AaB Fodbold

AaB,[2] (full name: Aalborg Boldspilklub, pronounced [ˈʌlˌpɒˀ ˈpʌlˀtspe̝lˌkʰlup]) internationally referred to as Aalborg BK[3] is a professional football team located in Aalborg. The club is represented in the Danish Superliga and has won four Danish football Championships and three Danish Cup trophies. Most recently the team won the double in 2014.

AaB
Full nameAalborg Boldspilklub af 1885
Short nameAaB
Founded13 May 1885 (1885-05-13)
GroundAalborg Portland Park, Aalborg
Capacity13,800[1] (7,700 seated)
OwnerAaB A/S
Sports directorInge André Olsen
Head coachMartí Cifuentes
LeagueDanish Superliga
2019–20Superliga, 5th
WebsiteClub website

AaB was founded on 13 May 1885 by English engineers who were building Jutland's railway system, and the first years was concentrated on the game of cricket. It was initially named Aalborg Cricketklub (Aalborg Cricket club) but the name of the club was changed to Aalborg Boldklub (Aalborg ballclub) in 1899. Football was adopted on an amateur basis in 1902, and has since been the main sport, as the name was changed to the current Aalborg Boldspilklub af 1885 (Aalborg ballgameclub of 1885) in 1906.

In 1995 AaB became the first Danish team to participate in the UEFA Champions League group stage when they were awarded a place because Dynamo Kyiv was expelled from the tournament after one game for attempted match-fixing. AaB qualified for the 2008–09 Champions League and is with two appearances the Danish club who has participated the second most in the tournament after F.C. Copenhagen.

History

AaB was founded on 13 May 1885 by English engineers who were building Jutland's railway system, and the first years was concentrated on the game of cricket. It was initially named Aalborg Cricketklub (Aalborg Cricket club) but the name of the club was changed to Aalborg Boldklub (Aalborg ballclub) in 1899. Football was adopted on an amateur basis in 1902, and has since been the main sport, as the name was changed to the current Aalborg Boldspilklub af 1885 (Aalborg ballgameclub of 1885) in 1906.

Aalborg BK was part of the top-flight Danish leagues from the 1928–29 season, until the relegation of the club in 1947. The club returned to the best league in 1963, and except from the years of 1972, 1978 and 1981–1986, Aalborg BK has since been a part of the various editions of the Danish football championship. Despite its many years in the Danish championship, the club never won a championship title, but Aalborg BK won the Danish Cup competition in 1966 and 1970. Paid football was introduced in Denmark by the Danish Football Association in 1978. As Aalborg BK returned to the best Danish league, the club founded the professional branch of AaB A/S in 1987 to run a professional football team.[4]

Through the 1990s, the club won its first two Danish championships. In the Danish Superliga 1994-95 season, 24 goals from league topscorer Erik Bo Andersen secured the championship title for the team of coach Poul Erik Andreasen. The club was initially eliminated by Dynamo Kyiv in the qualification matches for the UEFA Champions League 1995-96, but following a bribing scandal Kyiv was banned from the tournament and Aalborg BK entered in their place. Aalborg BK thus became the first Danish team to compete in the UEFA Champions League. As they managed a 2–1 home win over Panathinaikos and a 2–2 draw with Porto in the six matches the club played in the initial group stage, Aalborg BK was eliminated. Erik Bo Andersen left the club for Scottish club Rangers, but in Søren Frederiksen, the club found its next goal-getter. Though not the league top scorer, Frederiksen scored 17 goals in the Danish Superliga 1998-99 which the club won under guidance of Swedish coach Hans Backe. Once again, Aalborg BK faced Dinamo Kyiv in the Champions League qualification, but again felt short, losing 1–2 at home and drawing 2–2 in Kyiv after a late Aalborg BK goal was disallowed for being behind the goal line.

Since then, the club established itself in the top half of the Superliga and won a bronze medal and qualified for the 2007 UEFA Intertoto Cup. Aalborg beat Honka on the away goals rule (2–2 in Finland and 1–1 in Denmark) in the second round, and in the third and final round Aalborg BK faced Gent and drew, 1–1, in the away game but beat them 2–1 in the following home match. Thus they "won" a place in the UEFA Cup's second qualification round and met HJK, the first match ended 2–1 to Helsinki, but in the last match Aalborg BK won 3–0 and were thus ready for the UEFA Cup 2007-08. Drawing the Italian team Sampdoria in the First Round, which have Antonio Cassano and Vincenzo Montella as notable players, made the task seem impossible. Aalborg made it again on the away goal rule (getting 2–2 in Genoa and managing 0–0 in Aalborg), and qualified for the group stage – being the first Danish team ever, to send an Italian team "out of Europe." In the group stage Aalborg BK was seeded in the lowest pot, and drew Anderlecht, Tottenham Hotspur, Getafe, and Hapoel Tel Aviv. Drawing with Anderlecht at home, and losing 2–3 to Tottenham (after being ahead 2–0 after the first half) forced Aalborg to win at home against Getafe, a match Aalborg BK lost 1–2.

In the 2007–08 season, Aalborg won their third Danish Championship and qualified for the 2008–09 UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds. in the second qualifying round, Aalborg easily eliminated FK Modriča 7–1 on aggregate. In the third round, before the group stage, they defeated FBK Kaunas 2–0 both at home and away and reached the group stage of the Champions League for the second time, the first time a Danish team achieved this. In the group stage, they were drawn in Group E along with defending champions Manchester United, Villarreal and Celtic. Aalborg finished third in the group, ahead of Celtic, with 6 points and progressed to the 2008–09 UEFA Cup knockout stage.

Their first match in their UEFA Cup run was against Spanish side Deportivo de La Coruña. Aalborg BK won the first leg at home 3–0 and the second leg at the Estadio Riazor 1–3, securing a 6–1 aggregate. Aalborg BK thereby earned a place among the last 16 teams. where they faced Manchester City. After a 2–0 loss in Manchester in the first leg Aalborg BK fought back to tie the score with a 2–0 win at home. The tie ended in agony however, as Aalborg were defeated by 4–3 on penalties.

On 11 May 2014, the club won their 4th Danish Championship, and four days later the double was secured, as the club defeated F.C. Copenhagen 4–2 in the Cup final.

Stadium

The northern facade of Nordjyske Arena, 2008.

Since 1920, Aalborg BK has played its games at Aalborg Stadion. The stadium was opened on 18 July 1920 with a north-south aligned playing field. The first spectator seats were built in 1927, and in 1937 a wooden terrace for 3,000 standing spectators was built. In 1960, the stadium burned down and a new east-western aligned concrete stadium was opened in 1962. In recent years the stadium has been enlarged and rebuilt so that it now has modern facilities and roof over all spectator stands.[5] The stadium currently has a capacity of 13,997 people (8,997 seats) or 10,500 people (all seats).

Players

Current squad

As of 1 February 2021[6]

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  SWE Jacob Rinne
2 DF  DEN Kristoffer Pallesen
3 DF  DEN Jakob Ahlmann
4 DF  DEN Mathias Ross
5 DF  DEN Jores Okore
6 MF  POR Pedro Ferreira
7 MF  SWE Oscar Hiljemark
8 MF  NOR Iver Fossum
9 FW  NED Tom van Weert
10 MF  DEN Lucas Andersen
11 FW  SWE Tim Prica
14 MF  DEN Malthe Højholt
No. Pos. Nation Player
15 DF  DEN Lukas Klitten
16 MF  DEN Magnus Christensen
17 MF  DEN Kasper Kusk
18 MF  NOR Martin Samuelsen (on loan from Hull City)
19 FW  FRA Timothé Nkada (on loan from Reims)
20 MF  DEN Oliver Klitten
22 GK  DEN Andreas Hansen
23 MF  UGA Robert Kakeeto
24 DF  SRB Vladimir Prijović
25 MF  DEN Frederik Børsting
26 DF  DEN Rasmus Thelander
31 DF  NOR Daniel Granli

Out on loan

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
MF  DEN Jeppe Pedersen (at Skive IK until 30 June 2021)

Retired numbers

12  Torben Boye, defender (1984–2001)

Current management

AaB Fodbold is owned by AaB A/S.

Head coaches

The following managers have coached AaB since it re-entered the Danish top-flight in 1986:

Honours

Leagues

Cups

European

Superliga history

AaB's final ranking in the Danish Superliga standings since 1991
Season Pos. Pl. W D L GS GA P Cup
1991 SL 6 18657 293317 final
1991–92 SL 6 32101210 454432 quarter-final
1992–93 SL 4 3212128 484036 final
1993–94 SL 5 328159 464431 quarter-final
1994–95 SL 1 321967 743844 semi-final
1995–96 SL 5 3315612 573851 quarter-final
1996–97 SL 5 33121110 464047 quarter-final
1997–98 SL 7 3312813 544844 quarter-final
1998–99 SL 1 3317133 653764 final
1999–00 SL 5 3312138 574049 final
2000–01 SL 5 33131010 514949 5th round
2001–02 SL 4 3316611 524554 quarter-final
2002–03 SL 6 3314415 424546 semi-final
2003–04 SL 5 331698 554157 final
2004–05 SL 4 3315810 594553 5th round
2005–06 SL 5 33111210 484445 semi-final
2006–07 SL 3 331878 553461 2nd round
2007–08 SL 1 332256 603871 4th round
2008–09 SL 7 3391212 404939 final
2009–10 SL 5 3313911 363048 4th round
2010–11 SL 10 3381114 384835 quarter-final
2011–12 SL 7 3312813 424844 2nd round
2012–13 SL 5 3313812 514647 4th round
2013–14 SL 1 331887 603862 Winner
2014–15 SL 5 3313911 393148 quarter-final
2015–16 SL 5 3315513 564450 semi-final
2016–17 SL 10 3410816 314938 quarter-final
2017–18 SL 5 36101511 384445 quarter-final
2017–18 SL 9 34101212 444442 semi-final

References

  1. "AaB's hjemmebane - Aalborg Portland Park". aabsport.dk. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  2. Årsrapport for 2011 Archived 23 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine, Aalborg Boldspilklub A/S, p.9
  3. Denmark – Danish Super League UEFA.com
  4. (in Danish) Om Aalborg Boldspilklub af 1885 Archived 8 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine at Aalborg Boldspilklub af 1885
  5. (in Danish) Aalborg Stadion 1920–2001, Aalborg.dk, 8 February 2006
  6. https://aabsport.dk/holdet/spillertruppen/

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