Reserve team

Reserve team

Large professional sports clubs often have far more players under contract than could possibly play in a match. As a result, many of these clubs create second teams composed of players who need playing time, but have little hope of playing on the first team. The players on this second team are...

s in Norwegian association football

Football in Norway

Football is the most popular sport in Norway in terms of active membership . The Football Association of Norway was founded in 1902 and the first international match was played in 1908. There are 1,822 registered football clubs and about 25,000 teams...

play in the ordinary league system. They are always attached to their first teams with a "2" suffix, must play in a lower league than the first team, and cannot play in the Premier League

Norwegian Premier League

Tippeligaen is a Norwegian professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Norwegian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. The league is also unofficially known under its neutral name Eliteserien , although the name has never been official...

 or First Division

Adeccoligaen

The Norwegian First Division is the second highest division of the Norwegian football league system. Since 2005, the official name of the league has been Adeccoligaen....

. If a club's first team plays in the First Division, the reserves team cannot play in the Second Division either.

Controversy

Reserve teams have in general been criticized for fielding uneven teams from week to week, with many first-team players one week and more youth players the next. They have also been criticized for keeping smaller clubs out of the Second Division, meaning a more centralized football culture. In 2009 manager Ivar Morten Normark

Ivar Morten Normark

Ivar Morten Normark is a Norwegian football coach and former player. For the time being, Normark coaches the Sápmi national football team....

 proposed to throw the reserve teams out of the ordinary league pyramid, and other managers like Dag Eilev Fagermo agreed. In a survey, 19 of 31 responding Second Division clubs wanted the reserve teams out, as did 30 of the 49 responding Third Division clubs.

At the 2010 congress of the Football Association of Norway

Football Association of Norway

The Football Association of Norway is the governing body of football in Norway. Current FIFA World Champions It was formed in 1902 and organises the men's and women's national teams, as well as the Norwegian Premier League.The team are enjoying their best ever spell thanks to World Player of the...

, new rules were agreed to. From 2010, reserve teams in the Second Division can only field three players over the age of 21 at any time. More "overage" players can sit on the bench, but cannot enter the field unless substituted with another overage player.

Sporting success

From time to time, a reserves team wins its group in the Second Division. This is the highest sporting position a reserves team can achieve, since promotion is impossible. In the 1991 Second Division

1991 Norwegian Second Division

The 1991 season of the 2. divisjon, the third highest association football league for men in Norway.22 games were played in 6 groups, with 3 points given for wins and 1 for draws. Odd, Bærum, Vard, Os, Stjørdals-Blink and Bodø/Glimt were promoted to the First Division. Number ten, eleven and twelve...

, Brann's reserve team won group 4—ahead of Fyllingen

Fyllingen Fotball

Fyllingen Fotball is a Norwegian association football club from Fyllingsdalen, Bergen, Hordaland.It was founded as a formally independent section of the alliance sports club Fyllingen IL on 1 January 1994. Fyllingen IL was founded on 6 June 1946...

's reserve team. Also in the 1991 Second Division, Rosenborg's reserve team won group 5. The same thing happened in the 1996 Second Division

1996 Norwegian Second Division

The 1996 season of the 2. divisjon, the third highest association football league for men in Norway.22 games were played in 6 groups, with 3 points given for wins and 1 for draws. Sarpsborg and Runar were promoted to the First Division through playoffs against the other 3 group winners as well as...

, and the same team won group 7 in the 1998 Second Division

1998 Norwegian Second Division

In the 1998 season of the 2. divisjon, the third highest association football league for men in Norway, 22 games were played in 8 groups, with 3 points given for wins and 1 for draws. Liv/Fossekallen, Skjetten, Clausenengen and Lofoten were promoted to the First Division through playoffs against...

. In the 1992 Norwegian Second Division

1992 Norwegian Second Division

The 1992 season of the 2. divisjon, the third highest association football league for men in Norway.22 games were played in 6 groups, with 3 points given for wins and 1 for draws. Ski, Skeid, Åssiden, Åsane, Nardo and Mjølner were promoted to the First Division. Number ten, eleven and twelve were...

, Lillestrøm's reserve team won group 1. In the 2005 Second Division

2005 Norwegian Second Division

The 2005 season of the 2. divisjon, the third highest football league for men in Norway.26 games were played in 4 groups, with 3 points given for wins and 1 for draws. Sarpsborg Sparta, Manglerud Star, Haugesund and Tromsdalen were promoted to the First Division. Number twelve, thirteen and...

, Viking's reserve team won group 3.

Today

This is a list of where the reserve teams of top-level clubs play:
Reserve teams of Premier League clubs:

• Brann – Third Division
• Haugesund – Third Division
• Hønefoss – Third Division
• Kongsvinger
  Kongsvinger IL
  Kongsvinger Idrettslag is a Norwegian sports club from the city of Kongsvinger in Hedmark, founded in 1892. It is known chiefly for its football team for men, but also does or have done well in other sports.-Athletics:...
  
   – Third Division
• Lillestrøm – Third Division
• Molde – Second Division
• Odd Grenland – Second Division
• Rosenborg – Second Division
• Sandefjord
  Sandefjord Fotball
  Sandefjord Fotball is a Norwegian professional football club, founded on September 10, 1998. The club plays in the Adeccoligaen. Their home ground is the Komplett.no Arena, located in Sandefjord, Vestfold....
  
   – Third Division
• Stabæk – Second Division
• Start – Second Division
• Strømsgodset – Second Division
• Tromsø – Second Division
• Viking – Third Division
• Vålerenga – Second Division
• Aalesund – Second Division

Reserve teams of First Division clubs:

• Alta
  Älta IF
  Älta IF is a Swedish football club located in Älta.-Background:Älta IF currently plays in Division 4 Stockholm Södra which is the sixth tier of Swedish football. They play their home matches at the Älta IP in Älta....
  
   – Third Division
• Bryne – Third Division
• Bodø/Glimt – Third Division
• Fredrikstad – Third Division
• Follo
  Follo Fotball
  Follo Fotballklubb is a football club from Ski, Akershus, Norway. It was founded in September 2000 as an umbrella team for the football departments of five local teams; Ås IL, Oppegård IL, Langhus IL, Ski IL and Nordby IL....
  
   – Third Division
• Lyn – Third Division
• Løv-Ham
  Løv-Ham Fotball
  Løv-Ham Fotball is a football club from Fyllingsdalen in Bergen, Norway. Its origin are two local sports teams in Fyllingsdalen called Løvåsen and Hamre. On 29 December 1975 those clubs were merged, choosing the name Løv-Ham...
  
   – Third Division
• Mjøndalen
  Mjøndalen IF
  Mjøndalen IF is a Norwegian sports club from Mjøndalen, Buskerud, Norway.-Football:The club have won the Norwegian Cup three times, 1933, 1934 and 1937...
  
   – Third Division
• Moss – Third Division
• Nybergsund – Third Division
• Ranheim
  Ranheim Fotball
  Ranheim Fotball is a Norwegian football club from Ranheim in Trondheim. Ranheim is the football department of Ranheim IL, founded on 17 February 1901. Former manager Per Joar Hansen earned Ranheim a promotion to the Norwegian First Division after the 2009 season...
  
   – Fourth Division
• Strømmen
  Strømmen IF
  Strømmen Idrettsforening is a Norwegian sports club from Strømmen. It has sections for football, athletics,-History:The club was founded on 25 September 1911 as Strømmen FK. The name was changed to FK Norrøna in 1914. In 1923 the club merged with Strømmen IL and took the name IL Norrøna...
  
   – Third Division
• Sogndal
  Sogndal Fotball
  Sogndal Fotball is the association football section of Norwegian sports club Sogndal IL from Sogndal in Sogn og Fjordane. The club was founded in 1926....
  
   – Third Division
• Sandnes Ulf
  Sandnes Ulf
  Sandnes Ulf is a Norwegian football club from Sandnes, Rogaland. They currently play in the Adeccoligaen, the second highest division in the Norwegian football league system. Sandnes Ulf is the biggest football club in Sandnes, but has traditionally been in the shadow of regional greats Viking FK...
  
   – Third Division
• Sarpsborg – Third Division
• Tromsdalen – Third Division

----
Other reserve teams in the Third Division:

• Lørenskog
• Asker
• Bærum
  Bærum SK
  Bærum Sportsklubb is a Norwegian association football club founded on 26 March 1910. The men's team is currently playing in the Adeccoligaen, after being promoted from the Norwegian Second Division in 2011....
  
  
• KFUM
  KFUM-Kameratene Oslo
  KFUM-Kameratene Oslo is the sports branch of the local YMCA in Oslo, Norway. It has sections for association football, futsal, volleyball and track and field.The club was founded on 1 January 1939...
  
  
• Kjelsås
  Kjelsås Fotball
  Kjelsås Fotball is the association football section of the sports club Kjelsås IL, based in the Kjelsås/Grefsen area of Oslo, Norway. The club was founded in 1913...
  
  
• Manglerud Star
  Manglerud Star Toppfotball
  Manglerud Star Toppfotball is a football club based in Oslo, Norway. The club was established in its current form on December 14, 2005 after a merger between Manglerud Star Fotball, and Fotballklubben Oslo Øst, originally formed in 2000....
  
  
• Frigg
  Frigg Oslo FK
  Frigg Oslo Fotballklubb is a Norwegian sports club from Majorstua in Oslo. It has sections for association football and bandy.It was founded on 17 May 1904 as SK Frigg, named after Frigg of Norse mythology. It was merged on 21 April 1954 with SK Varg. It took the name Frigg Oslo FK in 1990. The...
  
  
• Skeid
  Skeid Fotball
  Skeid Fotball is a Norwegian football club and is located in the capital Oslo. Its current home field is Bislett. In past decades it has gained a reputation as a talent factory for the larger clubs in Norwegian football, and it has produced several players for the national team such as Daniel...
  
  
• Ham-Kam
• Raufoss
  Raufoss IL
  Raufoss I.L. is a sports club from Raufoss, Norway. The club was formed in 1918. It was played in First League between 1937-1948 , between 1957–1960, in 1964 and between 1973-1974 ....
  
  
• Valdres
  Valdres FK
  Valdres Fotballklubb is a Norwegian football club from Fagernes, Valdres, founded in 2002 as a merger between Sør-Aurdal FK and the football branch of Fagernes IL...
  
  
• Lillehammer
• FK Tønsberg
• Fram
• Notodden

• Pors
• Ålgård
• Randaberg
  Randaberg IL
  Randaberg Idrettslag is a Norwegian sports club from Randaberg. It has sections for football, swimming, gymnastics and volleyball.-Football:Before the 2007 season the football team made the national news as it increased its budget significantly in order to gain promotion, signing players like Petar...
  
  
• Stavanger
  Stavanger IF Fotball
  Stavanger IF Fotball, the football division of Stavanger Idrettsforening, is a football club from Stavanger, Norway. In 2011, they will play in the Third Division, the fourth tier of the Norwegian football league system. In Rogaland, they are simply known as Sif, and few people would refer to them...
  
  
• Os
• Hødd
• Kristiansund
• Strindheim
• Byåsen
• Steinkjer
  Steinkjer FK
  Steinkjer FK is a Norwegian football club from the town of Steinkjer, currently playing in Fair Play ligaen, the third tier in the Norwegian league system. It was founded in 1910...
  
  
• Senja
  FK Senja
  Fotballklubben Senja is a Norwegian association football club from Silsand, Troms.The men's team currently plays in the Norwegian Second Division.- Recent history :- Squad 2011/2012 :...
  
  

C teams that play in the Third Division:

• Odd 3
• Molde 3
• Rosenborg 3
• Tromsø 3