. would be back in the 2nd division, after having won promotion the year before. However, the club was once more relegated, this time after only one season in the second highest level of the league system. Tromsø was back in the 2nd division in 1978, and won it this time. However, the qualification matches against the two southern teams Hamarkameratene and Fredrikstad F.K. were lost 3-0 and 1-0 respectively. The next year, 1979, marked the first year with an all-Norwegian 2nd division, giving equal chances for all teams, regardless of geographical position. Tromsø I.L. did not do too well, however, and was once more relegated.

Tromsø I.L. was immediately promoted back to the 2nd division after not losing a single match in the 3rd division in 1980. Then followed relegation in 1981 and promotion in 1982, before the club finally managed to establish itself in the 2nd division. Two decent seasons in 1983 and 1984 were followed by a 2nd place in 1985, which meant the club would again play qualification matches for the top division. First, Sogndal I.L. were beaten 1-0. Then, Tromsø I.L. won the decisive match against Moss F.K. 1-0, after a legendary penalty kick save by goalkeeper Bjarte Flem. Tromsø I.L. became the third and, for the time being, latest Northern Norwegian team to qualify for the top division, the other two being F.K. Mjølner and F.K. Bodø/Glimt.

1986-2001: 16 years in the top division

The first season in the Premier League would be very hard for Tromsø I.L., the club eventually had to play qualification to survive. The club was highly successful in the cup the same year, however, beating Premier Division champions Lillestrøm S.K. 4-1 in the final match, a match that had been thought to be a walk in the park for Lillestrøm S.K. before it was played.

An experiment in the 1987 season proved valuable to Tromsø I.L. Tied matches would be decided on penalty shootouts, giving 3 points for a win, 2 for a shootout win, 1 for a shootout loss, and 0 for a loss. Thanks to Bjarte Flem's exceptional penalty saves, Tromsø I.L. won 7 out of 9 shootouts this year. The experiment was dropped after the season. However, the system with 3 points for a victory was kept. In 1988, Tromsø I.L. ended 5th in the league.

The 1989 and 1990 seasons would become the two most successful Premier Division seasons to date, with Tromsø I.L. winning a bronze and a silver respectively. The club's coach during this time, Tommy Svensson, would later move on to coach Sweden to a bronze medal in the 1994 World Cup.

The following seasons saw Tromsø I.L. end 6th, 8th, 6th, and 7th (all safe mid-table positions), before the expansion of the Norwegian Premier League from 12 to 14 teams in 1995, when Tromsø I.L. again ended 6th.

In 1996, ten years after the club's first cup championship, Tromsø I.L. would again qualify for a cup final. This time, the opponents were F.K. Bodø/Glimt, which made the final match historical, the first time in history two Northern Norwegian clubs would play each other in a cup final. This also meant that the club winning the match would have bragging rights as the best club in Northern Norway. Tromsø I.L. eventually won the match, after a late 2-1 goal by Sigurd Rushfeldt in his last match before leaving for Rosenborg BK. The 1996 cup championship was the club's last championship to date. Tromsø I.L. also ended 5th in the league.

1997 did not go too well for Tromsø I.L., and after getting only 2 points during the last 7 matches of the season, the club ended 12th in the league, and had to play qualification matches to survive. The opponents were Eik-Tønsberg, and Tromsø I.L. won 4-0 and 2-1, which meant Tromsø I.L. would still be in the top division. Another poor season followed in 1998, but Tromsø I.L. avoided qualification matches this time, ending 11th in the league. 1999 saw Tromsø back in the mid-table sections when the club won 6th place, scored 70 goals, and became the first (and only) Northern Norwegian club to have the top scorer of the Premier League with Rune Lange's 23 goals. Tromsø I.L. then had one of its best seasons ever in 2000, finishing 4th in the league.

In 2001, Tromsø I.L. was relegated from the Premier Division for the first time in history. After two very strong opening wins, the club went on a 7-matches-long losing streak, where not a single goal was scored. Tromsø I.L. eventually ended last, scoring only 23 goals in 26 matches.

2002-present: 2nd time in the top division

Tromsø I.L. won the Norwegian 1st division in 2002, and was thus immediately re-introduced into the Premier League.

The 2003 season looked as if it would send Tromsø I.L. back to the first division, but they barely rescued their place in the Premier League scoring a winning goal three minutes over time in the season's final match against league champions Rosenborg BK. The arrival of Per Mathias Høgmo before the 2004 season proved to be a success. Tromsø I.L. had another good seasons, and ended on a 4th place in the league, which qualified them for the Royal League and, as a result of 3rd placed team S.K. Brann's victory in the cup that year, the UEFA Cup. After his first successful year Høgmo decided not to extend his contract and his former assistant Otto Ulseth was moved up as head coach.

The 2005 season started as a disappointment and Ulseth was sacked after only 15 league matches, when Tromsø I.L. was struggling to avoid relegation. The head coach for the remainder of the season became Ulseth's former assistant Steinar Nilsen, who managed to turn Tromsø I.L.'s poor form around. After a club record five consecutive victories, Tromsø I.L. secured its place in the Premier League with a 1-0 home win over Viking F.K. in the second-to-last round of the season. Tromsø I.L. also had the top scorer of the Premier League for the second time in history, as Ole Martin Årst finished the season with 16 goals. The club finished the season in 8th place.

The relegation of F.K. Bodø/Glimt means that Tromsø I.L. will be the only team from Northern Norway in the 2006 season. Before the 2006 season, following Steinar Nilsen's resignation, Ivar Morten Normark has been made the new Tromsø I.L. manager. After a rather unsatisfactory start of the season Tromsø I.L. started negotiating to terminate the contract with Normark on July 26, 2006, until a new coach could be found former assistant Agnar Christensen acted as head coach. On August 4 Normark and Tromsø I.L. reached an agreement, meaning Normark would leave the club. On August 11 Steinar Nilsen was appointed coach signing a three and a half year contract with the club. Nilsen managed to save Tromsø I.L. from relegation once more, leading the club to a 10th place.

Tromsø I.L. is the Norwegian Premier Division club which has had the most coaches since 2000. Terje Skarsfjord (who also coached the club during its 1996 cup championship), Tommy Svensson (who made a brief return to the club to attempt to save it from relegation in 2001, ten years after having left the club for the Swedish national team), Trond Johansen, Per Mathias Høgmo, Otto Ulseth, Steinar Nilsen, and Ivar Morten Normark have all coached the club at some time after the year 2000.

Achievements

* Northern Norwegian Champions:
** Winners (3): 1931, 1949, 1956
** Runners-up (2): 1937, 1952
* Norwegian Cup:
** Winners (2): 1986, 1996
* Tippeligaen:
** Runners-up (1): 1990

Seasons

:

Players

Current squad

"As of 27 August 2008"

Out on loan

All-time player stats

*Most goals total: Sigurd Rushfeldt, 96
*Most league goals total: Sigurd Rushfeldt, 66
*Most matches total: Bjørn Johansen, 401
*Most league matches total: Bjørn Johansen, 325

Staff

Coaching staff

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