 | ||||
| Full name | Silkeborg Idrætsforening | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Short name | SIF | |||
| Founded | 1917; 109 years ago (1917) | |||
| Ground | JYSK Park | |||
| Capacity | 10,000 (6,000 seated) | |||
| Owner | Trivela Group | |||
| Chairman | Kent Madsen | |||
| Head coach | Kent Nielsen | |||
| League | Superliga | |||
| 2024–25 | Superliga, 7th of 12 | |||
| Website | www | |||
 Current season | ||||
Silkeborg Idrætsforening, (pronounced[ˈse̝lkəˌpɒˀˈitʁætsfɒˌe̝ˀne̝ŋ]; commonly known asSilkeborg IF orSIF in short) is a professionalfootball club based inSilkeborg, Denmark. The club was founded in 1917, reached the highest level of Danish football in 1987, and afterwards became one of the most successful football clubs in Denmark. They won the1993–94 Danish Superliga, finished third in 1994–95, 2000–01, and 2021–22, second in 1997–98, and won theDanish Cup in2001 and2024. Silkeborg has participated in European competitions several times, winning theUEFA Intertoto Cup in 1996.
Founded in 1917, the football section of Silkeborg IF played in the top ranks ofJutland until a short visit in the third division in 1962. In 1966, however the team was promoted to the 2nd division of Danish football. In 1982, the club took the decisive step towards the Danish top football, as the company SIF Football Support A / S was founded, a professional company that would be responsible for professional football in Silkeborg. This resulted in a rise in 1987 to the country's top row, the 1st division. This came as a large surprise to most football enthusiasts and a reporter from the Danish newspaperPolitiken wrote, "It will be a surprise if Silkeborg will win a corner kick." The team, however, played well and already in the third game of the season Silkeborg defeated Denmark's dominant team,Brøndby with a 1–0 win at home.
There were many vital matches in the 1993–94 season, but perhaps the most important game for Silkeborg was the tournament's third round match at home against Brøndby. Just before the game, the team's big nameJakob Kjeldberg had been sold toChelsea,[1] and when Brøndby put themselves ahead 2–0 early in the game, it looked difficult for the home team. But Silkeborg totally turned the match upside down and won 4–2 in front of an enthusiastic audience.[2] During the rest of autumn, SIF delivered one attractive game after another. The team lost only 2 of 18 matches and finished the autumn in 1st place.
The playoffs were a thrilling affair. The superior play in the autumn was followed by a more calculating style. Away from home, SIF ran into a few serious defeats, but, in turn, Silkeborg Stadion was a fortress. Here, SIF won six out of seven games and conceded only one goal. In the second-to-last round, SIF could secure the championship with an away win against the only remaining competitor,Copenhagen. Silkeborg fans flocked to the national arena,Parken Stadium, where the match was witnessed by the largest crowd in history of the Danish Superliga, namely 26,679.[3] The many visiting SIF fans, however, witnessed SIF scoring the first goal of the match but eventually losing 4–1.
The situation before the final round was that SIF should provide a better result than Copenhagen to become champions. At home, SIF playedAaB and won 2–0, thanks to two goals by leading scorerHeine Fernandez. In Odense,OB obtained a lead over Copenhagen in the 2nd half and won 3–2 on a goal in injury time, securing SIF the championship.
In 2001, Silkeborg won theDanish Cup with a 4–1 victory against league rivals AB. Behind 0–1 at half-time, the team scored 4 times in the second half of the match by Brian Pedersen, Thomas Poulsen and 2 fromHenrik Pedersen.Steven Lustü, who later would become a prominent player for Silkeborg, played the entire game for AB. The following years' results were not very impressive. After the cup victory, the club sold Henrik Pedersen toBolton Wanderers,Peter Kjær toBeşiktaş andThomas Røll to Copenhagen. At the same time,Morten Bruun, the player with most caps to his name in the club history, retired. In 2003, the team was relegated to the 1st Division, but returned to the Superliga the following year. For two consecutive seasons, the team finished eighth in the league with 12 teams, but in 2007 the team was again relegated. When former playerTroels Bech returned to the club as head coach in 2009, however, he transformed the team and helped the club to promotion. Silkeborg finished fifth in the league in2011, their best result in 15 years.
In the2018–19 Danish 1st Division Silkeborg were crowned champions of the First Division for a third time, ensuring a return to the Danish Superliga for the2019–20 season following a one-year absence.
Danish StrikerRonnie Schwartz was the league's top scorer for Silkeborg with 17 league goals registered; sharing the golden boot withRoskilde'sEmil Nielsen.
They secured the league title with 61 points, only 1 point clear of nearest rivalsViborg, ensuring an automatic return to the Superliga.
As Silkeborg won promotion to the Danish Superliga in 2021, many experts expected the club to continue its status as a yo-yo club and be in a relegation battle,[4] but head coachKent Nielsen managed to impress this time in the top division. His attacking style of play with focus on possession and short passing game meant that the club qualified for the championship play-offs for the first time in the club's recent history.[5] Especially the attacking trio,Nicolai Vallys,Sebastian Jørgensen andNicklas Helenius – often referred to as "VHS" – impressed with many goals and assists.[6][7]
One of the reasons for Silkeborg's success was seen as their ability to hold on to key players during the2021–22 winter break, despite interest forTobias Salquist andRasmus Carstensen.[8] In the play-offs, Silkeborg managed to beat bothCopenhagen andBrøndby in historic fashion during the same week.[9] Brøndby were defeated 3–0 and Copenhagen, who had not lost the previous eight games, were beaten 3–1. Ultimately, the season finished in third place and their first bronze medals since 2000–01,[10] as Silkeborg were considered the most "entertaining" and "well-playing" team in the Superliga.[11]
Due to the2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, all Russian teams were excluded from European tournaments byUEFA.[12] This meant that theDanish Cup winners entered the final qualifying round for theUEFA Europa League. WhenMidtjylland won the2021–22 Danish Cup, and at the same time finished in second place in the Superliga, which now gave access toUEFA Champions League qualification, Silkeborg secured Europa League qualification by virtue of their third-place Superliga finish.[13]
On 9 May 2024, Silkeborg won their secondDanish Cup, having previously won it in 2001, withOliver Sonne scoring the only goal in thefinal againstAGF atParken Stadium inCopenhagen.[14]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Manager |  Kent Nielsen |
| Assistant manager | Peder Knudsen |
| Goalkeeping coach | Oliver Rosengren |
| Transition coach | Kim Leth Andersen |
| Fitness coach | Rasmus Hansen |
| Physiotherapists | Michael Larsen Mathias Ipsen |
| Masseur | Nina Schack |
| Doctor | Kaspar Saxtrup |
| Team leaders | Kasper Jensen Flemming Møldrup |
| Sporting director | Jesper Stücker |
Last updated: 5 January 2026
Source:[1]
Competitive matches only. To matches played 22 March 2017.[16]
| # | Name | Career | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Henrik Pedersen | 1995–2001 and 2008–2012 | 96 |
| 2 | Heine Fernandez | 1990–1998 | 96 |
| 3 | Rajko Lekić | 2003–2004 and 2008–2011 | 76 |
| 4 |  Christian Holst | 2008–2014 | 47 |
| 5 | Jesper Thygesen | 1994–1998 and 2000–2003 | 45 |
| 6 | Iddi Alkhag | 2001–2007 | 41 |
| 7 | Michael Hansen | 1991–1996 and 2006–2007 | 39 |
| 8 | Morten Bruun | 1988–2001 | 35 |
| 9 | Ole Skov | 1988–1992 | 35 |
| 10 | Nocko Joković | 1996–1999 | 33 |
| 11 | Peter Lassen | 1999–2000 | 33 |
| 12 | Allan Reese | 1991–1997 | 32 |
| 13 | Hans Erfurt | 1987–1994 | 31 |
| 14 |  Marvin Pourie | 2011–2013 | 29 |
| 15 | Jesper Bech | 2004–2014 | 28 |
Competitive matches only. To matches played 22 March 2017.[17]
| # | Name | Career | Appearances |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Morten Bruun | 1988–2001 | 424 |
| 2 | Bjarne Jensen | 348 | |
| 3 | Dennis Flinta | 2005–2007 and 2009–present | 329 |
| 4 | Ingvar Johansen | 1979–1993 | 325 |
| 5 | Arne Skovbo | 308 | |
| 6 | Kurt Nielsen | 307 | |
| 7 | Peter Kjær | 1993–2001 | 291 |
| 8 | Christian Duus | 1991–2005 | 283 |
| 9 | Henrik Pedersen | 1995–2001 and 2008–2012 | 270 |
| 10 | Michael Larsen | 1992–2003 | 269 |
| 11 | Thomas Poulsen | 1997–2006 | 255 |
| 12 | Brian Skaarup | −1991 | 254 |
| 13 | Heine Fernandez | 1990–1998 | 246 |
| 14 | Jørgen Hansen | 245 | |
| 15 | Jesper Thygesen | 1994–1998 and 2000–2003 | 245 |
