Djurgårdens IF Fotboll

History

Foundation

Main article: Djurgårdens IF#Founding (1891–1896)

Djurgårdens IF was founded primarily by John G. Jansson, on 12 March 1891, at a café in Alberget 4A on the island of Djurgården in central Stockholm. Most of the founding members were from the dockyard-industry working class, an identity that remained true until the 1950s and 1960s.

The club originally focused on winter sports and athletics. The first true football field in Stockholm was created in 1896. Djurgårdens IF's football department was formed in 1899 with the help of former GAIS player Teodor Andersson. The team played its first match in July 1899, a 1–2 loss against AIK.

Swedish Championship titles – 1912 to 1920

The team's first real achievement was in 1902 when they finished second in the Rosenska Pokalen tournament. Just two years later, in 1904, they participated in their first Svenska Mästerskapet final, but were defeated 2–1 by Örgryte IS.

The team lost three more Swedish Championship finals, all against teams from Gothenburg (1906 against Örgryte, 1909 against Örgryte and 1910 against IFK Göteborg), before their first victory came in the 1912 final with a 3–1 win against Örgryte.

The club won three more Swedish Championships in the 1910s and 1920s, the 1915 final against Örgryte, the 1917 final against AIK, and the 1920 final against IK Sleipner. They reached twelve of the thirty championship finals played to 1925. Nordenskjöld played in all Djurgården's Svenska Mästerskapet finals. Although the team became Swedish champions four times during the period when the title was decided by a championship final, Djurgården never managed to win the national league of the period, the Svenska Serien.

Djurgården did not qualify for the first season of Allsvenskan, and only reached the league twice between 1924 and 1944, in 1927–28 and 1936–37, both times being directly relegated back to the second tier Division 2. On 31 July 1927, the club played its first Allsvenskan game and won against Stattena IF and Georg Ehmke scored the first goal for the club. The club also played three seasons in the then third tier, Division 3, between 1929 and 1932. From 1944 on, Djurgården became a stable Allsvenskan team. Stockholm Olympic Stadium, built for the 1912 Summer Olympics, became Djurgården's permanent home ground in 1936, replacing Tranebergs IP.

Swedish Championship titles – 1955 to 1966

In 1951, Djurgården were runners-up in Svenska Cupen after a 1–2 final loss against Malmö FF; this was the team's first Svenska Cupen final. Four years later, under manager Frank Soo, they won Allsvenskan for the first time in the 1954–55 season, their fifth national title. In 1955–56, Djurgården became the first Swedish team to enter the European Cup. After beating Gwardia Warszawa in the first round, they advanced to the quarter-finals where they were drawn against Hibernian, but they lost 1–4 over the two legs.

In 1959, both the football team and Djurgårdens IF's hockey team won their respective championships in Sweden's two most popular sports, a remarkable happening. The 1959 Allsvenskan title was secured in a match against AIK at the Råsunda Stadium. The attendance of 48,894 people was a record for a match involving Djurgården, whose title-winning team were Sven Tumba, Birger Eklund, Lars Broström, John Eriksson, Hans Karlsson, Gösta Sandberg, Olle Hellström, Stig Gustafsson, Arne Arvidsson, Hans Mild and Sigge Parling.

Only a year later, however, Djurgården finished 11th and were relegated to the second division, but the team only needed one season to return to Allsvenskan. In 1964 and 1966, Djurgården won their seventh and eight championships, with 1966 marking the end of Gösta Sandberg's career. Sandberg played 322 league matches for the team from 1951 to 1966, and scored 77 goals. His nickname was "Mr Djurgården" and, in 1991, he was named "Djurgårdare of the century". Sandberg also played for the club's bandy and ice hockey sections. He died on his way home after attending the Tvillingderbyt in 2006.

It was during the 1950s to 1960s period that the club nickname "Järnkaminerna" () was established, due to the team's physical playing style. The ideal of a strong and uncompromising Djurgården player might also be traced back to the club's working-class roots.

1970s to 1990s

Djurgården were members of Allsvenskan through the 1970s and had three third-places and a final loss in the 1975 Svenska Cupen final as their best seasons. Gary Williams became the first foreign player join the team in the 1977 season. The 1980s was not a good decade for the club, as they were relegated from Allsvenskan in 1981 and, after losing two promotion play-offs, made a temporary return to the highest league in 1986. Future England striker Teddy Sheringham had a brief spell at Djurgården as a 19-year-old loanee in 1985–86, and was part of the squad that won the promotion to Allsvenskan after beating GAIS in a dramatic penalty shoot-out in the playoffs. In 1987, besides being relegated again, Djurgårdens IF Fotboll presented a 12 million Swedish krona deficit and was later transformed into an aktiebolag.

Djurgården gained another promotion in 1989. This time, they stayed in Allsvenskan for five consecutive seasons and, in 1990, the team won the Svenska Cupen for the first time. They also achieved the club's record victory when they defeated local rivals Hammarby 9–1 in Allsvenskan on 13 August that year. After a promising start to the 1990s, the club was relegated from Allsvenskan three times, and promoted back twice. During this decade, the club's economic problems almost caused bankruptcy. The 1995 season started well, but ended badly; in the last home match of the 1995 Allsvenskan, a supporter, later named "Terror-Tommy" in the media, came onto the pitch and kicked referee Anders Frisk.

2000s "golden era" (1999–2006)

In the middle of the 1999 season, Zoran Lukic and Sören Åkeby took over the team and won the inaugural 2000 Superettan. They also finished second, although newly promoted, in the 2001 Allsvenskan. With a team which included Stefan Rehn, Kim Källström, Andreas Johansson, and Andreas Isaksson, Djurgården secured their first championship title in 36 years in the last round of the 2002 Allsvenskan. Later in the year, Djurgården also won Svenska Cupen by beating AIK, 1–0 on golden goal. The first half of the 2000s was a golden era for the club, with three championships (2002, 2003 and 2005) and three cup wins (2002, 2004 and 2005). This "golden era" for Djurgården ended with a sixth-place finish in 2006. The club was one of the main contenders for the league championship in 2007, but ultimately finished in third place. The golden era saw the club play against European clubs Juventus, FC Girondins de Bordeaux, Shamrock Rovers, FK Partizan and FC Utrecht in European competitions, the most remarkable result being a 2–2 draw against Juventus at Stadio Delle Alpi.

2009 to present

Djurgården survived a relegation play-off in 2009 against Assyriska to remain in Allsvenskan, after Mattias Jonson had scored the winning goal in extra time. For the next five seasons, they became a mid-table team in the league. Bo Andersson, who had been a club director Djurgården during their three national titles in the 2000s, returned, now as director of sports, in late 2013, but he was forced to sell several good players to try and balance the books. In January 2017, Djurgården sold the Kenyan international forward Michael Olunga for a club record fee of which transformed the club's finances into one of the best in Sweden. The transfer also made it possible to sign club legend Kim Källström and fellow former Swedish international Jonas Olsson. Both players, together with recently returned goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson, played important roles as Djurgården finished in third place in the 2017 Allsvenskan, qualifying for European football for the first time in ten years, this time for the second qualifying round for the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League. After 13 years without any titles, Djurgården won the Svenska Cupen on 10 May 2018 after going through the tournament without conceding a single goal. They defeated Malmö FF 3–0 in the final at Tele2 Arena.

For the 2019 season, Kim Bergstrand and Thomas Lagerlöf became the team managers, replacing Özcan Melkemichel. Djurgården won the league title for the first time in fourteen years, securing a spot in the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round. After the season Djurgården sold defender and team captain Marcus Danielson to the Chinese club Dalian Professional for what was reported to be a club record fee of more than . This made Djurgården one of Sweden's wealthiest clubs along with various other sales.

Djurgården finished fourth in the 2020 season when all matches were played in empty stadiums because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, they finished third to earn a place in the second qualifying round of the 2022–23 UEFA Europa Conference League. They finished second in the 2022 season, again qualifying for the Conference League, and then fourth in 2023. On 2 February 2024, Djurgården sold one of their most talented youngsters, Lucas Bergvall, to Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur for a reported club record fee of , and on 28 July the club announced that they had sold Samuel Dahl to AS Roma in Serie A.

On 21 October 2024 the club announced that they would part ways with their manager duo Lagerlöf and Bergstrand, after a turbulent second half of the season. This marked the end of their six years at the club, they left their positions with three domestic games left and games in the league phase of the Conference League. Despite the turbulent fall the club finished fifth overall in the league phase of the UEFA Conference League under the interim leadership, they qualified for the round of 16. On 20 December 2024 the club announced the appointment of their new manager, Jani Honkavaara from Finland.

European cups and tournaments

Main article: Djurgårdens IF Fotboll in European football

Notes for the abbreviations in the table below:

• 1R: First round
• 2R: Second round
• PR: Preliminary round
• QR: Qualifying round
• 1QR: First qualifying round
• 2QR: Second qualifying round
• 3QR: Third qualifying round
• LP: League phase
• PO: Play-off round
• R16: Round of 16
• QF: Quarter-finals
• SF: Semi-finals
• (H): Home game single fixture
• (A): Away game single fixture

This is Djurgården's history in past and forthcoming international cups and tournaments organised by UEFA. , the club is ranked 84th by UEFA in its of European football clubs by coefficient, surpassing arch-rival AIK and Malmö FF, and thereby becoming Sweden's highest ranked team. The Royal League is not included since it was not arranged by UEFA and was a tournament for Scandinavian teams only, but the club qualified for the tournament three out of the five years (namely, during the seasons 2004–05, 2005–06, and 2007–08).

Supporters and rivalries

Djurgården is one of the best-supported clubs in Sweden with around 24,500 members and 14,754 season ticket holders . Most of its supporters live in Stockholm and the neighbouring suburbs. Traditionally, the northern part of the inner city with Vasastan and the affluent borough of Östermalm is considered to be the club's stronghold (Östermalm where the club's former home ground, the Olympic Stadium, is located). However, a 2015 t-shirt campaign suggests that supporters are spread fairly evenly throughout all of Stockholm.

Although Djurgården's supporters have been organizing themselves since the late 1940s, with the founding of DIF Supporters Club back in 1947, the 1970s saw singing supporter factions emerging which led to a new supporter club to be founded in 1981, named "Blue Saints". The supporter club later changed its name in 1997 to Järnkaminerna () since the old name was perceived to be associated with violence. Järnkaminerna is Djurgården's official supporters' group with a membership of about 5,800.

The 2000s saw the emergence and creation of independent ultras groups. The oldest active ultra group, "Ultra Caos Stockholm", formed in 2003, is largely influenced by southern European supporter culture. In 2005 Fabriken Stockholm was formed and took over the role of creating tifos for the team's games from a former, now dissolved group, Ultras Stockholm, founded in the late 1990s. In 2013 a larger and more open organization (Sofia Tifo) was formed and took charge of the terrace choreography, headed by Ultra Caos Stockholm. The club's ultras are located in the lower part of Sofialäktaren (the Sofia stand), located in the south part of the stadium. The name comes from a hospital, Sophiahemmet, situated behind the northern section of Stockholms stadion where the ultras used to stand when Djurgården played there.

Rivalries

Djurgården's arch-rival is AIK, which was founded on 15 February 1891. Djurgården itself was founded just four weeks later on 12 March. Both clubs trace their roots to Stockholm City Centre. Hence, games between the teams are called Tvillingderbyt () by the media, a name that has not caught on among supporters since they don't view themselves as such. They are also, historically, the biggest and most successful clubs from Stockholm, with 21 titles won by AIK and 17 by Djurgården. Games between the two teams draw large crowds of rival supporters and can often be highly charged occasions.

Hammarby is Djurgården's other main rival, mostly because of their geographical proximity in central Stockholm, with Djurgården's stronghold in Vasastan and Östermalm district while Hammarby's in Södermalm. Since 2013, the two teams have shared the same home ground, the 3 Arena.

Malmö FF and IFK Göteborg are Djurgården's biggest rivals outside of the Stockholm area. Fixtures against these teams draw almost as many as the derbies. Another rivalry that has grown more intense in recent years is with Helsingborg IF, and that after an incident where a Djurgården supporter was beaten to death before the opening fixture of the 2014 season in Helsingborg.

Crest, colours and name

The first crest of the club was a four-pointed silver star in saltire, which had a shield on it with the letters DIF. This star pre-dates the similar star which Idrottsföreningen Kamraterna adopted and is using to this day. The present crest, in the form of a shield in yellow, red, and blue with the text D.I.F. was adopted in 1896. According to an often-quoted poem by Johan af Klercker from 1908, blue and yellow stand for Sweden and red stands for love. Blue and yellow are also the colours of Stockholm.

The club is named after the city park and borough Djurgården, which originally was a royal hunting park. A direct translation of Djurgården would be "animal garden" or "animal yard". The word djur is cognate with the English word "deer", so "deer garden" may have been the name's original meaning. The IF in Djurgårdens IF stands for sports association, and FF in Djurgårdens IF FF stands for football association.

Djurgården has two nicknames: Järnkaminerna (The Iron Stoves) and Blåränderna (The Blue Stripes).

Kit

The home shirt has vertical sky and dark blue stripes, hence the club's nickname Blåränderna (the Blue Stripes). The shorts are usually dark blue but have occasionally been white.

The club's kit manufacturer, Adidas, presents a new kit every other (even) year. Apart from Adidas, Djurgården has the logos of the following companies visible on their shirt and shorts: Effektiv, a recruitment and staffing company; Infrakraft, an infrastructure company; Mobill, a parking management app; Stadium, a sporting-goods retail chain; the TV manufacturer TCL; German automaker Volkswagen; gym chain Nordic Wellness, and league sponsors Unibet.

Stadiums

Main article: Tele2 Arena

Djurgården's primary stadium since 2013 is Tele2 Arena. The club's first match at Tele2 was a 1–2 defeat to IFK Norrköping on 31 July 2013, which drew 27,798 people. The current record attendance at Tele2 Arena is 28,258 versus Örebro SK on the last home game of the 2019 season.

Between 1936 and 2013, Djurgården's home ground was Stockholm Olympic Stadium, where the national league and cup games were played. Their secondary venue was Råsunda Stadium, where Stockholm derbies against AIK and Hammarby IF were played. The old Olympic Stadium, built in 1912, didn't fulfil UEFA's stadium requirements and therefore international cup games were also played at Råsunda. The club's record attendance at the Olympic Stadium is at least 21,995 against AIK on 16 August 1946. Djurgården's record attendance at Råsunda is 50,750 against IFK Göteborg on 11 October 1959.

The club's first stadium was Stockholms idrottspark where the club played from 1899 until 1906, when it moved to the newly built Östermalms IP. However, in August 1910 Djurgården signed a 25-year contract with the Stockholm City Council to build a stadium in Traneberg, a district west of the inner city. Tranebergs Idrottsplats was finished in October 1911 and inaugurated by Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf. The contract expired in 1935, and with the City Council intending to establish residential housing on the site, Djurgården moved to the Stockholm Olympic Stadium in 1936, where the club had played previously on several occasions after the construction of the stadium in 1912.

As attendances increased in the latter half of the 1940s, the club decided to play some games at the newer and larger Råsunda Stadium. And as Djurgården climbed in the league table at the beginning of the 1950s, all games were played at Råsunda. But by the end of the 1960s, Djurgården returned to the Olympic stadium, and soon all games were played there, with the exception of derbies.

The club's achievements in the early 2000s drew larger attendances which led Djurgården to plan for a new stadium with modern facilities and individual seats. Along with political promises in 2006, Djurgården aimed for a rehaul of Stockholm Olympic Stadium and later an entirely new stadium at Östermalms IP. These plans were abandoned in December 2011 as the building costs exceeded the club's financial capabilities. New stadium requirements from the Swedish Football Association also did not allow Djurgården to play at the Olympic Stadium after 2013. Thus, the club board made the decision to move to Tele2 Arena for the 2013 season.

Youth academy

The youth academy is located at Hjorthagens IP. In December 2012, an indoor arena named "Johan Björkmans hall" with one regulation-size turf and two smaller turfs was built at Hjorthagens IP which enables football training all year around. In 2007 Djurgården invested (about ) in their youth academy, which former director of sports, Göran Aral, described as a unique investment by a Swedish club. In 2015 the training ground for the first team was renovated which enabled the U17 and U19 teams to be training at Kaknäs IP and therefore come closer to the first team. The academy has produced players like Simon Tibbling, Emil Bergström, Christian Rubio Sivodedov and Samuel Leach Holm.

Players

First-team squad

Out on loan

Youth players with first-team experience

Notable players

List criteria:

• player has been named Allsvenskan top scorer of the year, or
• player has won Guldbollen, or
• player is one of the 12 players named as "DIF-heroes" on the official club website. or
• player has gained 100 caps or more for his country.

Management and boardroom

Management

A list of the staff working with and around the first team squad.

:

Boardroom

:

Managerial history

Main article: List of Djurgårdens IF managers

It is not known for sure who was the team's manager until 1922, though it is believed that Birger Möller was in charge during a part of the club's first decades.

Honours

• Swedish Champions
  • Winners (12): 1912, 1915, 1917, 1920, 1954–55, 1959, 1964, 1966, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2019

League

• Allsvenskan:
  • Winners (8): 1954–55, 1959, 1964, 1966, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2019
  • Runners-up (4): 1962, 1967, 2001, 2022
• Superettan:
  • Winners (1): 2000
• Division 1 Norra:
  • Winners (3): 1987, 1994, 1998
  • Runners-up (1): 1997
• Svenska Serien:
  • Runners-up (1): 1911–12

Cups

• Svenska Cupen:
  • Winners (5): 1989–90, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2017–18
  • Runners-up (5): 1951, 1974–75, 1988–89, 2012–13, 2023–24
• Svenska Mästerskapet:
  • Winners (4): 1912, 1915, 1917, 1920
  • Runners-up (7): 1904, 1906, 1909, 1910, 1913, 1916, 1919
• Allsvenskan play-offs:
  • Runners-up (1): 1988
• Corinthian Bowl:
  • Winners (1): 1910
  • Runners-up (2): 1908, 1911
• Rosenska Pokalen:
  • Runners-up (1): 1902
• Wicanderska Välgörenhetsskölden:
  • Winners (4): 1907, 1910, 1913, 1915
  • Runners-up (3): 1908, 1914, 1916
• Nordic Cup:
  • Runners-up (1): 1959–62

Records

• Victory, Allsvenskan: 9–1 vs. Hammarby IF (13 August 1990)
• Loss, Allsvenskan: 1–11 vs. IFK Norrköping (14 October 1945)
• Highest attendance, Råsunda Stadium: 50,750 vs. IFK Göteborg (11 October 1959)
• Highest attendance, Stockholms Stadion: 21,995 vs. AIK (16 August 1946)
• Highest attendance, Tele2 Arena: 28,258 vs. Örebro SK (28 October 2019)
• Most appearances, Allsvenskan: 312, Sven Lindman (1965–80)
• Most goals scored, Allsvenskan: 70, Gösta 'Knivsta' Sandberg (1951–66)
• Record transfer fee paid – 20 million Swedish krona, Tobias Gulliksen from Bodø/Glimt (winter of 2024)
• Record transfer fee received – 113 million Swedish krona, Lucas Bergvall to Tottenham Hotspur (winter of 2024)

Most appearances

Competitive matches only, includes appearances as substitute. Numbers in brackets indicate goals scored.

UEFA Club ranking

References

Citations

Works cited

References

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