Hammarby IF
Encyclopedia
Hammarby Fotboll is a Swedish football club
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...

 based in Johanneshov
Johanneshov
Johanneshov is a district located at the intersection of national road 73 and Södra länken in Stockholm, Sweden....

 - just south of Södermalm
Södermalm
Södermalm, often shortened to "Söder", is a district in central Stockholm. It covers the large island formerly called "Åsön". With a population of 99,685, it is one of the most densely populated districts of Scandinavia...

, the southernmost district of Stockholm city centre
Stockholm City Centre
Stockholm City Centre is the city centre of Stockholm in Sweden. The entire city of Stockholm is also the centre of the Stockholm Metropolitan Area....

. In Sweden, the club is often referred to by its nickname Bajen (a short form of a mock-English pronunciation of "Hammarby").

Formed in 1889 as Hammarby Roddförening (eng: Hammarby Boat Club), in 1897 the name was changed to Hammarby Idrottsförening (Hammarby IF) as many of the club's athlethes were now engaging in more sports than just rowing. In 2001, the A-team, B-team and the J-teams were separated from the youth teams and the club is referred to as Hammarby Fotboll.

The team won their first and so far only Allsvenskan
Allsvenskan
Allsvenskan is a Swedish professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Swedish football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Superettan...

 title in 2001
2001 in Swedish football
The 2001 season in Swedish football, starting January 2001 and ending December 2001:- Official titles :- Competitions :- Promotions :- Relegations :- International qualifications :- Allsvenskan 2001 :...

.

Owing to its geographical location in a formerly less affluent district of Stockholm, Hammarby has historically been regarded as a club with a mainly working-class fan base.

The club is by 49% owned by the Anschutz Entertainment Group
Anschutz Entertainment Group
The Anschutz Entertainment Group is a sporting and music entertainment presenter and a subsidiary of The Anschutz Corporation. It is the world's largest owner of sports teams and sports events, the owner of the world’s most profitable sports and entertainment venues, and under AEG Live the world's...

 and by 51% Hammarby IF FF. The club is affiliated to the Stockholms Fotbollförbund
Stockholms Fotbollförbund
The Stockholms Fotbollförbund is one of the 24 district organisations of the Swedish Football Association. It administers lower tier football in Stockholm County.- Background :...

.

The club controls one affiliated team called Hammarby Talang FF
Hammarby Talang FF
Hammarby Talang FF is a Swedish football club acting as the development team for Hammarby IF.-History:The team was founded in 2003 when Pröpa SK was renamed and reformed to Hammarby Talang FF. The current coach is Roger Franzén. The club is affiliated to the Stockholms Fotbollförbund...

, which currently is playing in Swedish football Division 1, the third tier in Sweden.

Italian sportswear company Kappa
Kappa (company)
Kappa is an Italian company specialized at the manufacture of sporting clothes and accessories, that started as a sock and underwear manufacturer in 1916 in Turin.-Logo:...

 is the current kit manufacturer for Hammarby, after changing from Nike
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...

 in the year end of 2010.
Hammarby also holds major sponsorship deals with lending institution Folkia and sporting goods retailer Intersport
Intersport
The Intersport Group is an international sporting goods retailer. IIC-Intersport International Corporation is its purchasing division.The headquarters are located in the capital of Switzerland, Bern....

. Since 2010, soft drink
Soft drink
A soft drink is a non-alcoholic beverage that typically contains water , a sweetener, and a flavoring agent...

 brand Pepsi
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...

 is the club's main shirt sponsor.

The early years

The football section was started in 1915 when the football club merged with Klara SK. It is from these times that the green/white colors stems, in 1918 Hammarby merged with Johanneshovs IF and there gained their black/yellow colours they used until recently. Hammarby's early football successes were not great – however, the club had a short strong period in the early 20s, going all the way to the finals in the Svenska Mästerskapet
Svenska Mästerskapet
Svenska Mästerskapet was a Swedish football cup held to decide the Swedish Champions between 1896 and 1925.-Previous winners:-Cup champions:...

 1922, but losing out to GAIS
GAIS
Göteborgs Atlet- och Idrottssällskap is a Swedish football club based in Gothenburg, currently playing in Allsvenskan. The club is commonly referred to simply as GAIS, while its fans also refers to the club as grönsvart or the mackerels because of the traditional shirt colours...

, and qualifying to the first Allsvenskan
Allsvenskan
Allsvenskan is a Swedish professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Swedish football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Superettan...

 played in 1924.

After that the club spent a long time as a top team of the second highest division, called Division 2 at the time. In 1936/1937 they won Div. 2 for the first time, but lost the playoff match then required to be promoted to the Allsvenskan. Also in 1937/1938 they won, only to again losing the playoff match. In the next season, which became their third win in a row, they finally managed to qualify for the Allsvenskan for the second time ever. However, they finished up last and the next six years they finished in the top four, but then followed some tough years for Bajen. In the 1947/1948 season, Hammarby finished on a tenth and last place in Division 2, and because of a reformation in the league system, were directly relegated to Division 4.

A period of yo-yoing

Not until 1950/1951 were Hammarby back in the second highest league, but just four years later, in 1954/1955, the club played in the highest league for the third time. The team finished sixth and managed to stay in the highest league for the first time. This marked a new period for Hammarby – one of yoyoing. Hammarby went up and down between the highest and the second highest league seven times until 1970. During this time, the arguably most famous Hammarby player ever, Nacka Skoglund played in the team. In 1950 he was controversially sold to local rivals AIK
AIK Fotboll
AIK, , an abbreviation for Allmänna Idrottsklubben, , when needed internationally AIK Stockholm, is a Swedish football club based at Råsunda stadium in Solna, a municipality in Stockholm County bordering to Stockholm City Centre...

 because of Hammarby's poor economy, and then went on to play professional football in Italy for a few years. However, in 1964 he returned to Sweden in Hammarby and it was a comeback that would be classic – after three minutes in his first comeback match, he bended a corner kick directly in to the goal, a goal which has been called the most classic Hammarby goal of all time, and that is depicted on the Nackas Hörna statue.

Stable Allsvenskan years

The 1970 season began terribly. At this time, the league had changed to being played over one year with a break in the summer, thus breaking the league in a spring part, and an autumn part. In the spring part, Hammarby had only gained 3 points and were last team in the league, and not much hope was put into the team. However, during the autumn, Hammarby played fantastic. Some of Bajen's biggest stars played in the team at this time, including Kenta Olsson and Ronnie Hellström
Ronnie Hellström
Ronnie Carl Hellström is a former Swedish football goalkeeper.He played most of his career in Germany; being considered one of the world's top goalkeepers in the 70's, he won the Golden ball twice, in 1971 and 1978...

, and with good help by a crowd that had introduced something completely new to Swedish football this year – Supporter songs – the team outperformed themselves, went through the autumn half undefeated and finished in Hammarby's best position yet, fifth place.

This marked the beginning of another period of Hammarby, a period of being a stable Allsvenskan team. In the 1970s the reputation of Hammarby's supporters as some of the most dedicated in Sweden was born, as they throughout the 70s had attracted some of the biggest crowds in Sweden, despite not managing to repeat or outperform their fifth place from 1970. In 1978 Hammarby changed from the black-yellow to the new-old Green/White colours. In 1982 a new system was introduced in Swedish football – the top 8 teams in the Allsvenskan would play playoffs to decide the Swedish champions. Hammarby immediately aimed for the top 8, and their reputation as a home-strong team was not weakened – during the entire season, Bajen did not lose one home game. At the end of the season, Hammarby had finished Runner-ups, much better than anything they had achieved before, after winners IFK Göteborg
IFK Göteborg
IFK Göteborg is a Swedish professional football club based in Gothenburg. Founded in 1904, the club has won 18 national championship titles, five national cup titles, and two UEFA Cups....

, which Bajen beat in the very last round.

The new system created a chance for Hammarby to take revenge, and after easily defeating Örgryte in the quarter-finals, and, after a bit of trouble, defeating Elfsborg in the semi-final, Hammarby was in the final against IFK Göteborg. In the first away match, Hammarby won 2-1 and Söderstadion sold out record-fast and everything was in place for a party. However, IFK dominated the match and won 3-1, but Hammarby had still made a season much better than all before, especially considering IFK Göteborg later went on to win the UEFA Cup, as the first, and so far only, Swedish team to do so. In the following year, 1983, Hammarby continued to play strongly, finishing fifth in the highest league and qualifying to the playoffs, however losing the derby versus AIK. In the Svenska Cupen, Hammarby for the first time made the finals, where they again lost against the IFK "ghost-team". However, since IFK qualified for the UEFA Cup that year, Hammarby qualified for the Cup-Winners Cup, their first major international competition, and they lost to Finnish FC Haka
FC Haka
Haka is a Finnish football club, based in the industry town of Valkeakoski. It is one of the most successful clubs in Finland, with nine Finnish championships and 12 Finnish Cup wins.- History :...

 in the second round. Hammarby 80s were consistently strong, finishing top 6 every year between 1981 and 1987 and having some of the biggest fan crowds for the time (rather small compared to today).

Tough nineties, revival and current downfall

In 1988, Bajen's 18-year streak in the highest league were ended as they finished last, and the 90s would prove troublesome for Hammarby. Although they immediately qualified for the Allsvenskan again, they finished last and would not visit it again until 1994. In 1998 Hammarby became a stable Allsvenskan team again. That very year they were close to securing their first champion title, leading long parts of the season, but fell through in the last 5-6 rounds and in the end finished third, their second best place ever. Instead, that would wait until 2001. Prior to the 2001 season, Hammarby had problems. They had financially tough times and many experts saw their team as weak and one journalist even went as far as guessing Hammarby for the last spot. However, Hammarby early took the lead and kept it all the way until the match against Örgryte
Örgryte
Örgryte is one of the 21 stadsdelsnämndsområden of Gothenburg Municipality, Sweden. It is a largely upper middle class to upper class residential area, just to the east of the city centre...

 match in the second last round. Bajen won the match 3-2 and thus secured the gold, leading to a pitch invasion by euphoric Hammarby fans, and latter to 50.000-70.000 fans gathering on Södermalm
Södermalm
Södermalm, often shortened to "Söder", is a district in central Stockholm. It covers the large island formerly called "Åsön". With a population of 99,685, it is one of the most densely populated districts of Scandinavia...

 and Medborgarplatsen
Medborgarplatsen
Medborgarplatsen is one of the largest squares in Stockholm. It is located on Södermalm and is often colloquially referred to as "Medis". The square was once called Södra Bantorget , but was changed to Medborgarplatsen in 1940.The square is a common place for demonstrations...

 to celebrate the gold after the last game. Celebrations of this size was before this unheard of in Sweden on club level, with the only equivalent being the Swedish national football and handball
Team handball
Handball is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each pass a ball to throw it into the goal of the other team...

 teams.

Trainer Sören Cratz, which led the team to the gold that season, got the news that his expiring contract would not be extended halfway through the season, which led to the strange situation that he won the gold in his second last match. The reason for not extending his contract was due to a motion passed on board level earlier that year which said that Hammarby should play a positive, attacking and fun football, something the board did not think that Cratz did. A proof of how big he became in the eyes of Hammarby fans is proved in the following season, 2002, when he led Swedish competing team Helsingborgs IF
Helsingborgs IF
Helsingborgs IF , commonly referred to as Helsingborg and locally HIF, is a Swedish football club located in Helsingborg. They are currently playing in the highest Swedish league, Allsvenskan...

 and, following a match against Hammarby, were cheered upon and praised by the Hammarby fans after the match had finished. Because of this, he was fired as Helsingborg's trainer. The following years were perhaps the most successful in Hammarby's history, as they finished runner-ups in 2003 after winning team Djurgården, led during a majority of the season in 2004 (finished sixth in the end), finished fourth in 2005 and led halfway through the series but finished third in 2006.

In 2007, Bajen finished on the sixth place, and didn't qualify for any European cups. 2008, Hammarby finished ninth after a poor season with a lots of ups and downs.
The season of 2009 was a major catastrophe both in Allsvenskan but also problems in the board and an economic crisis. Hammarby finished on the sixteenth place, last, and was relegated to Superettan
Superettan
Superettan is the second highest league in the league system of Swedish football and comprises 16 Swedish football teams. It was created in 2000. Before that, the second level league in Sweden had been Division 1....

.

Domestic

  • Swedish Champions
    Swedish football champions
    Swedish football champions is a title held by the winners of the highest Swedish football league played each year, Allsvenskan. IFK Göteborg holds the record of most titles with 18 Swedish championships. After winning the 2011 Allsvenskan, Helsingborgs IF are the reigning Swedish football...

    • Winners (1): 2001

League

  • Allsvenskan
    Allsvenskan
    Allsvenskan is a Swedish professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Swedish football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Superettan...

    :
    • Winners (1): 2001
    • Runners-up (2): 1982, 2003
  • Division 1 Norra
    Division 1 Norra
    Division 1 Norra is one of two leagues of the third level, Division 1, in the league system of Swedish football and comprises 14 Swedish football teams...

    :
    • Winners (3): 1989, 1993, 1997
    • Runners-up (1): 1996
  • Division 1 Östra
    Division 1 Östra
    Division 1 Östra was a short-lived league of the third level, Division 1, in the league system of Swedish football...

    :
    • Winners (1): 1991

Cups

  • Svenska Cupen
    Svenska Cupen
    Svenska Cupen , is a knockout cup competition in Swedish football and the main Swedish football cup. Svenska Cupen usually refers to the men's tournament, although a women's tournament is also held. Each year 98 teams compete, comprising the 16 teams from Allsvenskan and the 16 teams of Superettan...

    :
    • Runners-up (3): 1977, 1983, 2010
  • Svenska Mästerskapet
    Svenska Mästerskapet
    Svenska Mästerskapet was a Swedish football cup held to decide the Swedish Champions between 1896 and 1925.-Previous winners:-Cup champions:...

    :
    • Runners-up (1): 1922

Season to season

class="wikitable">
Season Level Division Section Position Movements
1993
Division 1 1993
Statistics of Swedish football Division 1 in season 1993.-Overview:It was contested by 28 teams, and Hammarby IF and Landskrona BoIS won the championship.-Norra:-Södra:-References:*...

Tier 2 Division 1 Norra 1st Promoted
1994 Tier 1 Allsvenskan 12th
1995 Tier 1 Allsvenskan 13th Relegated
1996
Division 1 1996
Statistics of Swedish football Division 1 in season 1996.-Overview:It was contested by 28 teams, and Västerås SK and IF Elfsborg won the championship.-Norra:-Södra:-References:*...

Tier 2 Division 1 Norra 2nd
1997
Division 1 1997
Statistics of Swedish football Division 1 in season 1997.-Overview:It was contested by 28 teams, and Hammarby IF and Västra Frölunda IF won the championship.-Norra:-Södra:-References:*...

Tier 2 Division 1 Norra 1st Promoted
1998 Tier 1 Allsvenskan 3rd
1999 Tier 1 Allsvenskan 10th
2000 Tier 1 Allsvenskan 8th
2001 Tier 1 Allsvenskan 1st Champions
2002 Tier 1 Allsvenskan 9th
2003 Tier 1 Allsvenskan 2nd
2004 Tier 1 Allsvenskan 6th
2005 Tier 1 Allsvenskan 4th
2006* Tier 1 Allsvenskan 3rd
2007 Tier 1 Allsvenskan 6th
2008 Tier 1 Allsvenskan 9th
2009 Tier 1 Allsvenskan 16th Relegated
2010
2010 Superettan
-Standings:-Results:...

Tier 2 Superettan 8th
2011
2011 Superettan
* 1 Correct as of end of 2010 Superettan season-Personnel and kits:Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules...

Tier 2 Superettan 11th

* League restructuring in 2006 resulted in a new division being created at Tier 3 and subsequent divisions dropping a level.

Current squad

As of 9 November, 2011:
For season transfers, see transfers winter 2011–2012.

Staff

Name Role
  Roger Sandberg Manager
  Vacant Assistant Manager
  Mikael "Mille" Olsson Goalkeeping Coach
  Peter Thunell Team Manager
  Mikael Klotz Physiotherapist
  Stefan Sunesson Chiropractor
  Dan Wallin Kit Manager

Famous players

For details on famous players, see List of Hammarby IF players and :Category:Hammarby IF players.

Footnotes

A. The title of "Swedish Champions" has been awarded to the winner of four different competitions over the years. Between 1896 and 1925 the title was awarded to the winner of Svenska Mästerskapet
Svenska Mästerskapet
Svenska Mästerskapet was a Swedish football cup held to decide the Swedish Champions between 1896 and 1925.-Previous winners:-Cup champions:...

, a stand-alone cup tournament. No club were given the title between 1926 and 1930 even though the first-tier league Allsvenskan
Allsvenskan
Allsvenskan is a Swedish professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Swedish football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Superettan...

 was played. In 1931 the title was reinstated and awarded to the winner of Allsvenskan. Between 1982 and 1990 a play-off
Allsvenskan play-offs
The Allsvenskan play-offs was a Swedish football cup held to decide the Swedish football champions between 1982 and 1990. The cup was created to increase the average attendance for Allsvenskan since public interest had dropped remarkably in the previous years. The four best placed teams in...

 in cup format was held at the end of the league season to decide the champions. After the play-off format in 1991 and 1992 the title was decided by the winner of Mästerskapsserien
Mästerskapsserien
Mästerskapsserien was a short-lived Swedish football league played 1991 and 1992 to decide the Swedish Champions. The top six teams from Allsvenskan qualified for Mästerskapsserien while the four bottom had to play the promotion and relegation Kvalsvenskan league with four and two teams from...

, an additional league after the end of Allsvenskan. Since the 1993 season the title has once again been awarded to the winner of Allsvenskan.

External links

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