IF Elfsborg
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| Full name | Idrottsföreningen Elfsborg | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Di Gule (The Yellow Ones) | ||
| Founded | 1904 | ||
| Ground | Borås Arena, Borås (Capacity: 17,800) |
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| Chairman |  Bosse Johansson |
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| Manager | Magnus Haglund |
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| League | Allsvenskan | ||
| 2008 | Allsvenskan, 2nd | ||
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IF Elfsborg is a Swedish football club located in Borås. The club has won 5 national championship titles, the latest in 2006, and 2 national cup titles. Currently playing in the highest Swedish league, Allsvenskan, their main rivals are IFK Göteborg. Elfsborg is based in Borås Arena.
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[edit] History
Borås Fotbollslag was formed on June 26th 1904, by a group of youngster. In 1906 the name was changed to IF Elfsborg, because the founders felt there were too many teams with 'Borås' in their name. In 1926 Elfsborg won Västsvenska Serien, and defeated Halmstad BK in the play off, and was promoted to Allsvenskan for the first time. During the 1930s Elfsborg managed to build a very strong team led by striker Sven Jonasson, who appeared in both the 1934 and 1938 World Cup. In 1936 Elfsborg won Allsvenskan for the first time, and two more titles followed soon after (1939 and 1940). During this period Elfsborg had as many as seven players in the Swedish national team.
In 1941 Elfsborg left Ramnavallen to play their home games at the newly constructed Ryavallen. The first game at the new ground was supposed to be a friendly between Sweden and Finland, but Finland’s involvement in the Second World War prevented them from playing, so they were replaced by Elfsborg, who beat the Swedish national team 2-1.
In the mid 1940s Elfsborg came close to winning Allsvenskan again, but finished second three years in a row. By the late 1940s Elfsborg's glory days were over, and the club was eventually relegated in 1954.
In 1960 Elfsborg won promotion after an impressive season with 20 wins in 22 games, and the club managed to win Allsvenskan for the fourth time in 1961, becoming the first Swedish team to go straight from the second level to becoming champions.
In 1977 Elfsborg reached second place, but the following years proved difficult for the club. In 1987 Elfsborg finished last in Allsvenskan, and did not return to the top flight until 1997. The team that won promotion contained several future Swedish internationals including Anders Svensson and Tobias Linderoth. Even though Elfsborg won their first two cup titles (in 2001 and 2003), the club struggled to stay in Allsvenskan in the following years.
In 2005 Elfsborg spent a lot of money on building Borås Arena, and bringing back former players. The investments paid off and the fifth Championship was won in 2006 - the club's first Allsvenskan title for 45 years. The year after Elfsborg appeared in the Champions League qualifying stage for the first time, and subsequently reached the group stage in the UEFA Cup for the first time.
[edit] Current squad
As of 1 April 2009.
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[edit] Out on loan
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[edit] Noted players
[edit] Achievements
- Allsvenskan:
- Winners (5): 1935–36, 1938–39, 1939–40, 1961, 2006
- Runners-up (6): 1942–43, 1943–44, 1944–45, 1965, 1977, 2008
- Svenska Cupen:
- Winners (2): 2001, 2003
- Runners-up (3): 1942, 1980–81, 1996–97
- Supercupen:
- Winners (1): 2007
[edit] Records
- Most appearances, total: 410, Sven Jonasson
- Most goals scored, total: 252, Sven Jonasson
- Away victory, Allsvenskan: 12-2 vs. IFK Eskilstuna, 19 April 1936
- Highest attendance, Ryavallen: 22.654 vs. IFK Norrköping, 1961
- Highest attendance, Borås Arena: 17,070 vs. Kalmar FF, 4 July 2005
[edit] External links
- IF Elfsborg - official site
- Guliganerna - official supporter club site
- Ålgårdsläktaren - supporter site
- Elfsborgsläktaren - supporter site
- BornYellow - history and statistics
- Vi Gule - supporter forum
