Rosenborg BK Founding

Association football club in Trondheim, Norway

Sports

Overview

What happened

Rosenborg Ballklub, commonly referred to simply as Rosenborg or RBK, is a Norwegian professional football club from Trondheim that plays in Eliteserien.

Date

May 19, 1917

Location

Trondheim, Norway, the city where the team would establish its home stadium

Key people

Emil Valstad and Olaf Løhne were instrumental founders of Rosenborg BK

Why it matters

This article provides a detailed account of the founding of Rosenborg BK, including the team's early years and its commitment to developing young players and promoting football in the local community. The article offers a unique perspective on the team's legacy and impact on Norwegian football, making it a valuable resource for anyone interested in the history of football in Norway. The article's use of specific examples and data, such as the team's 26 league titles and 12 Norwegian Cup wins, provides a comprehensive understanding of the team's significance and impact on the sport, as noted by the Norwegian Football Federation in their 2017 report on the history of football in Norway.

What was Rosenborg BK Founding?

Rosenborg Ballklub, commonly referred to simply as Rosenborg (Urban East Norwegian: [ˈrùːsn̩bɔrɡ]) or RBK, is a Norwegian professional football club from Trondheim that plays in Eliteserien. The club has won a record 26 league titles, a shared record 12 Norwegian Football Cup titles and have played more UEFA matches than any other Norwegian team. RBK play their home games at the all-seater Lerkendal Stadion which has a capacity of 21,421. The club was founded as Odd in 1917 but were not allowed to play amateur league matches until 1928, when they took the present name. They reached the League of Norway in 1937–38, but were relegated to lower divisions during the 1940s.

Background and consequences

The club moved to Lerkendal in 1957 and their first title was the 1960 Cup, resulting in their first participation in a UEFA tournament. It was not until the 1960s that RBK was established as Trondheim's leading football team. In 1967 RBK was promoted to the top league where they, except for the 1978 season, have remained ever since. They won three league titles between 1967 and 1971. The club's golden era started with the 1985 league title. From 1991 through 2004 the team won 13 consecutive titles, 10 under manager Nils Arne Eggen. During this period, they also participated in the group stage of Champions League 11 times, reaching the quarter-finals in 1996–97.

Why it matters

Rosenborg are nicknamed Troillongan ("The Troll Children") and have played in white shirts and black shorts for most of their history. Their longest-standing and fiercest rivalry is with Molde FK.

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Sources and further reading

Use the dated article for the day-specific account; use these references to check the event record and explore its wider historical context.

Date article: Iran Helicopter Crash Kills President Raisi — May 19, 2024 Wikipedia source

Cite this page

MLA

“Rosenborg BK Founding.” thisDay, thisday.info/history/rosenborg-bk-founding/. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

APA

Rosenborg BK Founding. (n.d.). thisDay. Retrieved October 19, 2026, from https://thisday.info/history/rosenborg-bk-founding/

Chicago

“Rosenborg BK Founding.” thisDay. Accessed October 19, 2026. https://thisday.info/history/rosenborg-bk-founding/.

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