B71 Sandoy

Football club infobox
clubname = B71


fullname = Sandoyar Ítróttarfelag, B71
nickname = B71
founded = 01.01.1970
ground = Sandur Stadium
Sandur, Faroes
capacity = 2,000
chairman = flagicon|Faroe Islands Ragnar Fossdalsá
mgrtitle = Head Coach
manager = flagicon|Faroe Islands Eli Hentze
league = flagicon|Faroe Islands Formuladeildin
season = 2008
position = 9th
pattern_la1= |pattern_b1= |pattern_ra1= |leftarm1=FFDE00
body1=FFDE00 |rightarm1=FFDE00 |shorts1=0000FF |socks1=0000FF
pattern_la2= |pattern_b2= |pattern_ra2= |leftarm2=0000FF
body2=0000FF |rightarm2=0000FF |shorts2=0000FF |socks2=FFFFFF

B71 (Sandoy) (B71 being short for Bóltfelagið 1971 - literal translation: "Ball Club 1971") is a Faroese football team, playing their home games "Inni í Dal" in Sandur, although the team is comprised of players from all the towns on the island of Sandoy.

Current squad

"As of August 14, 2008 Fs start

The Club history

Origins (b.1971)

Although B71 is one of the youngest football-teams in the Faroe Islands, there has always been a considerable amount of interest in sports on the particular island from which the team fares.Football had been played well before B71 was established in 1970, but since sand-surfaces were deemed unsuitable for football, a team had yet to be formed. [cite web |url=http://b71-sandoy.com/ny/content/view/15/29/|title=B71 Official Club History, b.1971|accessdate=2008-07-07 |year=2008 |publisher=b71-sandoy.com fo icon]

In the late 60’s, two of the island’s towns, Sandur and Skopun, started to compete. There were no goals, so instead they used two rocks each, representing goalposts. This rivalry between two of Sandoy’s biggest towns went on for several summers, bringing in truckloads of people from Skopun, even though cars had yet to be accessible to the common man. [cite web |url=http://b71-sandoy.com/ny/content/view/15/29/|title=Ibid|accessdate=2008-07-07 |year=2008 |publisher=b71-sandoy.com fo icon]

At around the same time, a new school was being built on Sandoy, where there also would be built a field on which to play sports. As a result of this, people started talking about forming a new team and on New Year’s Day 1970, a sports team was established. The preliminary year, the team was called "Sand", since only players from the town of Sandur were fielded. But the following year the team’s name was changed to B71. Since players from the entire island wanted to be a part of the team, it no longer seemed fitting to name the team after just one town. [cite web |url=http://b71-sandoy.com/ny/content/view/15/29/|title=Ibid|accessdate=2008-07-07 |year=2008 |publisher=b71-sandoy.com fo icon]

The first year only two teams were fielded. One senior team, playing in, what in those days was referred to as "Meðaldeildin" and one boys-team. [cite web |url=http://b71-sandoy.com/ny/content/view/15/29/|title=Ibid|accessdate=2008-07-07 |year=2008 |publisher=b71-sandoy.com fo icon]

The Early Years (1972-1985)

In the beginning, B71 took baby-steps towards their eventual greater years in the late 80's, early to mid 90’s. Players like Eli Hentze, Torbjørn Jensen, brothers Róin and Jóan Petur Clementsen, and many more, were still playing in the youth divisions, and wouldn’t feature prominently until they came of age in the second half of the eighties.

Faroese Champions (1986-1989)

Nothing really spectacular happened until B71 became 3. division champions in 1986. Two years later, in 1988, they won the 2. division and then, remarkably, they became 1. division champions in 1989, without losing a single game that year.In the space of 3-4 years B71 had gone from being an obscure 3. division side, to Faroese 1. division champions.

B71 also reached the final of the Faroese Cup in 1989. The initial match resulted in a 1-1 draw, but they ended up losing 2-0 after the replay.

Relegation shocker (1990)

For some reason or another, B71 were unable to defend their title the following year. Instead everything ended in catastrophe, when, instead of posing a title challenge, B71 were relegated, forced to spend at least a year in the second-best division.The shame would, however, be short-lived, since B71 immediately bounced back and gained promotion the very next year.

The infamous Faroese Cup finals (1993-1994)

Although B71 continued to pose a threat in the Faroese top-division during the early 90's, (never finishing lower than 4’th) they never captured the league trophy a second time. Instead, focus turned to the Faroese Cup, where B71 had even greater success during their reign as one of the top sides in Faroese football.B71 reached the finals two times in three years. The first time in 1993 against HB who they beat 2-0, winning the trophy for the first and only time so far, and again the year later, in 1994 where they lost 2-1 against KÍ.

Relegation/Promotion saga (1996-2006)

After nearly a decade of mostly good results, it was inevitable, that B71 eventually would have some misfortune. But no one would suspect that misfortune to last another decade.B71 went from finishing 4’th in 1995 to finishing 8’th in 1996, and subsequently finishing bottom of the league a year later. This meant being relegated to the second division, only to gain promotion in 1998.

Unstability tainted B71’s play who, in spite of this, managed to escape relegation for a couple of years, until they finally stayed went down in 2001, after having lost the relegation playoff against Skála. [cite web|url=http://www.uefa.com/footballeurope/news/kind=2/newsid=13834.html|title=Faroe Islands 2001 season-review|accessdate=2008-07-08 |year=2008 |publisher=uefa.com ] [Despite finishing second in 2002, 2004 and 2005, B71 weren't automatically promoted, because of the way the system of promotion/relegation worked. Runner-ups and the second-last teams had to play two playoff matches against each other, for promotion and relegation, respectively.] B71 would have to wait until the 2006 season before finally gaining promotion again to, what had since been renamed, Formuladeildin, for the fourth time since 1988.

Rise of the women's game

During this time, when the B71-men dissapointed time and time again, it was the women's team that really shone. Getting the results and winning match after match, was a daily occurance for the women of B71 through much of the 90's.

The youth squads of B71 also seemed to produce quality players, greatly due to the hiring of youth-coach Martin Kúrberg who stayed with B71 for many years.

Several of the players from the youth-ranks would become regular B71-players, but sadly the women's team, which got off to a stellar start, slowly declined until B71 were unable to enter a team to the Women's competition all together. Efforts have since been made in resurrecting the team, but so far they have been unable to match the success of B71's "Golden Girls".

B71’s Resurgency (2007)

B71 were touted as sure relegation candidates before the 2007 season, even before the first match, but halfway through the season, B71 had proven all of the pundits wrong, with sparkling results, such as a 0-3 away win at holders HB, a 1-0 home win against B36 and a 4-2 away thrashing against title-contenders EB/Streymur. At the end of the season B71 were well out of relegation danger and in the safe-zone. [cite web |url=http://www.soccerandequipment.com/2007-formula-division-aftermath.html|title=2007 Formula Division Aftermath|accessdate=2008-07-09 |year=2008 |publisher=soccerandequipment.com]

Present Day: Pre-season row (2008)

The 2008 season was kicked off with B71 once again being named underdogs, but this time B71 didn’t provide many surprises. Instead they went on a losing streak, only to salvage the first half of the season on the finishing line, when they played convincingly and won three of their last matches.

B71 had been unsettled pre-season, with the departure and absence of many key-players. The most prominent of which was one Magnus Olsen.There was much controversy and tension between B71 and B36 regarding the player in question. Allegations of tapping up and player-poaching echoed from the B71 camp, while B36 kept refuting the claims, suggesting that the B71 board had been notified of the club's interest in Magnus. [cite web|url=http://www.soccerandequipment.com/february-2008-roundup.html|title=B71 accuse B36 of player poaching, B36 say B71 gave the OK|accessdate=2008-07-09 |year=2008 |publisher=soccerandequipment.com]

This resulted in many appeals and re-appeals to the highest footballing authority in The Faroe Islands, FSF. B71 were eventually deemed to have no case and Magnus Olsen's much coveted player license was transferred to B36. [cite web |url=http://www.football.fo/UserImages/00002104_K%C3%A6ra%2003-2008.pdf|title="Aganevndin's" decision regarding Magnus Olsen|accessdate=2008-07-09 |year=2008 |publisher=football.fofo icon]

Apart from Magnus Olsen, players including Hanus Clementsen, Jóhannis Jensen and Clayton Soares were all ruled out, while successful defender Anders Rasmussen had left, during pre-season.Three games into the season, B71's talented young winger Rasmus Nielsen was injured in a bout with Fróði Benjaminsen and would be out for the entire first half of the season.

The Kit & The Crest

The Kit

Although B71 is, and always has been, considered a small club, even by Faroese standards, it has nonetheless had its fair share of kits. Lately there has almost been a new yearly, but there has also been a variety before this; some more loved than others, during B71 almost 40 year history.The primary B71 kit is yellow and blue. B71 has never had a kit yet which didn’t include either of these colours.

The first ever B71 kit was an all yellow jersey (except for the blue sleeves and neck-line), blue shorts and yellow socks. As B71 didn’t have any sponsors during its humble beginnings, the only decorative item on the shirt was the crest. The yellow colour of the initial jerseys was also a considerably lighter shade, than they would be in later years.

B71 has also experimented with its kits during the years. In honour of B71’s European debut, they wore a distinct shade of yellow, almost a green neon-like colour, mixed with blue.During the 2007 season, B71’s away kit was white, mixed with blue, resembling the Faroese flag.

The Crest

The club’s crest shows the Faroese flag (a red, white and blue Scandinavian Cross) centred on a shield. On top of the flag, sits a yellow football, representing the primary colour of the team and the sport they play, upon which the team’s name is displayed. [cite web |url=http://www.vflnet.com/infos/faroe_islands/b71/|title=The B71 Crest|accessdate=2008-08-12 |year=2008 |publisher=VFLnet.com ]

The crest has never been changed or altered in any way since 1970, except for the shade of yellow sometimes getting darker or lighter.

Former Coaches

UEFA club competition record

Honours

Domestic

League

*Faroe Islands Premier League Football:
** Champions (1): 1989
** "3rd placed" (1): 1994
*Faroe Islands 1. Deild: [From 2004, the second best division (2. deild) became known as 1. deild]
** Champions (4): 1988, 1991, 1998, 2006
** "Runner-up" (3): 2002, 2004, 2005
*Faroe Islands 2. Deild: [From 2004, the third best division (3. deild) became known as 2. deild]
** Champions (1): 1986

Cups

*Faroe Islands Cup:
** Champions (1): 1993
** "Runner-up" (2): 1989, 1994
*FSF Trophy:
** Champions (1): 2004
** "Runner-up" (1): 2005

References and notes

External links

Official

* [http://www.b71-sandoy.com/ Official website]
* [http://www.football.fo/ The Faroese Football Association's official website]
* [http://www.football.fo/index.asp?id={900417EB-FE44-4CC4-AABC-2D0E72309E94} The Faroese Football Association's official website: B71]

International sites

* [http://www.running-gag.de/wiki/B71_Sandur B71 on Running-gag.de de icon]
* [http://www.weltfussball.de/teams/b71-sandur/ B71 on Weltfussball.de de icon]
* [http://www.90minut.pl/skarb.php?id_klub=5614&id_sezon=34 B71 on 90Minut.pl pl icon]
* [http://www.vflnet.com/infos/faroe_islands/b71/ B71 on VFLnet.com en icon]