Silkeborg Idrætsforening, (pronounced [ˈse̝lkəˌpɒˀ ˈitʁætsfɒˌe̝ˀne̝ŋ]; commonly known as Silkeborg IF or SIF in short) is a professional football club based in Silkeborg, Denmark. The club was founded in 1917, reached the highest level of Danish football in 1987, and afterwards became one of the most successful football clubs in Denmark. They won the 1993–94 Danish Superliga, finished third in 1994–95, 2000–01, and 2021–22, 2nd in 1997–98, and won the Danish Cup in 2001 and 2024. Silkeborg has participated in Europe several times, winning the UEFA Intertoto Cup in 1996.

Silkeborg
Full nameSilkeborg Idrætsforening
Short nameSIF
Founded1917; 107 years ago (1917)
GroundJYSK Park
Capacity10,000 (6,000 seated)
ChairmanKent Madsen
Head coachKent Nielsen
LeagueDanish Superliga
2023–24Superliga, 6th of 12
WebsiteClub website
Current season

History

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Founded in 1917, the football section of Silkeborg IF played in the top ranks of Jutland until a short visit in the third division in 1962. In 1966, however the team was promoted to the 2nd division of Danish football. In 1982, the club took the decisive step towards the Danish top football, as the company SIF Football Support A / S was founded, a professional company that would be responsible for professional football in Silkeborg. This resulted in a rise in 1987 to the country's top row, the 1st division. This came as a large surprise to most football enthusiasts and a reporter from the Danish newspaper Politiken wrote, "It will be a surprise if Silkeborg will win a corner kick." The team, however, played well and already in the third game of the season Silkeborg IF defeated Denmark's dominant team, Brøndby with a 1–0 win at home.

1994 championship

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There were many vital matches in the 1993–94 season, but perhaps the most important game for Silkeborg was the tournament's third round match at home against Brøndby. Just before the game, the team's big name Jakob Kjeldberg had been sold to Chelsea,[1] and when Brøndby put themselves ahead 2–0 early in the game, it looked difficult for the home team. But Silkeborg totally turned the match upside down and won 4–2 in front of an enthusiastic audience.[2] During the rest of autumn, SIF delivered one attractive game after another. The team lost only 2 of 18 matches and finished the autumn in 1st place.

The playoffs were a thrilling affair. The superior play in the autumn was followed by a more calculating style. Away from home, SIF ran into a few serious defeats, but, in turn, Silkeborg Stadion was a fortress. Here, SIF won six out of seven games and conceded only one goal. In the second-to-last round, SIF could secure the championship with an away win against the only remaining competitor, Copenhagen. Silkeborg fans flocked to the national arena, Parken Stadium, where the match was witnessed by the largest crowd in history of the Danish Superliga, namely 26,679.[3] The many visiting SIF fans, however, witnessed SIF scoring the first goal of the match but eventually losing 1–4.

The situation before the final round was that SIF should provide a better result than Copenhagen to become champions. At home, SIF played Aalborg BK and won 2–0 on two goals by leading scorer Heine Fernandez. In Odense, OB obtained a lead over Copenhagen in the 2nd half and won 3–2 on a goal in injury time, securing SIF the championship.

2001 cup winners and relegation

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In 2001, Silkeborg won the Danish Cup with a 4–1 victory against league rivals AB. Behind 0–1 at half-time, the team scored 4 times in the second half of the match by Brian Pedersen, Thomas Poulsen and 2 from Henrik Pedersen. Steven Lustü, who later would become a prominent player for Silkeborg, played the entire game for AB. The following years' results were not very impressive. After the cup victory, the club sold Henrik Pedersen to Bolton Wanderers, Peter Kjær to Beşiktaş and Thomas Røll to Copenhagen. At the same time, Morten Bruun, the player with most caps to his name in the club history, retired. In 2003, the team was relegated to the 1st Division, but returned to the Superliga the following year. For two consecutive seasons, the team finished eighth in the league with 12 teams, but in 2007 the team was again relegated. When former player Troels Bech returned to the club as head coach in 2009, however, he transformed the team and helped the club to promotion. Silkeborg finished fifth in the league in 2011, the best result in 15 years.

2018–19 1st Division Title

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In the 2018–19 Danish 1st Division Silkeborg IF were crowned champions of the First Division for a third time, ensuring a return to the Danish Superliga for the 2019–20 season following a one-year absence.

Danish Striker Ronnie Schwartz was the league's top scorer for Silkeborg with 17 league goals registered; sharing the golden boot with Roskilde's Emil Nielsen.

They secured the league title with 61 points, only 1 point clear of nearest rivals Viborg FF ensuring an automatic return to the Superliga.

From promotion to Europe

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As Silkeborg IF won promotion to the Danish Superliga in 2021, many experts expected the club to continue its status as a yo-yo club and be in a relegation battle,[4] but head coach Kent Nielsen managed to impress this time in the top division. His attacking style of play with focus on possession and short passing game meant that the club qualified for the championship play-offs for the first time in the club's recent history.[5] Especially the attacking trio, Nicolai Vallys, Sebastian Jørgensen and Nicklas Helenius – often referred to as "VHS" – impressed with many goals and assists.[6][7]

One of the reasons for Silkeborg's success was seen as their ability to hold on to key players during the 2021–22 winter break, despite interest for Tobias Salquist and Rasmus Carstensen.[8] In the play-offs, Silkeborg managed to beat both FC Copenhagen and Brøndby in historic fashion during the same week.[9] Brøndby were defeated 3–0 and Copenhagen, who had not lost the previous eight games, were beaten 3–1. Ultimately, the season finished in third place and their first bronze medals since 2000–01,[10] as Silkeborg were considered the most "entertaining" and "well-playing" team in the Superliga.[11]

Due to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, all Russian teams were excluded from European tournaments by UEFA.[12] This meant that the Danish Cup winners entered the final qualifying round for the UEFA Europa League. When FC Midtjylland won the 2021–22 Danish Cup, and at the same time finished in second place in the Superliga, which now gave access to UEFA Champions League qualification, Silkeborg secured Europa League qualification by virtue of their third-place Superliga finish.[13]

On 9 May 2024, Silkeborg won their second Danish Cup, having previously won it in 2001, with Oliver Sonne scoring the only goal in the final against AGF at Parken Stadium in Copenhagen.[14]

Honours

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League

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Cups

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International

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Players

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Current squad

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As of 2 September 2024[15]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK   DEN Nicolai Larsen
2 DF   DEN Andreas Poulsen
3 DF   NOR Robin Østrøm
4 DF   POR Pedro Ganchas
5 DF   PER Oliver Sonne
6 MF   DEN Pelle Mattsson
7 MF   KAZ Ramazan Orazov
8 MF   DEN Jeppe Andersen
9 FW   DEN Alexander Simmelhack
10 FW   DEN Younes Bakiz
11 MF   DEN Fredrik Carlsen
15 DF   DEN Rasmus Thelander
No. Pos. Nation Player
17 FW   NZL Callum McCowatt
19 DF   DEN Jens Martin Gammelby
20 MF   DEN Mads Larsen
21 MF   DEN Anders Klynge
23 FW   DEN Tonni Adamsen
24 DF   DEN Alexander Madsen
25 DF   SWE Pontus Rödin
30 GK   DEN Aske Andrésen
33 MF   DEN Mads Freundlich
40 DF   DEN Alexander Busch
41 MF   DEN Oskar Boesen

Youth players in use 2024–25

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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
36 MF   DEN Julius Nielsen

Out on loan

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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
13 DF   DEN Oscar Fuglsang (at Fredericia until 30 June 2025)
18 MF   DEN Anders Dahl (at Fredericia until 31 December 2024)
No. Pos. Nation Player
FW   DEN Asbjørn Bøndergaard (at Fredericia until 30 June 2025)

Staff

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Current technical staff

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Position Staff
Manager   Kent Nielsen
Assistant manager   Peder Knudsen
Goalkeeping coach   Thomas Nørgaard
Fitness coach   Rasmus Hansen
Fitness assistant   Mikkel Cramer
Physiotherapist   Michael Larsen
Sporting director   Jesper Stücker

Last updated: 14 July 2019
Source: Silkeborg IF

Managerial history

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European cups record

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Season Cup Round Opponent Home Away Aggregate
1991 Intertoto Cup Group 4   Hammarby IF 4–1 3–1 2nd
  Energie Cottbus 4–1 1–0
  Dukla Banksá Bystrica 1–3 0–2
1993 Intertoto Cup Group 6   Zürich N/A 0–2 5th
  VfL Bochum 2–2 N/A
  Tirol 1–1 N/A
  Slovan Bratislava N/A 1–2
1994 Intertoto Cup Group 1   Halmstads BK N/A 0–2 5th
  Maccabi Netanya 0–0 N/A
  Sparta Prague N/A 1–4
  Lokomotiv Sofia 7–2 N/A
1994–95 Champions League 1Q   Dynamo Kyiv 0–0 1–3 1–3
1995–96 UEFA Cup 1Q   Crusaders 4–0 1–2 5–2
2Q   Sparta Prague 1–2 0–1 1–3
1996 Intertoto Cup Group 4   Sporting Charleroi N/A 4–2 1st
  Zagłębie Lubin 0–0 N/A
  SV Ried N/A 3–0
  Conwy United 3–0 N/A
SF   Uralmash 0–1 2–1 2–2 (a)
F   Segesta Sisak 0–1 2–1 2–2 (a)
1996–97 UEFA Cup Q   Spartak Moscow 1–2 2–3 3–5
1997 Intertoto Cup Group 2   Grazer AK N/A 0–2 3rd
  Hrvatski Dragovoljac 5–0 N/A
  Bastia N/A 0–1
  Ebbw Vale 6–1 N/A
1998–99 UEFA Cup 1Q   Mura 2–0 0–0 2–0
R1   Roma 0–2 0–1 0–3
2000 Intertoto Cup R1   Dnepr Mogilev 1–2 1–2 2–4
2001–02 UEFA Cup 1R   Real Zaragoza 1–2 0–3 1–5
2022–23 UEFA Europa League PO   HJK 1–1 0–1 1–2
2022–23 UEFA Europa Conference League Group B   Anderlecht 0–2 0–1 3rd
  West Ham United 2–3 0–1
  FCSB 5–0 5–0
2024–25 UEFA Europa League 2Q   Molde 3–2 1–3 4–5
2024–25 UEFA Conference League 3Q   Gent 2–2 2–3 4–5

Former notable players

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Top goalscorers

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Competitive matches only. To matches played 22 March 2017.[16]

# Name Career Goals
1   Henrik Pedersen 1995–2001 and 2008–2012 96
2   Heine Fernandez 1990–1998 96
3   Rajko Lekić 2003–2004 and 2008–2011 76
4   Christian Holst 2008–2014 47
5   Jesper Thygesen 1994–1998 and 2000–2003 45
6   Iddi Alkhag 2001–2007 41
7   Michael Hansen 1991–1996 and 2006–2007 39
8   Morten Bruun 1988–2001 35
9   Ole Skov 1988–1992 35
10   Nocko Joković 1996–1999 33
11   Peter Lassen 1999–2000 33
12   Allan Reese 1991–1997 32
13   Hans Erfurt 1987–1994 31
14   Marvin Pourie 2011–2013 29
15   Jesper Bech 2004–2014 28

Top appearances

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Competitive matches only. To matches played 22 March 2017.[17]

# Name Career Appearances
1   Morten Bruun 1988–2001 424
2   Bjarne Jensen 348
3   Dennis Flinta 2005–2007 and 2009–present 329
4   Ingvar Johansen 1979–1993 325
5   Arne Skovbo 308
6   Kurt Nielsen 307
7   Peter Kjær 1993–2001 291
8   Christian Duus 1991–2005 283
9   Henrik Pedersen 1995–2001 and 2008–2012 270
10   Michael Larsen 1992–2003 269
11   Thomas Poulsen 1997–2006 255
12   Brian Skaarup −1991 254
13   Heine Fernandez 1990–1998 246
14   Jørgen Hansen 245
15   Jesper Thygesen 1994–1998 and 2000–2003 245

References

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  1. ^ 1993–1994 season Archived 27 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine, Silkeborg IF by year, accessed on 4 December 2013.
  2. ^ Superstats SIF-BIF 15.08.1993 Archived 29 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine, SIF-BIF: 4–2, accessed on 4 December 2013.
  3. ^ Superstats FCK-SIF 05.06.1994 Archived 29 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine, FCK-SIF: 4–1, accessed on 4 December 2013.
  4. ^ "Tipsbladet forudsiger SL: De bliver overraskelsen". Tipsbladet (in Danish). 16 July 2021. Archived from the original on 16 July 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  5. ^ "Mesterskabsspillet tilrettelagt". Silkeborg IF (in Danish). 20 March 2022. Archived from the original on 19 August 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  6. ^ Porse, Kristian (14 April 2022). "Silkeborgs 'VHS' ødelagde FCK's flotte stime". bold.dk (in Danish). Archived from the original on 4 January 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  7. ^ "KEP udnævner ny trio og sammenligner med verdensstjerner – Kent Nielsen langt fra imponeret". TV3 SPORT (in Danish). 2 November 2021. Archived from the original on 1 December 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  8. ^ "Manglende profilsalg i januar viser Silkeborgs styrke". B.T. (in Danish). 20 February 2022. Archived from the original on 4 January 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  9. ^ Porse, Kristian (14 April 2022). "Silkeborg slog FCK: Tilbage i top 3-kampen nu". bold.dk (in Danish). Archived from the original on 4 January 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  10. ^ Margren, Sara (15 May 2022). "Silkeborg snupper bronze i Superligaen". bold.dk (in Danish). Archived from the original on 4 January 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  11. ^ Jensen, Kenneth (7 February 2022). "Alt om SIF: Stjernes lillebror er et større talent". Tipsbladet (in Danish). Archived from the original on 8 February 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  12. ^ "Russia World Cup ban appeal rejected by CAS". ESPN. 18 March 2022. Archived from the original on 19 March 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  13. ^ Jensen, Kenneth (27 May 2022). "Her er SIF's mulige modstandere i EL-playoff". Tipsbladet (in Danish). Archived from the original on 28 June 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  14. ^ Mignon, Jacob (9 May 2024). "Kæmpe rød jubel i Parken: Silkeborg vinder pokalfinalen". DR (in Danish). Archived from the original on 9 May 2024. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  15. ^ "Nordicbet Liga-trup | Silkeborg IF". silkeborgif.com (in Danish). Archived from the original on 20 December 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  16. ^ Silkeborg IF: Most goals Archived 28 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine, Most Goals, accessed on 22 March 2017.
  17. ^ Silkeborg IF: Most matches Archived 26 May 2017 at the Wayback Machine, Most matches, accessed on 22 March 2017.
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