Östersunds FK
Full nameÖstersunds Fotbollsklubb
Short nameÖFK
Founded31 October 1996 (31 October 1996)
GroundJämtkraft Arena, Östersund
Capacity8,545[1]
ChairmanMathias Rasteby
Head coachMagnus Powell
LeagueSuperettan
2022Superettan, 14th
WebsiteClub website

Östersunds Fotbollsklubb, commonly known simply as Östersunds FK, Östersund (Swedish pronunciation: [œstɛˈʂɵnːd]) or (especially locally) ÖFK, is a Swedish professional football club located in Östersund, Sweden, that plays in the Swedish second tier, Superettan. The club was formed in 1996 as a merger of several Östersund clubs. The club is affiliated with the Jämtland-Härjedalens Fotbollförbund[2] and play their home games at Jämtkraft Arena. The club colours, reflected in their crest and kit, are red and black, predominantly in stripes and with red shorts and socks.

From its creation, the club played mostly in the third tier of Swedish football but in 2013 Östersund achieved promotion to the second tier, Superettan, after achieving two consecutive promotions. In 2016 Östersund was promoted to the Swedish first tier, Allsvenskan, for the first time.[3] In 2017, Östersund won the Svenska Cupen and qualified for the UEFA Europa League. The club was relegated to Superettan in 2021.[4]

Name

The name 'Östersunds' is in a possessive clause in the Swedish language, which means it is incorrect to call the club anything other than Östersund in a short form based on the town name.

Background

Östersunds FK was created in 1996 when the three local clubs Ope IF, IFK Östersund and Östersund/Torvalla FF merged, aiming to create a club in that would be able to establish itself in the top two tiers of Swedish football. The next year Frösö IF also joined the project. The newly formed club started out their existence in the third tier in 1997 and Östersund/Torvalla FF ceased to exist as a consequence.[5] IFK Östersund, Ope IF och Östersund/Torvalla FF (ÖTFF). In 2000 a fifth club, Fältjägarnas IF, was also merged into the club.

During the 2000s the club started taking on an English flavour and in 2007 the director of football Daniel Kindberg used his friendship with coaches Roberto Martínez and Graeme Jones to start a cooperation with Swansea City where Östersund would loan young players from the club. Swansea also came over to Östersund to play the inauguration game at the newly built stadium.[6] After a poor 2010 season the club was relegated to the fourth tier for the first time ever.

In 2011 Daniel Kindberg returned to the role as director of football and increased financial backing from local companies which enabled the hiring of more full-time staff. Following Jones' recommendation the club also brought in young English manager Graham Potter[7] who was working at an English university at the time. Through several successful signings, some coming from Potter's connections at Nike Football Academy, the club was able to win both the fourth tier and then the third tier immediately the year after.[8] The club was promoted to Superettan for the 2013 season and finished 10th that season.

In January 2014 the club announced that they had signed a half-billion kronor deal with the government of Libya to develop and educate Libyan football players. Under the terms of the deal, Östersunds FK would train 250 young men from Libya every year, except the first year in which they will receive 60 students. Those players would be taught English and computer skills in addition to sports theory and football training. The deal was expected to raise Östersund FKs yearly profits by over 50%.[9] The deal with the Libyan state never came to life, thus meaning no students came to Östersund and no money was received by the club.[10]

On 27 October 2015, the club was promoted to Allsvenskan for the first time.[11] In 2017, they managed to win their first major trophy, Svenska Cupen, after defeating IFK Norrköping 4–1 in the final, also qualifying for the 2017–18 UEFA Europa League, marking their first appearance in a European competition tournament. In their Europa League debut in the second qualifying round on 13 July 2017, Östersund earned a shock 2–0 victory against Turkish giants Galatasaray at the Jämtkraft Arena and eliminated them after a 1–1 draw in Istanbul. Two goals by Saman Ghoddos in a win against PAOK on 24 August saw them qualify for the group stage at the first time of asking, at the same time making them the only Swedish representative in the season's UEFA competition and making Graham Potter the only British manager in the Europa League group stage. After losing only one game in their campaign, they finished second in a group featuring Athletic Bilbao and Hertha Berlin, becoming the first Swedish club to progress beyond the Europa League group stage. In the round of 32 they managed to beat English side Arsenal 2–1 away but were eliminated 4–2 on aggregate after losing the first leg 3–0.[12]

On 17 April 2018, club chairman (also the director of football) Daniel Kindberg was taken into custody by the Swedish Economic Crime Authority, suspected on probable cause of serious fraud and for assisting in serious gross accounting violations.[13] Together with two other people, Kindberg is suspected of submitting false invoices in several companies, according to the prosecutor.[14] Several of these companies have strong ties to Östersunds FK and the club's sponsorship deals.[15][16] Several years before, in 2014, Kindberg was subject to criticism when Östersundshem, the municipal housing company where he was the CEO, became a big sponsor of Östersunds FK.[17][18]

On 11 June 2018, Graham Potter left Östersunds FK to take over as manager of Swansea City after eight seasons in charge.

On 31 October 2021, they were relegated from Allsvenskan after they lost against Varberg BoIS. In the 2022 season, Östersunds FK managed to barely escape relegation from Superettan, the second tier of Swedish men's professional football. The team ended up in 14th place and therefore had to play qualification which they eventually won. Östersund played six seasons in Allsvenskan before they were relegated.[19]

Season to season

Season Level Division Section Position Movements Svenska Cupen
1997 Tier 4 Division 2 Norrland 7th
1998 Tier 4 Division 2 Norrland 2nd Promotion Playoffs
1999 Tier 4 Division 2 Norrland 1st Promotion Playoffs
2000 Tier 4 Division 2 Norrland 5th
2001 Tier 4 Division 2 Norrland 3rd
2002 Tier 4 Division 2 Norrland 5th Round 1
2003 Tier 4 Division 2 Norrland 2nd DNQ
2004 Tier 4 Division 2 Norrland 4th Round 1
2005 Tier 4 Division 2 Norrland 2nd Promoted Round 3
2006[lower-alpha 1] Tier 3 Division 1 Norra 11th Round 2
2007 Tier 3 Division 1 Norra 11th Round 2
2008 Tier 3 Division 1 Norra 10th Round 2
2009 Tier 3 Division 1 Norra 11th Round 2
2010 Tier 3 Division 1 Norra 13th Relegated Round 3
2011 Tier 4 Division 2 Norrland 1st Promoted Round 2
2012 Tier 3 Division 1 Norra 1st Promoted Round 2[lower-alpha 2]
2013 Tier 2 Superettan 10th
2014 Tier 2 Superettan 5th Group stage, 3rd
2015 Tier 2 Superettan 2nd Promoted Round 2
2016 Tier 1 Allsvenskan 8th Group stage, 3rd
2017 Tier 1 Allsvenskan 5th Winner
2018 Tier 1 Allsvenskan 6th Semi-finals
2019 Tier 1 Allsvenskan 12th Group stage, 2nd
2020 Tier 1 Allsvenskan 13th Group stage, 2nd
2021 Tier 1 Allsvenskan 16th Relegated Quarter-finals
2022 Tier 2 Superettan 14th Round 2
2023 Tier 2 Superettan 5th Group stage, 4th
  1. ↑ League restructuring in 2006 resulted in a new division being created at Tier 3 and subsequent divisions dropping a level.[20]
  2. ↑ No final was played in 2012, due to the Swedish cup moving to a autumn-spring format, with the 2012-13 final being played in 2013.

European record

Overall record

Accurate as of 23 February 2018
Competition Played Won Drew Lost GF GA GD Win%
UEFA Europa League 14 8 3 3 19 13 +6 057.14
Total 14 8 3 3 19 13 +6 057.14

Matches

Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate
2017–18 UEFA Europa League 2Q Turkey Galatasaray 2–0 1–1 3–1
3Q Luxembourg Fola Esch 1–0 2–1 3–1
PO Greece PAOK 2–0 1–3 3–3 (a)
Group J Spain Athletic Bilbao 2–2 0–1 2nd
Germany Hertha BSC 1–0 1–1
Ukraine Zorya Luhansk 2–0 2–0
R32 England Arsenal 0–3 2–1 2–4
Notes
  • 2Q: Second qualifying round
  • 3Q: Third qualifying round
  • PO: Play-off round
  • GS: Group Stage
  • R32: Round of 32

UEFA Team rank

The following list ranks the current position of Östersunds FK in UEFA ranking:

RankTeamPoints
89Sweden Malmö FF16.000
116Italy Torino FC12.330
117Croatia HNK Rijeka10.500
118Cyprus AEK Larnaca FC10.000
119Sweden Östersunds FK10.000
120Moldova FC Sheriff Tiraspol10.000
121Turkey Osmanlispor8.000
145Sweden AIK6.000
187Sweden IFK Norrköping3.975
188Sweden BK Häcken3.975

As of 21 September 2020.

Players

First-team squad

As of 19 September 2023[21]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Guinea GUI Aly Keita (captain)
2 DF Sweden SWE Cesar Weilid
3 DF Ivory Coast CIV Kalpi Ouattara
4 DF Norway NOR Kristian Novak
5 DF Norway NOR Kevin Jablinski
6 DF Sweden SWE Jakob Hedenquist
7 MF Sweden SWE André Österholm
8 MF Brazil BRA Erick Brendon
9 FW Sweden SWE Sebastian Karlsson Grach
10 FW Sweden SWE Simon Marklund
11 DF Ukraine UKR Mykola Musolitin
15 MF Sweden SWE Jakob Johnsson
16 MF Sweden SWE Albin Sporrong
No. Pos. Nation Player
17 FW Sweden SWE Malcolm Stolt
18 DF Ukraine UKR Myroslav Mazur
19 MF Lebanon LBN André Nader
21 MF Sweden SWE Simon Kroon
22 DF Sweden SWE Theodore Rask (on loan from Norrköping)
24 GK Sweden SWE Anton Berg
25 MF Norway NOR Mansour Sinyan
27 DF Sweden SWE Ziad Ghanoum
28 MF Ivory Coast CIV Yannick Adjoumani (on loan from Häcken)
29 FW Sweden SWE Calvin Kabuye (on loan from AIK)
30 GK England ENG Andrew Mills

Notable players

This list of notable players includes those who have either been named player of the year at the club,[22] or has become league top goalscorer, or went on to play in Allsvenskan (or for larger clubs abroad).

Brian Wake became the combined top goalscorer of all six regional fourth tier leagues in 2011 with 24 goals in 20 games.[23]

Player records

Top 10 players with most games in ÖFK

Nr Name Games Goals
1 Guinea Sweden Aly Keita 213 0
2 Sweden Lars Oscarsson 212 10
3 Ghana Sweden Samuel Mensiro 204 4
4 Sweden Martin Johansson 193 15
5 England Sweden Jamie Hopcutt 190 47
6 Sweden Daniel Westerlund 184 58
7 Sweden Dennis Widgren 179 3
8 Sweden Petter Jacobsson 172 7
9 Sweden Bobo Sollander 163 24
10 Iraq Sweden Brwa Nouri 154 23

Player of the season in ÖFK

Year Name
1997 Scotland Paul Sheerin
1998 Sweden Mattias Eriksson
1999 Sweden Mikael Berg
2000 Sweden Lars Oscarsson
2001 Finland Sweden Lasse Mattila
2002 Sweden Kjell Jönsson
2003 Sweden Fredrik Aliris
2004 Sweden Martin Johansson
2005 Sweden Joakim Lundstedt
2006 Sweden Erik Lantto
2007 Sweden Erik Lantto
2008 England Lee Makel
2009 Sweden Bobo Sollander
2010 Sweden Christoffer Fryklund
2011 England Sweden Brian Wake
2012 Sweden Petter Augustsson
2013 Ghana Sweden Samuel Mensiro
2014 The Gambia Sweden Modou Barrow
2015 Comoros France Fouad Bachirou
2016 Sweden England Douglas Bergqvist
2017 Iran Sweden Saman Ghoddos
2018 Iran Sweden Saman Ghoddos
2019 Montenegro Sweden Dino Islamovic
2020 Guinea Sweden Aly Keita
2021 Guinea Sweden Aly Keita
2022 Sweden Ludvig Fritzson

Top 10 players with most goals in ÖFK

Nr Name Goals Games
1 Sweden Daniel Westerlund 58 184
2 England Sweden Jamie Hopcutt 47 190
3 Iran Sweden Saman Ghoddos 41 93
4 Sweden Joakim Lundstedt 33 97
5 England Sweden Brian Wake 26 33
6 Sweden Bobo Sollander 24 163
7 Iran Sweden Brwa Nouri 23 154
8 Sweden Daniel Johansson 21 36
8 Jamaica England Blair Turgott 21 68
10 Montserrat England Alex Dyer 19 93

Management and boardroom

Technical staff

As of 24 January 2021[24]

Name Role
Sweden Richard Persson Chairman
Sweden Peja Andersoon CEO
Sweden Magnus Powell Head Coach
Sweden Stefan Lundin Sporting Director and Assistant Coach
Libya Moubarak Abdallah Equipment Manager
Vacant Doctor
Sweden Jenny Larsson Head of Physiotherapists
Sweden Michael Lagercrantz Physiotherapist
Sweden Lisa Brandén Physiotherapist
Sweden David Lidström Hultén Press Officer
Vacant Supporter Liaison Officer

Boardroom

Östersunds FK (Föreningen)

Name Role
Sweden Richard Persson Chairman
Sweden Johan Lidenmark Boardmember
Sweden Ulf Ringdahl Boardmember
Sweden Åsa Bromée Boardmember
Sweden Åsa Trolle Boardmember
Sweden Mårten Ulander Boardmember

Östersunds FK Elitfotboll AB

Name Role
Sweden Tom Pripp Chairman
Sweden Kjell Andersson CEO
Sweden Tommy Holmgren Vice Chairman
Sweden Kent Hellström Board member

Coaches

Englishman Neil McDonald helped the team avoid relegation during his short time with the club at the end of the 2007 season.[25]

[26]

Attendances

In recent seasons Östersunds FK have had the following average attendances:

Jämtkraft Arena opened up in 2007 with a friendly game between Östersunds FK and Swansea City.[27]
Season Average Attendance Division / Section Level Stadium
2005 573 Div 2 Norrland Tier 3 Hofvallen
2006 535 Div 1 Norra Tier 3 Hofvallen
2007 1,060 Div 1 Norra Tier 3 Jämtkraft Arena
2008 1,104 Div 1 Norra Tier 3 Jämtkraft Arena
2009 1,134 Div 1 Norra Tier 3 Jämtkraft Arena
2010 992 Div 1 Norra Tier 3 Jämtkraft Arena
2011 783 Div 2 Norrland Tier 4 Jämtkraft Arena
2012 1,695 Div 1 Norra Tier 3 Jämtkraft Arena
2013 3,320 Superettan Tier 2 Jämtkraft Arena
2014 3,022 Superettan Tier 2 Jämtkraft Arena
2015 3,857 Superettan Tier 2 Jämtkraft Arena
2016 5,914 Allsvenskan Tier 1 Jämtkraft Arena
2017 5,265 Allsvenskan Tier 1 Jämtkraft Arena
2018 6,020 Allsvenskan Tier 1 Jämtkraft Arena
2019 4,808 Allsvenskan Tier 1 Jämtkraft Arena
2020 (COVID) -- Allsvenskan Tier 1 Jämtkraft Arena
2021 1,500 (COVID) Allsvenskan Tier 1 Jämtkraft Arena
2022 1,661 Superettan Tier 2 Jämtkraft Arena

* Attendances are provided in the Publikliga sections of the Svenska Fotbollförbundet website. [28]

Honours

League

Cups

* League restructuring in 2006 resulted in a new division being created at Tier 3 and subsequent divisions dropping a level. [29]

References

  1. ↑ "Evenemangsarena: Jämtkraft Arena". www.ostersund.se. Archived from the original on 11 April 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  2. ↑ "Kontaktuppgifter och tävlingar – Jämtland-Härjedalens Fotbollförbund – Svenskfotboll.se". Retrieved 12 January 2011.
  3. ↑ "Kontaktuppgifter och tävlingar 2013 – Östersunds FK". Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  4. ↑ "TV: Från vinst mot Arsenal till allsvensk nedflyttning - här är ÖFK:s uppgång och fall". fotbollskanalen (in Swedish). Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  5. ↑ "Östersunds FF Historia" (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 17 September 2013. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  6. ↑ "Östersunds satsar brittiskt" (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 13 August 2010. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  7. ↑ "Graham Potter: ‘I’ve shown there’s another path for English managers’" The Guardian 12 Feb 2018
  8. ↑ "ÖFK Tillbakablick" (in Swedish). Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  9. ↑ "Superettan klubb får en halvmiljard" (in Swedish). Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  10. ↑ "Libyen-samarbete skjuts upp ytterligare" (in Swedish). Retrieved 13 December 2017.
  11. ↑ Calle Lindberg (27 October 2015). "Östersunds FK allsvenskt för första gången" (in Swedish). SVT Sport. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  12. ↑ "Playing Arsenal is like Christmas': How Graham Potter transformed Ostersund and inspired Sweden's north". The Independent. 14 February 2018. Archived from the original on 7 May 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  13. ↑ "Låt spelarna fokusera på matchen". Östersunds FK. 17 April 2018. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  14. ↑ "Uppgifter: Daniel Kindberg anhållen efter ekobrottsrazzian i morse". Östersunds-Posten. 17 April 2018. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  15. ↑ "Miljonsponsring till ÖFK från Kindbergs affärspartner utreds". Fotbollskanalen. 17 April 2018. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  16. ↑ "Sollefteåföretagare betalade miljoner till ÖFK". SVT. 17 April 2018. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  17. ↑ "Östersunds FK: Underbar och älskad av alla?". Offside. 16 March 2016. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  18. ↑ "ÖFK-basen sitter på flera stolar - medger: "Min makt är enorm"". Fotbollskanalen. 24 October 2017. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  19. ↑ "Östersunds FK åker ur allsvenskan". www.aftonbladet.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  20. ↑ "GAIS – Lagfacta – Östersunds FK". Retrieved 9 March 2010.
  21. ↑ "Östersunds FK Team". Östersunds FK. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  22. ↑ "Östersunds FF Klubben". Archived from the original on 1 May 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  23. ↑ "Brian Wake – målkung i förbundsserierna". Archived from the original on 18 April 2013. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  24. ↑ "Truppen 2015". Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  25. ↑ "Heta möten mot Vasalund". Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  26. ↑ "Östersunds FF Klubben". Archived from the original on 1 May 2012. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
  27. ↑ "Swansea till Östersund!!!". Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  28. ↑ "Kontaktuppgifter och tävlingar – Svenska Fotbollförbundet – svenskfotboll.se". Archived from the original on 9 June 2009. Retrieved 19 November 2010.
  29. ↑ "GAIS – Lagfacta – Östersunds FK". Retrieved 9 March 2010.
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