 | |||
| Full name | Sandefjord Ballklubb | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Ballklubben, SB, Gule, Sandefjord Ball | ||
| Founded | 27 February 1917; 108 years ago (1917-02-27) | ||
| Ground | Storstadion Sandefjord | ||
| Capacity | 7,000 | ||
| Manager | Sigurd Andreas Holmen | ||
| League | Norwegian Fourth Division | ||
| 2023 | 2.place | ||
Sandefjord Ballklubb is aNorwegianfootball club fromSandefjord, currently playing in Norwegian Fourth Division, the fifth tier in theNorwegian football league system.[1] The club was founded on 27 February 1917. Their home matches are played atStorstadion in Sandefjord.
Sandefjord Ballklubb was established in 1917 under the nameSportsklubben Frem. It received its current name in 1918. In 1919, the team participated in the Norwegian championships for the first time. The Sandefjord stadium was opened in 1925 as the first grassy soccer field inVestfold County. An early notable player in the 1940s was defenderThorbjørn Svenssen.[2]
Sandefjord Ballklubb played inHovedserien, the highest league in the league system, from1948–49 to1961–62, and in1964 and1965. They also played in theNorwegian Cup Final in1957 and1959, but lost both.[3] Its last stint in theNorwegian First Division was in1995.
On 10 September 1998, Ballklubben formed the elite football teamSandefjord Fotball with local rivalsRunar, in an attempt to take Sandefjord back to the top level of football in Norway.[4]
Sandefjord Ballklubb is the club thatThorbjørn "Klippen" Svenssen, the first Norwegian to earn 100 caps for thenational team, played all his matches for during his career from 1945 to 1966. During the same period,Øivind Johannessen,Ragnar Hvidsten andYngve Karlsen also earnedcaps playing for Norway.[5]
