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IFK Göteborg is a sports club club located in Göteborg, Sweden, with football as the primary sport. The club, formed 4 October 1904, has won 17 national championship titles, 4 national cup titles, and two UEFA Cups in football.
1 Common history
1.1 1895-99
The first IFK club in Göteborg was the one founded in 1895 with Oscar Lagerstedt as chairman, but the club short-lived. Sources confirm it had founded a small-bore rifle shooting challenge prize in the winter 1896. The next try to found an IFK Göteborg was made September 5, 1897, when the Friberg-brothers, Eric Clase and Anton Johansson (later chairman of the Swedish Football Association (SFF) and, strangely enough, a big Göteborg-hater) reconstructed the club. The club was active untill at least 1899, but after that year, no information is found that can confirm that the club still existed. During these years, the main activity was athletics, and during a short time in 1899, the four-time Olympic gold medalist Eric Flemming was active in the club.
1.2 1900-04
There was no further activity of any IFK club in Göteborg between 1900 and 1904, when the IFK Göteborg we know today, was founded, when Arthur "Lång-Arthur" Andersson, John Säwström, two Chalmerists, Arthur Wingren and S. Ljunggren wanted to start an IFK club in Göteborg. The idea came to their minds after reading a news-item in a newspaper where a question why Sweden's second largest city still didn't have an IFK association was asked. Late in the evening, 2 October 1904, it was decided to start the club, and two days later, IFK Göteborg became the 39th IFK association. The meeting also founded committees for football, hockey and parties(!). One of the most important questions before any activities could start was the look of the dress. As all IFK clubs (except IFK Malmö ), the colors where blue and white. It was decided that the dress should consist of blue and white striped jerseys, with blue shorts. A dress still used.
2 Football
2.1 History
2.1.1 1904-09
The first season of the club ended with four wins over clubs, not known which, from the local area. The first match played with a known opponent, IK Vikingen, ended in defeat, 1:2. The players where upset, and the return match ended in an overwhelming win, 8:1. The foundation of IFK Göteborg was important for the development in the city, as the only big club this far, Örgryte IS (ÖIS) had dominated the scene, but now they got concurrence, although the first training games in 1906Events January 8 Landslide in Haverstraw, New York kills 20 January 31 Earthquake in Ecuador (8. 6 in Richter scale) February 11 Pope Pius X publishes the encyclical Vehementer nos''. February 15 Representatives of the Labour Representation Committee in t against ÖIS ended in disaster, with only one win, and the total goal score ending at 7:40. IFK plays in the IFK association competition, but losses against IFK Stockholm in the finals.
The big rival ÖIS outclasses IFK in most matches in the first years, but in May 1907Events January events January 6 Maria Montessori opens her first school and daycare center for working class children in Rome Casa dei Bambini in San Lorenzo). January 14 An earthquake in Kingston, Jamaica kills more than a 1,000 January 23 Charles Curtis, the first win in a competing match finally arives, and this also means that IFK Göteborg wins the series in Göteborg, which leads to the decision by the district board (composing only ÖIS-fans) to disqualify IFK Göteborg, but the Swedish Football Association dislikes the decision and revokes it. IFK wins the "Swedish Championships" for the first time in 19081908 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). Events January-February January 1 A ball signifying New Year's Day drops in New York City's Times Square for the first time January 8 A train collision occurs in the Park Avenue T and three players from the club plays for SwedenThe Sweden national football team Landslaget in Swedish) is controlled by the Swedish Football Association. Sweden has seen some success at the World Cup, finishing second when they hosted the tournament in 1958, and third twice: in 1950 and 1994. Their b in the first Swedish international game played (11:3 against Norway). Erik Börjesson from IFK scores the historical first goal.
