SK Brann

This article is about SK Brann's men's section. For the women's section, see SK Brann (women).

Sportsklubben Brann

Full name	Sportsklubben Brann
Nickname(s)	Bergens stolthet (The pride of Bergen) Fotballrepublikken (The football republic)
Short name	Brann
Founded	26 September 1908 (1908-09-26), as Ski- og Fotboldklubben Brann
Ground	Brann Stadion, Bergen
Capacity	16,750
Chairman	Aslak Sverdrup
Head coach	Eirik Horneland
League	Eliteserien
2023	Eliteserien, 2nd of 16
Website	https://www.brann.no
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Sportsklubben Brann is a Norwegian professional football club based in Bergen. Founded on 26 September 1908, Brann has played in the first tier of Norwegian football for 67 out of 80 seasons, the second most of any club. They play their home matches at Brann Stadion where they had a record-breaking average attendance of 17,310 in the 2007 season, the season in which they won their first league title since 1963.

History

As the biggest club in Norway's second-largest city Bergen, Brann are historically one of the major clubs in Norway in terms of public interest, and hence there are high expectations for the club every season. Brann won their first Norwegian top flight titles in 1961–62 and 1963 Norwegian First Division, but after this Brann was only sporadically involved in the league title races. In 2007 they finally reclaimed the league title and thus ended a 44-year-long waiting period.

Despite their limited success, the club has never failed to spark considerable interest from the Norwegian media and the local population. Moreover, Brann have regularly been winners and runners-up of the Norwegian Cup. The club reached the quarter-finals of the Cup Winners' Cup in the 1996–97 season. The club has also earned a reputation for instability and drama both behind the scenes and on the pitch. Although the club has played the 2nd highest amount of seasons in the top flight, they have also been relegated from it 11 times, a feat only surpassed by Start.

1900s, 1910s and 1920s: Formation and early successes

On 26 September 1908 Christen K. Gran gathered nine other young men to meet in a local café in Bergen. Due to dissatisfaction of the current state of the local sport clubs in Bergen, they decided to form a new football and skiing club. They called it Ski- og Fodboldklubben Brann (lit. The Ski and Football Club Fire), on the suggestion of Birger Gjestland.

Brann played their first match against Bergens Fotballklubb (at the time the biggest local team) on New Year's Day 1909, drawing 1–1. Brann recorded their first ever win in August of the same year, winning 3–2 against Stavanger IF away. During the first years Brann played well locally, but struggled to perform against teams from the eastern parts of the country. In 1912 club activities expanded to rowing and athletics. By 1915 Brann were established as the best team locally, and in 1916 they gained national attention with victories in Kristiania against top teams Lyn and Frigg. In 1917 they managed to qualify for the final of the Norwegian Football Cup for the first time ever. Brann lost the match 1–4 against Sarpsborg, but were now undisputedly among the top teams of Norway. They reached the final again in 1918, but with two of their best players missing due to falling ill with the Spanish flu, they again lost to an eastern team, this time Kvik Fredrikshald. The year also marked the first time a Brann player received an international call-up, with Sigurd Wathne playing in goal for Norway in games against Sweden and Denmark.

On 25 May 1919, with funding contributed by fans and investors, Brann Stadion was opened on a plot of land the club purchased in 1917. The opening match was against the Norwegian national team, losing 2–6, and the stadium also hosted the 1919 Norwegian Athletics Championships. In 1923 Brann reached the cup final for the third time, where they again faced an eastern team, this time finally winning. They beat Lyn 2–1 in the newly built Odd stadion, and secured the club's first ever national title. Two years later Brann again faced Sarpsborg in the 1925 cup final, this time winning 3–0 and securing their second national title. In 1927 and 1931 the club expanded to its fifth and sixth sports in table tennis and orienteering respectively.

1930s and 1940s: Stagnation, war and relegations

Brann faced a period of stagnation during the 1930s, and were for a period replaced as Bergen's best football team by Hardy. In 1937 Brann played in the first ever national Norwegian football league, but did not make it out of the local division. During the German occupation of Norway official sports activities were boycotted en masse after the occupying government seized control of the national sporting confederation, and club activities were thus reduced to unofficial gatherings for the duration of World War II. Eleven Brann members lost their life in service for Norway during the war, among them football players Sigurd Wathne and Remi Øgård, who were respectively members of the merchant fleet and resistance.

Brann continued to play in the now smaller and more competitive national top division in the years after the war, until they were relegated for the first time in 1949. They were immediately promoted, and only months later they qualified for their fifth cup final after a 25-year absence, where they lost 0–3 to Fredrikstad. Brann won their division in the 1951–52 Norwegian Main League, and therefore qualified for the league championship final for the first time. They once again faced Fredrikstad and lost, this time 1–3. In the 1952–53 season Brann finished second to last in their division and were relegated from the top flight for the second time, but were once again immediately promoted the season afterwards. They were relegated for a third time in the 1955–56 season and were yet again promoted after a season's absence. The 1959–60 season saw the debut of 17-year-old future club legend Roald "Kniksen" Jensen, but Brann were nonetheless relegated for a fourth time and were as usual immediately promoted.

1960s: First league wins and long stay in the 2nd tier

The 1960s saw two of Norway's most prolific players playing for Brann. With Roald "Kniksen" Jensen and Rolf Birger "Pesen" Pedersen on the team, Brann won their first league trophy in the so-called 1961–62 "marathon league", where all 16 top division teams played in a single league for the first time, with half being relegated. Brann defended their title in the first regular season of single-division top flight football in 1963, adding a second league trophy to their cabinet. During the 1963 season, Brann had an average attendance of 15,486, which was the league record until 2003, when Rosenborg finally beat it with an average of 15,582.

In 1964, Brann were among the favorites to win their third consecutive league championship, but due to many injured players the team only won one of the first nine league games. Brann continued to struggle with injuries throughout the season, and were soon firmly stuck in the relegation battle. Before the last match of the season, Brann were one point behind Viking in the safe spots, and were facing the already relegated Raufoss at home. Even though Brann had the greatest chances to score a goal, Raufoss won the match 1–0, and Brann were shockingly relegated after back-to-back league wins. Following this Brann's star player Roald "Kniksen" Jensen moved to Scotland to play for Hearts. Unlike with the previous three relegations Brann proved unable to immediately get promoted, missing out on promotion on goal difference.

Brann would not play in the top division again until 1968, the last with club legend Oddvar Hansen at the helm.

1970s: Cup finals and title races

After some mediocre seasons Brann once again reached the cup final after more than 20 years of absence in 1972. They faced Rosenborg and won 1–0, securing their third cup title. This led to Brann qualifying for the 1973–74 European Cup Winners' Cup, their first qualification for a European tournament. They beat Gzira United 9–0 on aggregate before being eliminated by Glentoran in the second round. In 1974 the club's athletics department was disbanded. In each of the seasons 1974–1976, Brann narrowly missed out on the league title, attracting an average attendance that was unheard of in Norway at the time. Although they missed out on the league title Brann won their fourth cup title in 1976, beating Sogndal in the final. Brann reached the final again in 1978, but lost to Lillestrøm.

1980s: The "yo-yo" years

With the 1980s came Brann's "yo-yo" era. Brann were relegated in 1979 and subsequently won the 2nd division in 1980, before being relegated again in 1981. The club would continue to alternate between the 1st and 2nd division every season until they finally avoided relegation in 1987. This was the world record for consecutive relegations and promotions from a top tier division until it was beaten by Aris Limassol in 2006. While in the 2nd division Brann won the cup for a fifth time in 1982, beating Molde in the final. In 1987 the skiing department disbanded, making Brann a club dedicated solely to football. Brann reached the cup final two consecutive seasons (1987 and 1988), where they lost to Bryne and Rosenborg respectively.

Brann had not had any real challenge from local rivals since the 1950s, being Bergen's only representatives in the top tier. In 1989, however, Bergen-based Fyllingen were promoted to the first tier for the first time.

1990s: Derbies, medals and brief European success

Unlike some other leagues, the top three teams of the Eliteserien are awarded medals. Silver and bronze medals are sometimes received with a shrug, but Brann's dismal league history made them a top priority for the club in the 1990s. In 1990, Brann were involved in a decisive match against Rosenborg in the final round where they had the chance to clinch the league title, but lost and ended fourth. They lost out on their first medals since 1976 as local rivals Fyllingen conceded two vital goals against Molde in stoppage time. Only weeks prior to this, Fyllingen had beaten Brann in the Cup semi-finals, and their outspoken ambitions to take over the football hegemony in Bergen had by now become a major annoyance for Brann.

In 1991, after a shock resignation of manager Teitur Thordarson, Brann once again struggled, and needed a win in their last game against Strømsgodset in order make the play-off spots against two second-tier teams and avoid direct relegation. Losing the game would send Brann down, while securing play-offs for equally struggling local rivals Fyllingen. There were also fears that a relegation would spawn another long-term "yo-yo era". A panic-stricken crowd saw Brann win the game 2–0. In the play-offs, though beating Strindheim at home, Brann still needed to beat Bryne away in a deciding match. A goal by Sten Glenn Håberg gave Brann a 1–0 win over Bryne, securing their survival.

In 1993 Brann got their two first-ever wins against their local rivals Fyllingen. A 6–1 thrashing in the penultimate league round sent Fyllingen down, while securing continued top division status for Brann. After the season, Brann purchased Fyllingen's key player Per-Ove Ludvigsen, and this put an end to Fyllingen's adventures in the top tier and the derby matches.

Brann were notorious for lacking a regular goal scorer ever since the 1970s, but this ended with Trond Egil Soltvedt's many goals in 1993 and 1994. His extremely dedicated style, his innocent and somewhat naïve personality and the fact that many of his goals were scored as a midfielder made him immensely popular. Just before the start of the 1995 season, however, he was sacked by Brann's board for "disloyalty", the board refusing to elaborate on this. Disciplinary action was also taken against players Frank Strandli, Inge Ludvigsen and Claus Lundekvam. This caused a public outcry, and the issue was widely covered by the national media. There were demonstrations in the centre of Bergen, and the fans were split in their support to Soltvedt or to the board and manager Hallvar Thoresen. Attendances and the atmosphere on Brann Stadion initially plummeted as a result of this. The team spirit amongst players also seemed broken, and the first game against Molde F.K. was lost 6–0 at home, resulting in the entire crowd yelling for the board to resign. With Brann at bottom position halfway through the league season, Thoresen was sacked and Kjell Tennfjord, the manager behind Fyllingen's success, was appointed. He steered Brann to an eventual mid-table position and led them to the club's 12th cup final, again sparking immense optimism around the club even though Brann once again lost the final to Rossenborg.

In 1996, as in 1990, Brann were denied bronze medals in injury time of the last game, after a terrible blunder by keeper Birkir Kristinsson. Only days later, however, Brann beat PSV Eindhoven of the Netherlands to advance to the quarterfinals of the Cup Winners' Cup, thanks to world-class goalkeeping by the same Birkir Kristinsson. This was the second time a Norwegian team had qualified for the last eight in Europe. In the quarterfinals, Brann first drew 1–1 at home against Liverpool, before losing the away match 3–0 and thus being knocked out. The 1997 season saw Brann finish as runner-up in the league, their first finish in the top 3 since 1976. Due to Rosenborg's dominance of Norwegian football at the time a silver medal was given high apprecation.

In 1998, as in 1995, Brann found themselves at the bottom of the table halfway through the season. Kjell Tennfjord was replaced by Harald Aabrekk as head coach, and a host of quality players were purchased. This saved Brann from relegation, but combined with the construction of a new stand on Brann Stadion it also caused significant financial issues for the club. Brann faced German giants Werder Bremen in the first round of the 1998–99 UEFA Cup, where they won a strong 2–0 victory at home in the first leg, only to concede four goals in the second leg and be sent home. In 1999 Brann once again faced Rosenborg in the cup final, and for their third cup final in a row saw themselves beaten by the club from Trondheim.

2000s: First title in decades and an end to 44 years of waiting

SK Brann celebrates their second-place finish in 2006 after a victory over HamKam

Brann vs Lyn in 2007

Teitur Thordarson returned as manager in 2000 after the departure of Harald Aabrekk. For the second time in four seasons, Brann became runners-up, secured after defeating Molde 4–0 in the last game of the season. Thorstein Helstad became the league's top goalscorer in 2000 and 2001.

The 2002 season was the worst season for Brann in twelve seasons. They finished third from the bottom and had to face Sandefjord in a play-off to stay in the top tier. Brann narrowly avoided relegation thanks to a 2–1 home win after the first leg had ended with a 0–0 draw. A third-place finish in the 2004 season saw Brann qualify for the newly formed and short-lived Scandinavian Royal League.

In their impatient but unfruitful struggle to reclaim the glory of the 1960s, Brann over the years gained a reputation for inept leadership, unfounded enthusiasm or optimism and almost continuous internal unrest, deservedly or not. After former Brann player Mons Ivar Mjelde took over as manager in 2003, however, this image changed, as the leadership embraced continuity and down-to-earth principles. Brann were now considered one of the best-run and harmonic clubs in Norway.

Being one of the biggest clubs in Norway in terms of public interest, it is generally agreed that Brann have underperformed compared to their potential at least since the mid-1970s. However, on 7 November 2004, Brann won their first title in 22 years, defeating Oslo side Lyn 4–1 in the Norwegian Cup. Bengt Sæternes scored a hat-trick within the first 35 minutes, becoming man of the match.

For most of the 2006 season Brann were top of the league by a wide margin and considered favorites to win the title. However, a poor run of form after the summer break, coupled with a correspondingly good run of form from rivals Rosenborg meant that Brann's hopes were dashed, and in the end Rosenborg comfortably won the league.

Brann finally won the league in 2007, ending a 44-year waiting period for one of Norway's biggest football clubs. The club did however manage to characteristically disappoint even when succeeding, causing bitter disappointment among tens of thousands of Brann supporters who had gathered in Bergen to watch the game live by losing to relegation-threatened Aalesund in the second to last round, a match where a draw would have given Brann the league title. Two days later however, Viking defeated eventual silver medalists Stabæk, securing Brann their first league championship since 1963. The same season Brann also qualified for the group stage of the UEFA Cup, and advanced from the group with a win and a draw, knocking out merited sides Club Brugge, Dinamo Zagreb and Stade Rennais on the way. Brann faced a tough test against Everton in the round of 32, losing 8–1 on aggregate.

The 2008 season was a major disappointment for all the fans hoping to repeat the success of the 2007 season. In the league Brann finished eighth, and in the cup they were eliminated in the round of 16 after being trashed in 8–0 loss away to Molde. Brann also participated in the UEFA Champions League qualifier, but were eliminated from the contest in the third qualifying round after losing 3–1 on aggregate against Marseille. After this they played against Deportivo de La Coruña in the first round of the UEFA Cup, and were eliminated on penalties after an aggregate result of 2–2. On 7 October 2008 Brann and their head coach Mons Ivar Mjelde announced that he would resign from the club at the end of the season.

Steinar Nilsen took over for Mjelde, and lead Brann to a fifth place in the league in the 2009 season.

2010s: Rebuilding, relegation and promotion

Brann Stadion in May 2013

The 2010 season was a poor season for Brann. On 19 May the club were surprisingly knocked out of the cup after losing 0–1 to former rivals Fyllingen, now an amateur team in the fourth tier. Head coach Steinar Nilsen resigned two days later, and was replaced by Rune Skarsfjord. Brann ended the season in 13th place, barely avoiding the relegation play-offs.

Expectations for Brann were low ahead of the 2011 season, with newspaper VG predicting that Brann would be relegated. Nonetheless, Brann opened the season strongly with victories over reigning league champion Rosenborg and Lillestrøm in the first and second rounds. Although the season did not continue quite as strongly, Brann remained a contender for a top three position in the league and the team also qualified for its 15th cup final. Brann lost the final against Aalesund, and then the last match of the league, also against Aalesund. This resulted in Brann missing out on a medal in the league and finishing 4th. The season was also marred by Brann player Carl-Erik Torp suffering a cardiac arrest on the pitch against Sogndal, only narrowly surviving and having to retire from professional football afterwards.

After mediocre results in 2012 and 2013, Skarsfjord resigned from the manager position at the end of the season. On 3 December 2013 Swedish manager Rikard Norling signed a contract with Brann lasting until the end of the 2016 season. The signing was met with enormous optimism by fans and pundits as Norling had recently won Allsvenskan with Malmö, and most pundits predicted a finish in the top half with chances of fighting for the medals. The 2014 season however ended disastrously with relegation for the first time in 29 years. Brann had a difficult year throughout and were in the direct relegation spots for most of the season. A crucial win over Sogndal in the penultimate round lifted them to 14th place, a play-off spot, and a last round win over Haugesund ensured it, allowing Brann a chance of salvaging a berth in next year's Tippeligaen through a qualifying match against challenger Mjøndalen who had finished third in the second tier. The first leg at home in Bergen ended in a 1–1 draw, while the second leg away ended in a 3–0 victory for Mjøndalen. This result meant that Mjøndalen were promoted at the expense of Brann who were relegated, ending the longest top tier streak in the club's history.

Norling still had support amongst fans, with the blame mostly being put on decisions made by the club leadership and board, who resigned after the relegation was confirmed. The following season the team continued to struggle, and in the end Norling was sacked on 27 May 2015 after a 4–1 loss against Levanger left Brann 9th in the table and 9 points behind league leader Sogndal. Two days later, Lars Arne Nilsen was hired as interim manager, and for the rest of the season, Brann performed well, eventually ending on second place and ensuring promotion with two rounds left of the season. The day after the season ended, on 2 November 2015, Nilsen was given a three-year contract.

The 2016 season saw Brann collect a shock silver medal right after promotion, only losing one game at home all season in a year where most experts predicted a struggle for survival. Nilsen's Brann side continued to perform well in 2017, eventually ending in 5th place after fighting for medals until the very end and at one point leading the league. In 2018 Brann were leading the league for large portions of the season, at certain points being 7 points clear of second place. They lost their first match of the season in round 15 when a 17-year-old Erling Haaland scored four goals in the first 21 minutes of the match. After key player Sivert Heltne Nilsen (son of manager Lars Arne Nilsen) was sold to Danish mid-table side Horsens for a relatively small sum under controversial circumstances Brann saw a collapse in form, and ended up finishing in 3rd after spending 25 consecutive rounds in the top 2 positions. Brann continued to struggle in the 2019 season, in the end finishing in a disappointing 9th place.

2020s: Scandals, relegation and silverware

Ahead of the 2020 season Brann secured a prestigious short-term loan for Bundesliga keeper Ralf Fährmann, but the season was delayed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the German ended up playing no official matches for the club. The season finally started in June, and was played for mostly empty stadiums with only 200–600 spectators. Although he had given Brann initially good results, attendance figures had steadily dropped under Nilsen's tenure as manager in large part due to his style of football being considered boring, risk-averse and frustrating to watch. Fan opinion of him had soured, and after a disappointing end to the past two seasons patience for his project was wearing thin. After a loss to rivals Vålerenga in round 12 saw Brann in 8th with no wins in 5 games, Nilsen departed from the club and was replaced by Kåre Ingebrigtsen, who recently had great success with Rosenborg. He was however not able to replicate this success at Brann, only collecting 1 win in his first 11 games, and Brann were suddenly in the middle of a relegation struggle. An uptick in form towards the end of the season saw Brann avoid the relegation fight and finish in 10th, but alarm bells were ringing ahead of the 2021 season.

The 2021 season was perhaps the most infamous in Brann's history, dubbed "the worst Brann year in peacetime" and Brannus horribilis by local media. It included a controversial extraordinary general meeting, a season-long relegation struggle, the departure from the club of a sporting director, a manager and 3 players (2 of whom had charges filed against them by the police), a squad-wide afterparty scandal, a near miraculous late recovery to secure a relegation play-off spot from what looked like certain relegation and an absurd relegation play-off against a much weaker team all culminating in a scandalous relegation. Acclaimed Swedish football journalist Erik Niva described it as "not only the biggest fiasco season of Scandinavian football, but one of the most unserious things we have seen at any latitude".

The 2021 season was marked with controversy even in the pre-season, when the board of the club decided to replace the stadium's natural pitch with artificial turf to great uproar among Brann supporters. The board was harshly criticised for seemingly trying to circumvent the club's members, and an extraordinary general meeting was called. After a heated discussion the members rejected the board's plans to install artificial turf by 130 votes to 107, ensuring Brann would keep its grass pitch. Sporting director Rune Soltvedt left the club in February after internal conflicts, leaving the club without a sporting director during the winter transfer window, with head coach Ingebrigtsen and managing director Vibeke Johannesen sharing the duties.

The start of the season was catastrophic, with Brann collecting no points in their first six matches. By round 14 Brann had only collected 7 points and were firmly stuck in the relegation spots. Ingebrigtsen was sacked, and his assistant coach Eirik Horneland was made interim head coach, later being given the position permanently. The summer transfer window saw newly hired sporting director Jimmi Nagel Jacobsen sign multipe signings to help save the club from relegation, including a return to the club for Sivert Heltne Nilsen, Bård Finne and Fredrik Pallesen Knudsen.

In August Brann were rocked by the biggest scandal in club history. In the week leading up to the vital first game after the summer break a social gathering and dinner was held to introduce the many new signings to the squad. After the dinner several of the players went to a local bar, before 12 of them decided to bring a group of young women to the club's stadium to continue the party after the bar closed. Throughout the night there was drinking, partying and sexual activities, including people running undressed on the stadium pitch. The players collected cell phones beforehand to prevent videos being taken, and when the last players left around 5 in the morning everything was cleaned up. Despite this local media soon became aware of the events, and published them to great outrage amongst fans and the local population, and to great ridicule from the rest of the country.

The scandal took a turn for the worse when it was revealed the police were investigating a case of sexual assault that allegedly took place during the party. One player, later revealed to be Vegard Forren, was charged with rape. This charge was later dropped on grounds of insufficient evidence. Another player was fined 10,000 NOK for biting a young woman. The players also underwent voluntary drug tests after widespread rumors concerning intake of illegal substances.

In the wake of the scandal three players left the club. Forren and Brann quickly agreed to terminate his contract. Some days later newly signed goalkeeper Mikkel Andersen terminated his contract of his own volition and returned to Denmark. The same day the veteran Brann player Kristoffer Barmen was sacked, the club accusing him of having played a central role in organizing the activities. The nine other participants were handed a written warning, and signed a public letter of apology. As of August 2024 Eirik Holmen Johansen is the only participant still at the club.

Just four days after the scandal became public Brann were facing fellow relegation candidates Sandefjord in a must-win game. Forren had already left the club, while Andersen and Barmen were left out of the squad. The team were met with loud booing from the fans, and banners bearing slogans like "No means no" and "SK Skam" (SK Shame). The fans were also silent in protest for the first 19 minutes and 8 seconds of the game (symbolizing the founding year of the club). Despite this Brann managed to win the crucial game 3–2 after a week where manager Horneland admitted he "hadn't thought about football for a single second". After the match the players and fans sang Bergen's national anthem Nystemten together.

Brann saw some improvement in results in the latter half of the season, but not enough to get clear of the relegation spots. With two games left to go Brann were last in the table and 3 points behind Stabæk in the play-off spot. With defending champions Bodø/Glimt and eighth-placed Sarpsborg left to face direct relegation was looking all but certain. In the 29th round Brann faced Bodø/Glimt away, in a game the hosts had to win to secure their title defense. Against all odds Brann managed to secure a shock 2–2 draw with goals from Niklas Jensen Wassberg, the 17-year-old grandson of club legend Roald "Kniksen" Jensen and an injury time equaliser from the prodigal Bård Finne who had controversially left the club as a free agent some years previously. This draw was however not enough, and heading into the final game of the season Brann not only needed a win against Sarpsborg, but needed 14th-placed Stabæk to not win against 13th-placed Odd who had already secured their place and had nothing to play for. Brann took a 2–0 lead early in the 2nd half by two successive goals by local talents Aune Heggebø and David Møller Wolfe, and although Sarpsborg scored a later goal Brann ended up winning 2–1. Meanwhile, Odd comfortably beat Stabæk 3–1, meaning Brann had miraculously secured a relegation play-off from what looked like certain doom.

Brann faced Jerv in the play-off final, a small team from Grimstad with no experience in the top tier, which meant Brann were considered heavy favorites. Due to the COVID restrictions the usual two-leg structure of the play-offs was abandoned in favor of a single game played on neutral ground at Intility Arena in Oslo. On the day of the match the stadium was enveloped in a thick fog, severely reducing visibility for both players, spectators and people watching on television. Brann completely dominated the game in both the first and second half, recording 33 shots to Jerv's 5. Jerv nonetheless took an early lead with their first shot on target, and although Brann would equalise they proved unable to take the lead in spite of total domination on the pitch. This was in large part due to the effort of Jerv's goalkeeper, Øystein Øvretveit, who had previously played in goal for Brann in their last relegation play-off against Mjøndalen in 2014. Øvretveit saved two penalties in ordinary time, as well as 6 other shots on target.

As the game was tied after 90 minutes it went into extra time. Only one minute into extra time substitute Runar Hove was shown the red card, reducing Brann to 10 men. Soon afterwards Jerv scored their second goal, and when they increased their lead to two goals with only 8 minutes to go and Brann playing with one man less things looked very bleak. Brann were however not done fighting, and in the 114th and 116th minute Kasper Skaanes and Vajebah Sakor scored 2–3 and 3–3 respectively, once again putting Brann level. The game looked set for a deciding penalty shootout, but there was still more drama to be had. In the 177th minute Jerv scored again, taking the lead 3–4, dashing Brann's hopes. When all looked lost however, Sivert Heltne Nilsen managed to score in the very last minute of play, producing the game's fifth goal in only 8 minutes. The historically dramatic game ended 4–4, and Brann's future was to be decided on penalties. Both teams scored their first 3 penalties, but when goalscorer Sakor had his penalty saved by Øvretveit, Jerv were handed a golden opportunity. John Olav Norheim missed his penalty however, once again leaving the two sides even. Both sides once again scored their next 4 penalties, but when future Lionel Messi teammate Robert Taylor stepped up to take Brann's 9th penalty, Øvretveit once again saved. Jerv's Shuaibu Ibrahim was more secure, and with his penalty goal Jerv were promoted to the top tier for the first time in club history while Brann were once again relegated.

Brann's 2022 season in the 2nd tier was much more successful than their previous one in 2015, and they were easily promoted in the most successful 2nd tier season in Norwegian football history, only losing one game. The records for points scored, goals scored and highest average attendance in the 2nd tier were all broken. 2022 also saw Brann's first venture into women's football with the adoption of Sandviken's women's team, which was renamed to SK Brann Kvinner and later fully merged into the club.

The 2023 season once again saw Brann earn a silver medal straight after promotion. Brann challenged Bodø/Glimt for the top spot for parts of the season, but after a poor run of form in July they had to struggle against Viking and Tromsø for the silver medal, which they eventually won. Brann qualified for the delayed 2022 cup final, where they comfortably beat Lillestrøm 2–0, earning the club its first major trophy on the men's side since 2007. This earned them a spot in the 2023–24 Conference League qualifiers, where they first beat Arouca 3–4 on aggregate, before facing the previous season's semifinalists AZ Alkmaar in the play-offs for the group stage, where they dramatically drew 4–4 on aggregate and narrowly lost on penalties. The season also saw Brann overtaking Rosenborg and achieving the highest average attendance in the league for the first time since 2001.

Players and staff

Current squad

As of 8 October 2024

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	NOR	Mathias Dyngeland
2	DF	NOR	Martin Hellan
3	DF	NOR	Fredrik Pallesen Knudsen (captain)
5	MF	NOR	Sakarias Opsahl
6	DF	DEN	Japhet Sery Larsen
8	MF	NOR	Felix Horn Myhre
9	FW	CHI	Niklas Castro
10	MF	DEN	Emil Kornvig
11	FW	NOR	Bård Finne
12	GK	NOR	Martin Børsheim
13	DF	DEN	Svenn Crone
14	MF	NOR	Ulrik Mathisen
15	DF	NOR	Jonas Torsvik
16	MF	NOR	Ole Didrik Blomberg

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
17	DF	NOR	Joachim Soltvedt
18	MF	NOR	Sander Kartum
20	FW	NOR	Aune Heggebø
21	DF	NOR	Ruben Kristiansen
22	FW	SWE	Moonga Simba
23	DF	NOR	Thore Pedersen
24	GK	NOR	Mathias Klausen
25	MF	NOR	Niklas Jensen Wassberg
26	DF	NOR	Eivind Helland
27	MF	NOR	Mads Sande
32	MF	NOR	Markus Haaland
36	GK	NOR	Eirik Holmen Johansen
41	MF	NOR	Lars Remmem
43	DF	NOR	Rasmus Holten

For season transfers, see transfers winter 2023–24 and transfers summer 2024

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	NOR	Isak Tomar Hjorteseth (at Sandnes Ulf)

Coaching staff

As of 14 May 2024

Sporting director: Per-Ove Ludvigsen

Head coach: Eirik Horneland

Assistant coach: Erik Huseklepp

Player developer: Hassan El Fakiri

Analyst: Daniel Pedersen

Physical trainer: Helge Haugen

Goalkeeper coach: Dan Riisnes

Kitman: Raymond Sanden

Physician: Arne Instebø

Physician: Asle Kjellsen

Manual therapist: David Tovi

Physical therapist: Robert Dyvik

Massage therapist: Bjørn Rune Skråmestø

Honours

League

• Eliteserien:
  • Winners (3): 1961–62, 1963, 2007
  • Runners-up (7): 1951–52, 1975, 1997, 2000, 2006, 2016, 2023
• Norwegian First Division:
  • Winners (1): 2022
  • Runners-up (1): 2015

Cup

• Norwegian Cup:
  • Winners (7): 1923, 1925, 1972, 1976, 1982, 2004, 2022
  • Runners-up (9): 1917, 1918, 1950, 1978, 1987, 1988, 1995, 1999, 2011

Recent seasons

Season	League	Pos.	Pl.	W	D	L	GS	GA	P	Cup	Europe		Notes
2015	1. divisjon	↑ 2	30	14	11	5	46	35	53	Fourth round			Promoted to Tippeligaen
2016	Tippeligaen	2	30	16	6	8	42	27	54	First round
2017	Eliteserien	5	30	13	8	9	51	36	47	Fourth round	EL	Second qualification round
2018	Eliteserien	3	30	17	7	6	45	31	58	Fourth round
2019	Eliteserien	9	30	10	10	10	32	37	40	Fourth round	EL	First qualification round
2020	Eliteserien	10	30	9	9	12	40	49	36	Cancelled
2021	Eliteserien	↓ 14	30	5	11	14	38	55	26	Fourth round			Relegated to the 1. divisjon
2022	1. divisjon	↑ 1	30	26	3	1	95	16	81	Winner			Promoted to Eliteserien
2023	Eliteserien	2	30	19	4	7	55	35	61	Quarterfinal	ECL	Play-off round
2024 (ongoing)	Eliteserien	2	26	15	7	4	48	29	52	Third round	ECL	Play-off round

• CL: UEFA Champions League
• EL: UEFA Europa League
• ECL: UEFA Conference League

Source:

In European football

Main article: SK Brann in European football

Brann's first competitive European match was a 2–0 victory (9–0 on aggregate) over Gzira United in the 1973-74 European Cup Winners' Cup. The club's most successful European efforts came at the 1996-97 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup when the club advanced to the quarterfinals, and the 2007-08 UEFA Cup, with the club advancing to the Round of 32.

Results

All results (away, home and aggregate) list the club's goal tally first.

Season	Competition	Round	Club	Home	Away	Aggregate
1973–74	European Cup Winners' Cup	First Round	Gzira United	7–0	2–0f	9–0
		Second Round	Glentoran	1–1f	1–3	2–4
1976–77	UEFA Cup	First Round	Queens Park Rangers	0–7	0–4f	0–11
1977–78	European Cup Winners' Cup	First Round	ÍA	1–0f	4–0	5–0
		Second Round	Twente	1–2	0–2f	1–4
1983–84		First Round	NEC	0–1	1–1f	1–2
1989–90		First Round	Sampdoria	0–2f	0–1	0–3
1996–97	UEFA Cup Winners' Cup	Qualifying Round	Shelbourne	2–1	3–1f	5–2
		First Round	Cercle Brugge	4–0	2–3f	6–3
		Second Round	PSV	2–1f	2–2	4–3
		Quarter-finals	Liverpool	1–1f	0–3	1–4
1997–98	UEFA Cup	First Qualifying Round	Naftex Burgas	2–1f	2–3	4–4 (a)
		Second Qualifying Round	Grasshoppers	2–0	0–3f	2–3
1998–99		Second Qualifying Round	Žalgiris	1–0f	0–0	1–0
		First Round	Werder Bremen	2–0f	0–4 (a.e.t.)	2–4
1999	UEFA Intertoto Cup	Second Round	Varteks	3–0f	0–3 (a.e.t.)	3–3 (4–5 p)
2000–01	UEFA Cup	Qualifying Round	Liepājas Metalurgs	1–0	1–1f	2–1
		First Round	Basel	4–4	2–3f	6–7
2001–02	UEFA Champions League	Second Qualifying Round	Levski Sofia	1–1	0–0f	1–1 (a)
2002–03	UEFA Cup	Qualifying Round	Sūduva	2–3f	2–3	4–6
2005–06		Second Qualifying Round	Allianssi	0–0f	2–0	2–0
		First Round	Lokomotiv Moscow	1–2f	2–3	3–5
2006–07		First Qualifying Round	Glentoran	1–0	1–0f	2–0
		Second Qualifying Round	Åtvidaberg	3–3f	1–1	4–4 (a)
2007–08		First Qualifying Round	Carmarthen Town	6–3	8–0f	14–3
		Second Qualifying Round	Sūduva	2–1f	4–3	6–4
		First Round	Club Brugge	0–1f	2–1	2–2 (a)
		Group Stage (Group D)	Hamburg	0–1	---	3rd
			Stade Rennais	---	1–1
			Dinamo Zagreb	2–1	---
			Basel	---	0–1
		Round of 32	Everton	0–2f	1–6	1–8
2008–09	UEFA Champions League	Second Qualifying Round	Ventspils	1–0f	1–2	2–2 (a)
		Third Qualifying Round	Marseille	0–1f	1–2	1–3
	UEFA Cup	First Round	Deportivo La Coruña	2–0f	0–2 (a.e.t.)	2–2 (2–3 p)
2017–18	UEFA Europa League	Second Qualifying Round	Ružomberok	0–2	1–0f	1–2
2019–20		First Qualifying Round	Shamrock Rovers	2–2f	1–2	3–4
2023–24	UEFA Conference League	Third Qualifying Round	Arouca	3–1	1–2f	4–3
		Play-off Round	AZ	3–3 (a.e.t.)	1–1f	4–4 (5–6 p)
2024–25		Second Qualifying Round	Go Ahead Eagles	2–1	0–0f	2–1
		Third Qualifying Round	St Mirren	3–1	1–1f	4–2
		Play-off round	Astana	2–0f	0–3	2–3

^f First leg. Colour key: Green = Brann win; Yellow = draw; Red = opponents win.

UEFA club coefficient ranking

As of 23 October 2024

Rank	Team	Coefficient
197	Randers	7.000
198	Anorthosis	7.000
199	Brann	6.650
200	Tromsø	6.650
201	Viking	6.650

Coaching history

SK Brann head coaches

Dates	Name	Notes
1908–1918	Unknown
1919–1928	Donald Colman	Player-manager until 1922
1929–1935	Unknown
1936	Adam McLean
1937	Unknown
1938–1939	Karl Geyer
1946–1947	Tom Mitchell
1947	Billy Cook
1948	Alf Young
1949	William Aitken
1949–1951	Billy Cook	Second stint
1951–1952	Bjarne Osland Kjeld Kjos	Co-managers
1953	Bjarne Osland
1954	Karl Pannagl
1955	George Ainsley
1955–1957	Oddvar Hansen	Player-manager until 1956
1958	Birger Nilsen
1959	Tivadar Szentpetery
1960–1963	Oddvar Hansen	Second stint
1964	Pepi Stroh
1965–1968	Oddvar Hansen	Third stint
1969–1972	Karol Bučko
1972–1973	Ray Freeman
1974–1978	Billy Elliott
1979	Ivar Hoff
1979	Egil Austbø
1980–1981	Les Shannon
1982–1983	Arve Mokkelbost
1984–1985	Endre Blindheim
1986–1987	Tony Knapp
1987	Per Vold	Interim manager
1988–1990	Teitur Thordarson
1991–1992	Karl Gunnar Björklund
1993–1995	Hallvar Thoresen
1995–1998	Kjell Tennfjord
1998–1999	Harald Aabrekk
2000–2002	Teitur Thordarson	Second stint
2003–2008	Mons Ivar Mjelde
2009–2010	Steinar Nilsen
2010–2013	Rune Skarsfjord	Interim manager, later given permanent contract
2014–2015	Rikard Norling
2015–2020	Lars Arne Nilsen
2020–2021	Kåre Ingebrigtsen
2021–present	Eirik Horneland	Interim manager, later given permanent contract

Player statistics

Most appearances

As of 27 October 2024. Competitive matches only, appearances as a substitute in brackets. Players currently at the club in bold.

Players with most appearances for SK Brann

Rank	Player	Years	League	Cup	Europe	Other	Total
1	Tore Nordtvedt	1963–1979	304 (3)	83 (5)	10 (1)	0	397 (9)
2	Geirmund "Geddi" Brendesæter	1991–2003	254 (21)	54 (4)	23 (0)	4 (2)	335 (27)
3	Erlend Hanstveit	1998–2008 2014–2015	231 (20)	39 (1)	30 (2)	16 (2)	316 (25)
4	Erik Huseklepp	2005–2010 2012–2016	248 (59)	28 (5)	23 (8)	9 (1)	308 (73)
5	Håkon Opdal	2001–2011 2019–2021	234 (7)	28 (2)	20 (0)	14 (0)	296 (9)
6	Fredrik Haugen	2011–2020	249 (51)	20 (7)	4 (0)	3 (0)	276 (58)
7	Azar Karadas	1999–2001 2007–2009 2014–2019	206 (134)	31 (10)	24 (11)	2 (1)	263 (156)
8	Ruben Kristiansen	2015–present	224 (8)	12 (1)	14 (0)	1 (0)	251 (9)
9	Roy Wassberg	1989–1993 1998–2004	201 (14)	33 (4)	13 (1)	3 (0)	250 (19)
	Kristoffer Barmen	2011–2021	225 (40)	22 (6)	2 (0)	1 (0)	250 (46)

Top goalscorers

As of 27 October 2024. Competitive matches only. Matches played (including as a substitute) appear in brackets. Players currently at the club in bold.

Top goalscorers for SK Brann

Rank	Player	Years	League	Cup	Europe	Other	Total
1	Finn Berstad	1918–1935	57 (39)	78 (66)	0 (0)	0 (0)	135 (105)
2	Rolf Birger "Pesen" Pedersen	1957–1968 1972	86 (168)	42 (55)	0 (0)	2 (3)	130 (226)
3	Gunnar Skagen	1945–1956	69 (93)	48 (41)	0 (0)	6 (3)	123 (137)
4	Thorstein Helstad	1998–2002 2006–2008	89 (147)	10 (17)	4 (23)	1 (4)	104 (191)
5	Steinar Aase	1973–1978 1984–1985	63 (154)	27 (40)	3 (6)	0 (0)	93 (200)
6	Bjørn Tronstad	1974–1982	62 (124)	28 (35)	2 (6)	0 (0)	92 (165)
7	Roald "Kniksen" Jensen	1960–1964 1971–1973	61 (122)	24 (32)	1 (4)	1 (2)	87 (160)
8	Bjarne Johnsen	1916–1928 1930–1932	33 (21)	51 (50)	0 (0)	0 (0)	84 (71)
9	Bård Finne	2012–2013 2021–present	50 (123)	27 (22)	3 (10)	0 (1)	80 (156)
10	Kaare Kongsvik	1921–1922 1925–1932	39 (26)	35 (33)	0 (0)	0 (0)	74 (59)

Player of the year

Since 2000, Brann's official supporters' club, Bataljonen, has selected the player of the year at the end of each season.

• 2000: Roy Wassberg
• 2001: Raymond Kvisvik
• 2002: Tommy Knarvik
• 2003: Raymond Kvisvik
• 2004: Ragnvald Soma
• 2005: Paul Scharner
• 2006: Håkon Opdal
• 2007: Thorstein Helstad
• 2008: Olafur Örn Bjarnason
• 2009: Erik Huseklepp
• 2010: Petter Vaagan Moen
• 2011: Rodolph Austin
• 2012: Piotr Leciejewski
• 2013: Piotr Leciejewski
• 2014: Stéphane Badji
• 2015: Vadim Demidov
• 2016: Vadim Demidov
• 2017: Vito Wormgoor
• 2018: Fredrik Haugen
• 2019: Håkon Opdal
• 2020: Ole Martin Kolskogen
• 2021: Aune Heggebø
• 2022: Mathias Rasmussen
• 2023: Bård Finne

External links

• Official website