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2.1.2 1910-19
In 1910, the club finishes third in the first "Swedish League" competition played, although the club wins the final of the "Swedish Championships". The team played that game using the blue and white striped jersey for the first time. Up until that moment, all games had been played in blue jerseys with a single white stipe, due to bad economy. The next season is finished by playing against international opponents for the first time, the Danish club Københavns Boldklub (KB). The team plays 1:1 in a game in 1912 against what became the Swedish Olympic team, and the news-papers in Stockholm nominates IFK Göteborg as "the best Swedish football club ever". The club acts as a national team the next year when playing 1:1 against Norway. For the first and last time ever has the Swedish national team had players from only one club.
The first Swedish football scandal occurs in 1914 when several players, leaders and supporters from IFK and ÖIS starts a fight in the 1/8-final of the Swedish Championships. The club plays their games on Gamla Ullevi from 1916 and forward. Due to the ever lasting conflict between the clubs from Göteborg and clubs from Stockholm and SFF, the national team between 1913 and 1916 is either composed of players from Stockholm, or Göteborg, but never at the same time. IFK Göteborg wins the Swedish League for the fifth time in a row 1917, which leads to the dissolution of the competition by SFF. Due to that, in 1918, a private competition with clubs from Stockholm and Göteborg is started, and IFK wins that competition too. The competition is dissolved the next year.
2.1.3 1920-29
The club, with its 875 members starts the new decennium by beating both local rivals GAIS and ÖIS in the Swedish Chamionship, but losses in the semi-final against Djurgården. The club gains its first official coach in 1921, the Hungarian Alexander Brody. The Swedish League is played again that year, IFK finishing fifth, but is dissolved again in 1922. IFK plays an English team for the first time but losses 2:3 against Arsenal. After another conflict with SFF, the three clubs of the Göteborgs-alliance, IFK, ÖIS and GAIS, boycotts the Swedish Championship. The Swedish League is split into two divisions, east and west. The official reason being the high costs of travelling to different parts of the country, the real reason being that the split was the only chance for any club from Stockholm to win anything.
The Swedish official football Championship, Allsvenskan is started in the autumn 1924, played autumn/spring between 1924 and 1958. The same year as the legendary Filip "Svarte-Filip" Johansson debutes for IFK Göteborg. IFK's debute in the Allsvenskan is played against Malmö FF and ends in a 1:1 draw. The club finishes second, but "Svare-Filip" scored 39 goals in 22 games and wins the top-scoring league. The next five seasons, IFK never finishes worse than fourth, but on the other hand they never won the league either. Swedish football is still dominated by the three big clubs from Göteborg, IFK, ÖIS and GAIS.
2.1.4 1930-39
The 30s starts as the 20s ends, with a lot of second and third places, but no win. The season 1932/ 33 ends with "Svarte-Filip" quitting football, having reached a total of 177 goals in 181 Allsvenskan games, and totalling 329 goals for IFK. IFK finally wins its first Allsvenskan title the spring of 1935 after eight silver and bronze medals since the league start. As the only Swedish football club, IFK and its players boycotts the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Nazi Germany. Swedish football is no longer dominated by Göteborg in the later half of the thirties, with both IFK Göteborg and GAIS being relegated in 1937/ 38, although IFK is promoted back to Allsvenskan the next season. Back in the highest division, IFK finishes second when it is decided to let the league be finished, even after the break-out of war.
2.1.5 1940-49
Mobilization affects the leagues as many players are doing their military service. Gunnar Gren (later A.C. Milan) makes his debute in IFK as they win the league in 1941/ 42. The rest of the 40s are dull and is ended by IFK being relegated from Allsvenskan for the second time. The only light in the dark is Gunnar Gren, being the top scorer in 1946/ 47 and is together with Gunnar Nordahl playing in a "Europe Team" against England on Wembley. He is also awarded the "golden ball" as the best player in Sweden, and wins an Olympic gold medal with the Swedish team in 1948.
