 | |||
| Full name | Östersunds Fotbollsklubb | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Short name | ÖFK | ||
| Founded | 31 October 1996; 29 years ago (31 October 1996) | ||
| Ground | Jämtkraft Arena,Östersund | ||
| Capacity | 8,545[1] | ||
| Chairman | Peja Lindholm | ||
| Head coach | Tor-Arne Fredheim | ||
| League | Superettan | ||
| 2025 | Superettan, 12th of 16 | ||
| Website | ostersundsfk | ||
 Current season | |||
Östersunds Fotbollsklubb, commonly known simply asÖstersunds FK,Östersund (Swedish pronunciation:[œstɛˈʂɵnːd]) or (especially locally)ÖFK, is a Swedish professionalfootball club located inÖstersund,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 theJämtland-Härjedalens Fotbollförbund[2] and play their home games atJämtkraft 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 thethird tier ofSwedish 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 theSvenska Cupen and qualified for theUEFA Europa League. The club was relegated to Superettan in 2021.[4]
The name 'Östersunds' is in a possessive clause in theSwedish language, which means it is incorrect to call the club anything other thanÖstersund in a short form based on the town name.
Östersunds FK was created in 1996 when the three local clubsOpe 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 yearFrösö 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 coachesRoberto Martínez andGraeme Jones to start a cooperation withSwansea 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 managerGraham Potter[7] who was working at an English university at the time. Through several successful signings, some coming from Potter's connections atNike 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 toSuperettan for the2013 season and finished 10th that season.
In January 2014 the club announced that they had signed a half-billion kronor deal with the government ofLibya 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 toAllsvenskan for the first time.[11] In 2017, they managed to win their first major trophy,Svenska Cupen, after defeatingIFK Norrköping 4–1 in the final, also qualifying for the2017–18 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 over Turkish giantsGalatasaray at theJämtkraft Arena and eliminated them after a 1–1 draw inIstanbul. Two goals bySaman Ghoddos in a win overPAOK 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 makingGraham 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 featuringAthletic Bilbao andHertha Berlin, becoming the first Swedish club to progress beyond the Europa League group stage. In the round of 32 they managed to beat English sideArsenal 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 theSwedish 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 ofSwansea City after eight seasons in charge.
On 31 October 2021, they were relegated fromAllsvenskan after their loss toVarberg BoIS. In the 2022 season, Östersunds FK managed to barely escape relegation fromSuperettan, the second tier of Swedish men's professional football. The team ended up in 14th place and therefore had to qualify which they did. Östersund played six seasons in Allsvenskan before they were relegated.[19]
| Season | Level | Division | Section | Position | Movements | Svenska Cupen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Tier 3 | Division 2 | Norrland | 7th | ||
| 1998 | Tier 3 | Division 2 | Norrland | 2nd | Promotion Playoff – Not promoted | |
| 1999 | Tier 3 | Division 2 | Norrland | 1st | Promotion Playoff – Not promoted | |
| 2000 | Tier 3 | Division 2 | Norrland | 5th | ||
| 2001 | Tier 3 | Division 2 | Norrland | 3rd | ||
| 2002 | Tier 3 | Division 2 | Norrland | 5th | Round 1 | |
| 2003 | Tier 3 | Division 2 | Norrland | 2nd | DNQ | |
| 2004 | Tier 3 | Division 2 | Norrland | 4th | Round 1 | |
| 2005 | Tier 3 | Division 2 | Norrland | 2nd | Promoted | Round 3 |
| 2006[a] | 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[b] |
| 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 | Relegation Playoff – Not relegated | Round 2 | |
| 2023 | Tier 2 | Superettan | 5th | Group stage, 4th | ||
| 2024 | Tier 2 | Superettan | 14th | Relegation Playoff – Not relegated | Group stage, 3rd | |
| 2025 | Tier 2 | Superettan | 12th |
| 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 |
| Season | Competition | Round | Club | Home | Away | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–18 | UEFA Europa League | 2Q |  Galatasaray | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 |
| 3Q |  Fola Esch | 1–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | ||
| PO |  PAOK | 2–0 | 1–3 | 3–3 (a) | ||
| Group J |  Athletic Bilbao | 2–2 | 0–1 | 2nd | ||
 Hertha BSC | 1–0 | 1–1 | ||||
 Zorya Luhansk | 2–0 | 2–0 | ||||
| R32 |  Arsenal | 0–3 | 2–1 | 2–4 |
The following list ranks the current position of Östersunds FK in UEFA ranking:
| Rank | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 89 |  Malmö FF | 16.000 |
| 116 |  Torino FC | 12.330 |
| 117 |  HNK Rijeka | 10.500 |
| 118 |  AEK Larnaca FC | 10.000 |
| 119 | Östersunds FK | 10.000 |
| 120 |  FC Sheriff Tiraspol | 10.000 |
| 121 | Osmanlispor | 8.000 |
| 145 | AIK | 6.000 |
| 187 | IFK Norrköping | 3.975 |
| 188 | BK Häcken | 3.975 |
As of 21 September 2020.[1]
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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This list of notable players includes those who have either been namedplayer of the year at the club,[22] or has become league top goalscorer, or went on to play inAllsvenskan (or for larger clubs abroad).
Alan Al-Kadhi
Alex Dyer
Alhaji Gero
Blair TurgottBobo SollanderBrian Wake
Brwa NouriConnor Ripley Christoffer Fryklund
Daryl Smylie
David AccamDennis WidgrenDouglas Bergqvist Erik LanttoFilip Rogić
Fouad Bachirou Fredrik Aliris
Gabriel SomiHosam AieshJamal BlackmanJamie Hopcutt Joakim LundstedtJonathan RoutledgeKen Sema Kjell Jönsson Lars Oscarsson
Lasse MattilaLee Makel Mattias ErikssonMatthew Barnes-Homer Martin Johansson Mikael Berg
Modou Barrow
Michael Tidser
Moon Seon-minPaul SheerinPeter Amoran Petter AugustssonRasmus LindkvistRavel MorrisonRichard Offiong
Saman GhoddosSamuel MensiroSotirios PapagiannopoulosThomas IsherwoodTom Pettersson| Nr | Name | Games | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 |  Aly Keita | 244 | 0 |
| 1 | Jamie Hopcutt | 228 | 53 |
| 3 | Lars Oscarsson | 212 | 10 |
| 4 | Samuel Mensiro | 204 | 4 |
| 5 | Martin Johansson | 193 | 15 |
| 6 | Daniel Westerlund | 184 | 58 |
| 7 | Dennis Widgren | 179 | 3 |
| 8 | Petter Jacobsson | 172 | 7 |
| 9 | Bobo Sollander | 163 | 24 |
| 10 | Brwa Nouri | 154 | 23 |
| Year | Name |
|---|---|
| 1997 | Paul Sheerin |
| 1998 | Mattias Eriksson |
| 1999 | Mikael Berg |
| 2000 | Lars Oscarsson |
| 2001 | Lasse Mattila |
| 2002 | Kjell Jönsson |
| 2003 | Fredrik Aliris |
| 2004 | Martin Johansson |
| 2005 | Joakim Lundstedt |
| 2006 | Erik Lantto |
| 2007 | Erik Lantto |
| 2008 | Lee Makel |
| 2009 | Bobo Sollander |
| 2010 | Christoffer Fryklund |
| 2011 | Brian Wake |
| 2012 | Petter Augustsson |
| 2013 | Samuel Mensiro |
| 2014 | Modou Barrow |
| 2015 |  Fouad Bachirou |
| 2016 | Douglas Bergqvist |
| 2017 | Saman Ghoddos |
| 2018 | Saman Ghoddos |
| 2019 |  Dino Islamovic |
| 2020 | Aly Keita |
| 2021 | Aly Keita |
| 2022 | Ludvig Fritzson |
| Nr | Name | Goals | Games |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daniel Westerlund | 58 | 184 |
| 2 | Jamie Hopcutt | 53 | 228 |
| 3 | Saman Ghoddos | 41 | 93 |
| 4 | Joakim Lundstedt | 33 | 97 |
| 5 | Brian Wake | 26 | 33 |
| 6 | Bobo Sollander | 24 | 163 |
| 7 | Brwa Nouri | 23 | 154 |
| 8 | Daniel Johansson | 21 | 36 |
| 8 | Blair Turgott | 21 | 68 |
| 10 | Alex Dyer | 19 | 93 |
As of 24 January 2021[24]
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Östersunds FK (Föreningen)
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Östersunds FK Elitfotboll AB
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Leif Widegren (1997) Christer Andersson (1998)Sören Åkeby (1999) Jan Westerlund (1999–2001)Hans Eskilsson (2002–2003) Ulf Kvarnlöf (2004–2005) Stefan Regebro (2006–2007)Neil McDonald (2007)Kalle Björklund (2008–2009)Lee Makel (2010)Graham Potter (2011–2018)Ian Burchnall (2018–2020)Amir Azrafshan (2020–2021)
Per Joar Hansen (2021–2022)Magnus Powell (2022–2024)In recent seasons Östersunds FK have had the following average attendances:
* Attendances are provided in the Publikliga sections of the Svenska Fotbollförbundet website.[28] |
* League restructuring in 2006 resulted in a new division being created at Tier 3 and subsequent divisions dropping a level.[29]
Media related toÖstersunds FK at Wikimedia Commons
