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Denmark, Superliga table {click here (Soccerway.com)}. 16 of 33 rounds have been played in the competition, which will go into its long winter break after matches on 9 December, 2009, to start up again on 14 March, 2010.
Denmark is currently ranked 16th, for 2010-11 UEFA competitions {see this}. That’s up 3 places from the last ranking, and is indicative of the progress Denmark has been making in football. The Denmark National Football Team’s recent qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup is another example of this.
The Danish Superliga is currently playing it’s 20th season. Reigning champions are FC Copenhagen (FC Kobenhavn in Danish). FC Copenhagen won the double in ’09, with a 1-0 win over AaB in the Danish Cup final, for their fourth Cup title.
Like quite a few other football clubs in Denmark in recent history, FC Copenhagen was the result of a merger. In this case, it was between two successful clubs from the country’s capital city, KB and B 1903. KB (Kjobenhavns Boldklub) won 15 Danish titles, including the first in 1913, and most recently in 1980. B 1903 (Boldklubben 1903) won 7 national titles, their last in 1976. The two clubs merged in 1992 to form FC Copenhagen. The club’s home is Parken Stadium, which is also the venue for Denmark national football team matches.
FC Copenhagen maintains a big rivalry with Brondby IF (Brondbyernes Idraetsforening), who were formed in 1964, and are from the town of Brondy, which is 15 km. (9 mi.) west of Copenhagen.
FC Copenhagen and Brondby IF are sometimes called “the New Firm”. The two have won 11 of the last 16 Danish Superliga titles. FC Copenhagen and Brondby also draw the largest support, 20,038 per game last season for Copenhagen; 16,908 per game for Brondby.
The third highest drawing club in Denmark is the football division of a venerable old sports club from Jutland, AGF [Aarhus] (Aarhus Gymnastikforening). Arhus is a city of 239,000 (2008 figure). It is the second largest city in Denmark, and the country’s principal port. It’s unofficial name is the capital of Jutland, Jutland being the peninsula that forms the mainland part of Denmark. AGF holds the record for longest run in the Danish top flight, with 65 consecutive seasons, a run that ended in 2005-06 (AGF won promotion back to Superliga the following season). The last of Aarhus’ 5 championships came over 2 decades ago, though, in 1986. AGF have won the most Danish Cup titles, with 9 (their last in 1996). Here are two photos of AGF Aarhus’ stadium {click here (World stadiums.com). AGF Aarhus have a very distinctive, medieval-looking club crest (see it here}.
The one club with the most Superliga trophies outside of the New Firm are AaB (Aalborg Boldspilklub), who are from Aalborg, northern Jutland. Aab have won 3 Danish Superliga titles, their last in 2007-08. AaB have also had recent success in Europe, making it to the 2007-08 UEFA Cup Group Stage, the 2008-09 Champions League Group Stage (where they beat Celtic, 2-1 in Aalborg), and the 2008-09 UEFA Cup Round of 16. The club play in a small 13,800-capacity stadium [see it above]; they averaged 7,068 last season in the Danish Superliga.
Current league leaders are Odense BK (they are also referred to as OB). Odense Boldklub are from Odense, on the island of Fulan. Odense is the third largest city in Denmark (158,000; 2009 census). Odense BK are the fourth-highest drawing club in Denmark, averaging 10,219 per game last season. Odense play at the 15,761-seat Fiona Park {panorama view photo, here}. Odense has won 3 Danish titles and 5 Danish Cups (last in 2007). The club’s last national title came in 1989, 2 seasons before the re-organization that led to the Danish Superliga. Odense came up just short of the title last season, but the squad look well positioned to take the crown this season. Odense BK feature the league leading scorer, Nigerian Peter Utaka (joint lead with Morten Rasmussen of Brondby). The club just had a big 3-1 victory away to Brondby earlier today, with Utaka scoring his 12th goal of the season (and Rasmussen netting his 12th in the losing cause). The result puts Odense 4 points up on Copenhagen and Esbjerg, and 8 up on Brondy.
Thanks to the Danish Football Association site {click here}. Thanks to Brondby IF site {click here}. Thanks to Friis-Moltke.dk {architecture, including Aalborg stadium, click here}.
Thanks to the contributors to the pages at en.wikipedia.org {click here (2009-10 Danish Superliga page)}.
