History of Viking Football Club

Viking FC is one of the most successful clubs in Norwegian football, having won 8 Norwegian Eliteserien (Tippeliga) titles, most recently in 1991, and 5

Norwegian Cup titles, most recently in 2001. The club has played and won more top-flight league games than any other club, and it has played in the top division since the league was established, except for the years 1966–67 and 1987–88. Notable European successes include knocking English side Chelsea out of the UEFA Cup during the 2002–03 season, knocking out Sporting CP from the same tournament in 1999–2000, and qualifying for the group stages of the 2005–06 UEFA Cup.

History

Viking was founded in Stavanger 10th of August in 1899. Mainly Viking played local games in the early years. From the 1930s, the club established itself at the national level, playing in the Cup final 1933, which it lost to Mjøndalen. During the 1930s the club produced several of its best known players, most prominently Reidar Kvammen, who played in Norway's bronze medal winning 1936 Olympic team. His brother Arthur Kvammen was also capped for Norway.

After the Second World War, Viking became a dominant side in the 1950s, beating Lillestrøm in the Cup final 1953 and Sandefjord in 1959 the 1959, as well as winning the league title in 1957–58. Goalkeeper Sverre Andersen was the most prominent player in this generation, while Edgar Falch also earned several caps for Norway. Rolf and Kåre Bjørnsen, Asbjørn Skjærpe and Leif Nicolaysen were other prominent players, while a young Olav Nilsen began his remarkable Viking career in 1959. The club attendance record also stems from the semifinal of the 1959 Cup, when 18,892 spectators saw Viking beat Odd 4–0.

While the 1960s was a somewhat quieter decade for Viking, the club returned to dominate Norwegian football in the 1970s. Viking won four straight league titles from 1972 to 1975, as well as the double in 1979. Innovative 1972 manager Kjell S. Andreassen has been credited for laying the foundation for the success. However, the team had a new manager every year, with Sverre Andersen, Stuart Williams and Olav Nilsen leading them to the title in the subsequent years, and Tony Knapp managing the 1979 team. Midfielder Olav Nilsen was also a crucial player on the pitch in the first half of the decade, earning the nickname "Olav Viking", while fellow midfielder Svein Kvia was awarded the Norwegian Player of the Year title on several occasions. Arvid Knutsen, Reidar Goa, Hans Edgar Paulsen, Erik Johannessen, Inge Valen, Johannes Vold, Svein Hammerø, Gunnar Berland and Trygve Johannessen were other key players.

Colours and badge

The original kit colours in 1899 were all white. This turned out to be problematic at that time. To avoid colour bleeding from the red and yellow club badge when cleaning the white shirts, the badge had to be removed from each shirt prior to washing and then re-attached afterwards. The club therefore changed to dark blue, and is now nicknamed after the dark blue colour of their shirts. The club badge is shaped like a flag, and has remained unchanged since the club's formation in 1899.