Esbjerg fB
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Full name | Esbjerg forenede Boldklubber | |||
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Short name | EfB | |||
Founded | 23 July 1924[1] | |||
Ground | Blue Water Arena, Esbjerg | |||
Capacity | 18,000 | |||
Owner | Chien Lee Partners Path Capital Pacific Media Group (Paul Conway, Grace Hung ![]() Krishen Sud | |||
Head coach | Roland Vrabec | |||
League | 1st Division | |||
2020–21 | 1st Division, 3rd of 12 | |||
Website | Club website | |||
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Esbjerg forenede Boldklubber (Danish pronunciation: [ˈesˌpjɛɐ̯ˀ fʌˈe̝ˀnð̩ ˈpʌltkʰlupɐ]; commonly known as Esbjerg fB or EfB in short) is a professional football club based in Esbjerg, West Jutland, Denmark, that plays in the 1st Division, the second-tier of the Danish football league system. Founded in 1924 as a merger between Esbjerg Boldklub af 1898 and Esbjerg Amatørklub af 1911, the first team play their home games at Blue Water Arena which has been the club's home ground since its opening in 1955.
History[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2f/Fodbold_EfB_logo2.png/100px-Fodbold_EfB_logo2.png)
Esbjerg forenede Boldklubber was officially established in 1924 as a merger between Esbjerg Boldklub af 1898 (E.B. 98) and Esbjerg Amatørklub af 1911 (EAK) after 12 years of competition between the two clubs.[1] The new club was driven by ambition for something bigger, which already produced results the day after when the club's best start-up team defeated Kolding IF with 7–0.[2]
The club's golden years were in the first half of the 1960s with the Austrian coach Rudi Strittich throughout most of the decade.[3][4] The club won the Danish Championship in 1961, 1962, 1963 and 1965 and won the DBU Cup in 1964.[5] In the 2010–11 Danish Superliga season EfB finished 12th and was relegated to the Danish 1st Division for the first time since the 1999-00 season.[6]
In March 2021, Chien Lee, Partners Path Capital, Pacific Media Group and Krishen Sud invested in Esbjerg fB and became the majority shareholder.[7]
Stadium[]
Esbjerg fB plays at Blue Water Arena, which is the name of Esbjerg Stadion at Gl. Vardevej and part of Esbjerg Sports Park. In 2004, a new stand was built on the eastern side of a stadium. A new stadium with seating for 16,942 spectators was completed in August 2009. It is currently the second biggest stadium in Jutland, and the fourth biggest in Denmark.
- Location: Gl. Vardevej 82, 6700 Esbjerg
- Year built: 1955
- Extended / renovated: 1999, 2004, 2008–09
- Capacity: 16,942 (11,451 seats)
- Pitch Size: 105 x 68 meters
- Lighting: 1200 lux.
- Record attendance: 22,000 (Esbjerg fB – KB, 1961)
- Address: Gl Vardevej 82, 6700 Esbjerg
Honours[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/12/Efb_table_complete.png/300px-Efb_table_complete.png)
- Champions (5): 1961, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1979
- Silver (3): 1955–56, 1968, 1978
- Bronze (2): 1977, 2003–04, 2018–19
- Winners (3): 1963–64, 1975–76, 2012–13
- Runners-up (6): 1956–57, 1961–62, 1977–78, 1984–85, 2005–06, 2007–08
- Champions: 2011–12
Achievements[]
- 45 seasons in the Highest Danish League
- 24 seasons in the Second Highest Danish League
- 5 seasons in the Third Highest Danish League
Players[]
Current squad[]
- As of 14 December 2021[8]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Youth players in use 2021-22[]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Leaving players[]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Staff[]
- Head Coach: Roland Vrabec
- Assistant Coach: Rafael van der Vaart
- A + Coach:
- Goalkeeper Coach: Frode Birkeland
- Transition Coach:
- Physical Coach: Morten Bastholm
- Assistant Physical Coach: Mattias Fredeløkke
- Kit Manager: René Christiansen
Former coaches[]
Rudi Strittich (1961–62)
Arne Sørensen (1963–64)
Rudi Strittich (1965–67)
Richard Møller Nielsen (1968–69)
Ernst Netuka (1969–70)
Ludwig Weg (1970–71)
Peter Stubbe (1972)
JJ Hansen and
CE Christiansen (1972)
Egon Jensen (1973–76)
Rudi Strittich (1976–79)
Carl Emil Christiansen (1979–80)
Jürgen Wähling (1981–83)
Henrik Brandenborg (1984–86)
Allan Michaelsen (1987–88)
Allan Hebo Larsen (1989–90)
Jan Hansen (1990–93)
Ian Salter (1993)
Jørn Bach (1993–97)
Viggo Jensen (1997–02)
Ove Pedersen (July 1, 2002 – Dec 31, 2005)
Troels Bech (July 1, 2005 – Nov 16, 2008)
Jess Thorup (Nov 17, 2008 – Dec 31, 2008)
Ove Pedersen (Jan 1, 2009 – March 14, 2011)
Jess Thorup (March 14, 2011 – May 30, 2013)
Niels Frederiksen (July 1, 2013 – Aug 10, 2015)
Michael Mex Pedersen (Aug 11, 2015 – Oct 20, 2015)
Jonas Dal (Oct 20, 2015 – June 30, 2016)
Colin Todd (July 8, 2016 – Dec 5, 2016)
Lars Lungi Sørensen (Dec 5, 2016 – Jun 19, 2017)
John Lammers (Jun 23, 2017 – Sep 16, 2019)
Claus Nørgaard (Sep 17, 2019 – Oct 27, 2019)
Lars Olsen (Oct 28, 2019 – June 9, 2020)
Troels Bech (June 10, 2020 – July 15, 2020)
Ólafur Kristjánsson (Aug 1, 2020 – May 10, 2021)
Lars Vind (May 10, 2021 – May 30, 2021)
Peter Hyballa (June 1, 2021 – Aug 11, 2021)
Roland Vrabec (Aug 11, 2021 – Present)
Denmark national football team players[]
The following 32 Esbjerg football players has been picked and had their debut on the Danish national football team (debut/matches/goals):
- Peter Ankersen (2013/1/0)
- Martin Braithwaite (2013/2/1)
- Peter Nymann (2010/1/0)
- Søren Rieks (2009/3/1)
- Martin Vingaard (2008/5/1)
- Niki Zimling (2008/1/0)
- Jesper Bech (2006/1/0)
- Jan Kristiansen (2003/9/0)
- John Lauridsen (1981/27/3)
- (1980/18/0)
- Ole Kjær (1977/26/0)
- Jens Jørn Bertelsen (1976/69/2)
- Hans Jørgen Christiansen (1968/5/0)
- Vagn Hedeager (1967/1/0)
- Børge Enemark (1965/11/0)
- Knud Petersen (1965/4/0)
- Preben Jensen (1962/2/0)
- Carl Emil Christiansen (1962/2/1)
- Jens Petersen (1962/22/1)
- Jens Jørgen Hansen (1962/40/0)
- Carl Bertelsen (1962/21/9)
- Erik Gaardhøje (1961/14/0)
- John Madsen (1961/20/0)
- Egon Jensen (1957/12/4)
- Ove Hansen (1956/9/0)
- Johannes Schmidt (1955/1/0)
- Søren Andersen (1951/5/0)
- Erik Terkelsen (1950/17/0)
- Jens Peder Hansen (1949/38/18)
- Curt Christensen (1949/1/0)
- Viggo Jensen (1945/15/1)
- Jørgen Iversen (1937/5/1)
- Olaf Brockhoff (1935/2/0)
- Arthur Nielsen (1935/1/0)
- Emil Møller (1932/3/0)
Former notable foreign players[]
Esbjerg has a list of former notable foreign players of which some have represented their national team. Some of the most memorable are listed here:
Player of the year[]
Player of the year Esbjerg fB
- 1999–00: Henrik Ibsen
- 2000–01: Joakim Persson
- 2001–02: Christian Karlsson
- 2002–03: Jan Kristiansen
- 2003–04: Tommy Bechmann
- 2004–05: Fredrik Berglund
- 2005–06: Jerry Lucena
- 2006–07: Niki Zimling
- 2007–08: Martin Vingaard
- 2008–09: Søren Rieks
- 2009–10: Nicolai Høgh
- 2010–11: Jesper Lange
- 2011–12: Søren Rieks
- 2012–13: Lukáš Hrádecký
- 2013–14: Kian Hansen[9]
- 2014–15: Jonas Knudsen[10]
- 2015–16: Jeppe Højbjerg
- 2016–17: Victor Pálsson
- 2017–18: Anders Dreyer[11]
- 2018–19: Joni Kauko[12]
Player of the year Denmark
- 1963: Jens Petersen
- 1978: Ole Kjær
- 1979: Jens Jørn Bertelsen
Recent history[]
Season | Pos. | Pl. | W | D | L | GS | GA | P | Cup | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1999–2000 | SL | 12 | 33 | 8 | 4 | 21 | 40 | 70 | 28 | Quarter-final | relegated |
2000–01 | 1D | 1 | 30 | 19 | 8 | 3 | 79 | 29 | 65 | 5th round | promoted |
2001–02 | SL | 7 | 33 | 13 | 6 | 14 | 42 | 44 | 45 | Semi-final | |
2002–03 | SL | 5 | 33 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 65 | 57 | 47 | Quarter-final | |
2003–04 | SL | 3 | 33 | 18 | 8 | 7 | 71 | 44 | 62 | 5th round | |
2004–05 | SL | 5 | 33 | 13 | 10 | 10 | 61 | 47 | 49 | 5th round | |
2005–06 | SL | 6 | 33 | 12 | 6 | 15 | 43 | 45 | 42 | Runner-up | |
2006–07 | SL | 7 | 33 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 46 | 51 | 40 | 4th round | |
2007–08 | SL | 7 | 33 | 13 | 6 | 14 | 59 | 54 | 45 | Runner-up | |
2008–09 | SL | 9 | 33 | 7 | 11 | 15 | 32 | 41 | 32 | 3rd round | |
2009–10 | SL | 4 | 33 | 13 | 11 | 9 | 48 | 43 | 50 | 4th round | |
2010–11 | SL | 12 | 33 | 7 | 12 | 14 | 36 | 49 | 33 | Semi-final | relegated |
2011–12 | 1D | 1 | 26 | 21 | 3 | 2 | 60 | 19 | 66 | 3rd round | promoted |
2012–13 | SL | 4 | 33 | 13 | 8 | 12 | 38 | 32 | 47 | Winner | |
2013–14 | SL | 5 | 33 | 13 | 9 | 11 | 47 | 38 | 48 | 4th round | |
2014–15 | SL | 8 | 33 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 47 | 45 | 40 | Semi-final | |
2015–16 | SL | 11 | 33 | 7 | 9 | 17 | 38 | 64 | 30 | 3rd round | |
2016–17 | SL | 14 | 32 | 6 | 12 | 14 | 32 | 54 | 30 | 3rd round | relegated |
2017–18 | 1D | 2 | 33 | 18 | 6 | 9 | 61 | 36 | 60 | 1st round | promoted |
2018–19 | SL | 3 | 36 | 16 | 8 | 12 | 45 | 47 | 56 | Quarter-final | |
2019–20 | SL | 14 | 32 | 5 | 7 | 20 | 32 | 58 | 22 | Quarter-final | relegated |
2020–21 | 1D | 3rd round |
References[]
- ^ a b Ahlstrøm, Frits (2013). Fodbold i sjov og alvor (1. E-bogsudgave ed.). Politiken. ISBN 9788740013207.
- ^ "Esbjerg fB - 3F Superliga". superliga.dk. Superliga. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
- ^ Kjærbøl, Michael (24 August 2018). "Diametrale trænermodsætninger – DBUs slingrekurs". ekstrabladet.dk. Ekstra Bladet. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
- ^ "Trænerlegenden Rudi Strittich er død". ekstrabladet.dk. Ekstra Bladet. 12 July 2010. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
- ^ "Det gyldne efterår 1961 - et tronskifte i dansk fodbold". jv.dk. JydskeVestkysten. 26 November 2011. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
- ^ Fodbold, danske kampe 2011 (1st ed.). Carlsens Årbøger. 2011. p. 16.
- ^ “EfB presents new majority shareholder”
- ^ "Superligatrup | Esbjerg fB". efb.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 2019-06-29.
- ^ "Esbjerg fB's officielle hjemmeside | Regionens Hold" (in Danish). EfB.dk. Retrieved 2019-11-26.
- ^ "Esbjerg fB's officielle hjemmeside | Regionens Hold" (in Danish). EfB.dk. Retrieved 2019-11-26.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2018-08-08. Retrieved 2018-07-19.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- ^ "Sæsonens Spiller 2018/2019: Joni Kauko - EfB" (in Danish). Efb.dk. Retrieved 2019-11-26.
External links[]
- Esbjerg fB
- Football clubs in Denmark
- Association football clubs established in 1924
- 1924 establishments in Denmark