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| Full name | Idrettsklubben Start | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 19 September 1905; 120 years ago (19 September 1905) | ||
| Ground | Sparebanken Norge Arena Kristiansand Kristiansand | ||
| Capacity | 14,563 | ||
| Head coach | Azar Karadas | ||
| League | Norwegian First Division | ||
| 2025 | First Division, 2nd of 16 (promoted) | ||
| Website | www | ||
Idrettsklubben Start (or simplyIK Start) is a Norwegianfootball club from the city ofKristiansand that currently plays in theNorwegian First Division, the second tier of theNorwegian football league system. The club was founded on 19 September 1905. The club's current head coach isAzar Karadas. The team plays in yellow jerseys, black shorts and socks at home, and black jerseys, yellow shorts and socks away.
They play their home matches atSør Arena, opened in 2007. Before moving to Sør Arena, IK Start played their games atKristiansand Stadion. The team’s official supporter club, “Tigerberget,” existed until 2017, when the IK Start board decided to discontinue having an official supporter club.
Start were Norwegian champions in 1978 and 1980. They participated in theEuropean Cup in 1979 and 1981, as well as being qualified for theUEFA Champions League 2006–07. The years since 1995 have been turbulent, but recent investments have given greater expectations for the future. In 2004 they won the Norwegian 1. divisjon and were promoted to thetop flight.
In 2005 they reached second place, followingVålerenga, after a strong comeback season in theTippeligaen. For this, Start earned a place in theUEFA Cup 2006.
In 2006, after beatingSkála of theFaroe Islands in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Cup, andDrogheda United ofIreland in the second qualifying round (after penalties), they reached the first round of the UEFA Cup, where they were knocked out byAjax of theNetherlands.
2007 was a bad year for Start, with problems working as a team and management issues. It led to a disappointing 13th place, leading to Start's relegation to1. divisjon. In 2008 the club got financial problems. The local government saved the club from bankruptcy. The financial difficulties has plagued Start for several seasons, due to the financial crisis and the Norwegian footballteams overspending, Start being no exception. The last couple of seasons, Start has downsized and saved money, for example by changing the turf on Sør Arena, the hopes being that the savings will keep the wheels turning in Start.
Ahead of the 2009 season,Knut Tørum was appointed head coach of Start. The next two seasons, Start was positioned at the lower half ofTippeligaen although achieving some strong results, like being the only team to beat Rosenborg in 2009, at Rosenborgs homeground Lerkendal, delaying their gold celebration. On 22 June 2011, Start had 13 points in 12 matches, and Tørum decided to resign hours before a cup-match againstStrømsgodset, a match Start won without Tørum.Mons Ivar Mjelde replaced Tørum as head coach, but was not able to save Start from relegation. Start started the2012 1. divisjon in strong fashion, leading the division and winning important matches and won promotion at the end of the season.
Start defeatedStabæk 4–1 on 4 July 2015. From 12 July 2015 to 18 September 2016, Start played 39 consecutive games without a win inTippeligaen.[1] This is the longest run without winning a single game across any top division in Europe.
Since the club was founded in 1905, the club badge had been a blue and white pennant. In November 2017, the badge was replaced with a more modernised version in all black.[2] The new crest was in use for four years, before Start decided to return to the old one in March 2022.[3]
| Season | Pos. | Pl. | W | D | L | GS | GA | P | Cup | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Tippeligaen | ↓14 | 26 | 2 | 5 | 19 | 21 | 72 | 11 | Fourth round | Relegated to the1. divisjon |
| 2003 | 1. divisjon | 9 | 30 | 12 | 4 | 14 | 53 | 50 | 40 | Third round | |
| 2004 | 1. divisjon | ↑1 | 30 | 24 | 2 | 4 | 71 | 28 | 74 | Third round | Promoted to theTippeligaen |
| 2005 | Tippeligaen | 2 | 26 | 13 | 6 | 7 | 47 | 35 | 45 | Fourth round | |
| 2006 | Tippeligaen | 6 | 26 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 29 | 32 | 37 | Semi-final | |
| 2007 | Tippeligaen | ↓13 | 26 | 6 | 8 | 12 | 34 | 44 | 26 | Fourth round | Relegated to the1. divisjon |
| 2008 | 1. divisjon | ↑3 | 30 | 17 | 8 | 5 | 58 | 34 | 59 | Fourth round | Promoted to theTippeligaen |
| 2009 | Tippeligaen | 9 | 30 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 46 | 52 | 40 | Third round | |
| 2010 | Tippeligaen | 8 | 30 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 57 | 60 | 42 | Quarter-final | |
| 2011 | Tippeligaen | ↓15 | 30 | 7 | 5 | 18 | 39 | 61 | 26 | Semi-final | Relegated to the1. divisjon |
| 2012 | 1. divisjon | ↑1 | 30 | 20 | 6 | 4 | 71 | 35 | 66 | Fourth round | Promoted to theTippeligaen |
| 2013 | Tippeligaen | 9 | 30 | 10 | 8 | 12 | 43 | 46 | 38 | Quarter-final | |
| 2014 | Tippeligaen | 12 | 30 | 10 | 5 | 15 | 47 | 60 | 35 | Fourth round | |
| 2015 | Tippeligaen | 14 | 30 | 5 | 7 | 18 | 35 | 64 | 22 | Second round | |
| 2016 | Tippeligaen | ↓16 | 30 | 2 | 10 | 18 | 23 | 59 | 16 | Third round | Relegated to the1. divisjon |
| 2017 | 1. divisjon | ↑2 | 30 | 16 | 7 | 7 | 57 | 36 | 55 | Second round | Promoted to theEliteserien |
| 2018 | Eliteserien | ↓15 | 30 | 8 | 5 | 17 | 30 | 54 | 29 | Semi-final | Relegated to the1. divisjon |
| 2019 | 1. divisjon | ↑3 | 30 | 19 | 5 | 6 | 54 | 31 | 62 | First round | Promoted to theEliteserien |
| 2020 | Eliteserien | ↓15 | 30 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 33 | 56 | 27 | Cancelled | Relegated to the1. divisjon |
| 2021 | 1. divisjon | 9 | 30 | 10 | 8 | 12 | 59 | 59 | 38 | Fourth round | |
| 2022 | 1. divisjon | 3 | 30 | 16 | 6 | 8 | 63 | 38 | 54 | Fourth round | |
| 2023 | 1. divisjon | 5 | 30 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 49 | 30 | 46 | Third round | |
| 2024 | 1. divisjon | 12 | 30 | 9 | 8 | 13 | 45 | 57 | 35 | First round | |
| 2025 | 1. divisjon | ↑2 | 30 | 16 | 7 | 7 | 58 | 35 | 55 | Second round | Promoted to theEliteserien |
Source:[4]
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 | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach |  Azar Karadas |
| Assistant coach |  Jóhannes Harðarson |
| Goalkeeping coach | Alexander Aaser |
| Fitness coach | Kristian Gjøstøl |
| Sports coordinator | Øyvind Evjen |
| IK Start coaching history from 1947 to present | |
|---|---|
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| Season | Competition | Round | Club | Home | Away | Agg. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974–75 | UEFA Cup | First round |  Djurgården | 1–2 | 0–5 | 1–7 |
| 1976–77 | UEFA Cup | First round |  Wacker Innsbruck | 0–5 | 1–2 | 1–7 |
| 1977–78 | UEFA Cup | First round | Fram | 6–0 | 2–0 | 8–0 |
| Second round |  Eintracht Braunschweig | 1–0 | 0–4 | 1–4 | ||
| 1978–79 | UEFA Cup | First round |  Esbjerg | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 |
| 1979–80 | European Cup | First round |  Strasbourg | 1–2 | 0–4 | 1–6 |
| 1981–82 | European Cup | First round |  AZ | 1–3 | 0–1 | 1–4 |
| 2006–07 | UEFA Cup | First qualifying round |  Skála | 3–0 | 1–0 | 4–0 |
| Second qualifying round |  Drogheda United | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 (11–10(p)) | ||
| First round | Ajax | 2–5 | 0–4 | 2–9 |
