Lillestrøm SK

This article is about the men's football club. For the women's football club, see LSK Kvinner FK.

Lillestrøm SK

Full name	Lillestrøm Sportsklubb
Nickname(s)	Kanarifugla, Fugla (The Canaries, The Birds)
Short name	LSK
Founded	2 April 1917 (1917-04-02)
Ground	Åråsen Stadion Lillestrøm
Capacity	12,250
Chairman	Morten Kokkim
Head coach	Hans Erik Ødegaard
League	1. divisjon
2024	Eliteserien, 15th of 16 (relegated)
Website	http://www.lsk.no/
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Lillestrøm Sportsklubb is a Norwegian professional football club based in the city of Lillestrøm, just outside of the capital Oslo. Lillestrøm SK is a Norwegian football club based in Lillestrøm, playing in Eliteserien. The club was founded in 1917, after the merger of two local football clubs. Their home ground is Åråsen Stadion, which has a capacity of 12,250 people, while the principal training ground is Lillestrøm stadion, or the indoor arena, LSK-Hallen. The club holds the Norwegian record for the most consecutive years without being relegated, having played 45 seasons from 1975 until 2019. Over the years the club has had around 40 players who have represented the Norwegian national team. There has also been a number of foreigners who have represented the national teams of the United States, Sweden, Iceland, Senegal, Finland, Malta, Australia, South Africa, Slovenia, Tunisia, Canada, Somalia, and Nigeria.

History

Lillestrøm SK was founded on 2 April 1917. It has been Norwegian League champions five times, most recently in 1989, and also in 1986, 1977, 1976 and 1959. Additionally, they have won the Norwegian Cup in 1985, 1981, 1978, 1977, 2007 and 2017.

When Arne Erlandsen left for Sweden and IFK Göteborg after the 2004 season, former LSK player and German international Uwe Rösler took over as head coach of the team. His first season in charge became a successful one, with Lillestrøm finishing fourth in the league. This position secured LSK a place in the Royal League. The team also made it to the 2005 Norwegian Cup final, but lost 4–2 to Molde in front of a crowd of 25,000 at Ullevaal Stadion.

In the 2006 season, Lillestrøm were among the top favourites to win the league. Following a disappointing 4th place, it was announced on 13 November 2006 that Uwe Rösler had been fired from his position as head coach of Lillestrøm. Only a few days later Tom Nordlie signed a three-year contract.

The supporters of Lillestrøm, "Kanari-fansen". From a match between Lillestrøm and Vålerenga at Ullevaal Stadion in 2006.

A key signing ahead of the 2007 season included Fredrikstad's Simen Brenne, an attacking midfielder with a knack for scoring important goals. LSK under Nordlie played a 4–3–3 system, which invites rapid transitional play between defence and attack, Lillestrøm finished fourth in the league and won the 2007 Norwegian cup, beating Haugesund 2–0 in the final at Ullevaal Stadion.

On 29 May 2008, Tom Nordlie resigned from his position as head coach after a disappointing start of the 2008 season. Statements from Nordlie suggested that fundamental disagreements with club director Jan Åge Fjørtoft also contributed to his resignation. It later emerged that the conflict between the controversial coach and the players was another big contributor behind Nordlie's departure, his punishing training regime in the run-up to the 2008 season being cited as the main complaint. Nordlie, no stranger to controversy during his career, had reportedly "lost the dressing room" as early as autumn 2007.

Erland Johnsen and Frode Grodås stepped in as caretakers until a new head coach was hired. On 19 August 2008, the club announced that Henning Berg would take over as head coach on 1 January 2009, after leaving his post at Lyn. Berg's first task would be to rescue the team from relegation, a feat he accomplished in his very first match as head coach. LSK beat Rosenborg 4–2 in a classic encounter to secure their place in the Tippeligaen.

The 2009 season was one of great upheaval. In an increasingly tight economic position, LSK sold or released 11 players before and during the season, with Berg also restructuring the squad and bringing in new talent. Enormous injury problems also made the start to the season a difficult one for Berg's charges. After 9 games, LSK had won none and drawn four and seemed destined for relegation. An impressive comeback saw Lillestrøm deliver a strong second half to the season, eventually finishing 11th. Newcomer Nosa Igiebor had an especially impressive first season in the Lillestrøm jersey.

The team continued to impress over the course of the winter and start of the 2010 season. LSK were in early June fifth in the Tippeligaen, undefeated in 14 league matches. They saw, however, a dramatic drop in form over the summer which saw them briefly flirt with relegation, before a late surge of form late in the season salvaged 10th place.

In 2011, LSK made an exciting start to the new season, scoring an incredible 18 goals from their first five league matches, including a 7–0 drubbing of Stabæk in their first league match of the season – away from home. Early season form was good enough for the team to flirt with the top three until the end of July. Early in August, however, stars Anthony Ujah and Nosa Igiebor were sold to stave off the dire economic straits of the club. Also, in-form Icelandic midfielder Stefán Gíslason was out of contract and left the club. In mid-August, prodigy striker Björn Bergmann Sigurðarson was injured for the rest of the season, and the club failed to win any of their last 11 league games, a new record for Lillestrøm.

Coach Henning Berg was sacked three matches before the end of the season as investor Per Berg promised fresh funds for acquiring quality players after the season. The club again flirted with the prospect of relegation; however, the incessant poor form of Start and Sarpsborg meant Lillestrøm again saved themselves. This despite an abject 34 points gathered over 30 league matches, which normally would mean relegation.

Former Elfsborg coach Magnus Haglund was appointed coach after the season. Lillestrøm was quite active in the transfer window ahead of the 2012 season, and bought 11 new players. The change of coach and flurry of transfers did the club no good, however, as they again flirted with relegation until just a few weeks before the end of the season, hovering between 12th and 14th place before a strong finish to the season propelled them into 9th. On the whole the season was deemed a big disappointment, however, and Haglund's position has been subject to debate throughout the winter pre-season.

Ahead of the 2013 season, the club again has reined in spending and started the season with a first team squad of just 18 full senior players and additional backup players from the youth academy. LSK under Haglund have performed well away from home (2nd best away record in 2012), but often struggled on their own turf.

Achievements

• Eliteserien:
  • Winners (5): 1958–59, 1976, 1977, 1986, 1989
  • Runners-up (8): 1959–60, 1978, 1983, 1985, 1988, 1994, 1996, 2001
• Norwegian Cup:
  • Winners (6): 1977, 1978, 1981, 1985, 2007, 2017
  • Runners-up (8): 1953, 1955, 1958, 1980, 1986, 1992, 2005, 2022
• Royal League:
  • Runners-up (1): 2005–06
• UEFA Intertoto Cup:
  • Runners-up (1): 2006

Recent history

Main article: List of Lillestrøm SK seasons

Season		Pos.	Pl.	W	D	L	GS	GA	P	Cup	Notes
1995	Tippeligaen	4	26	11	8	7	50	36	41	Semi-final
1996	Tippeligaen	2	26	13	7	6	54	33	46	Third round
1997	Tippeligaen	10	26	9	6	11	41	49	33	Fourth round
1998	Tippeligaen	8	26	9	5	12	34	43	32	Third round
1999	Tippeligaen	4	26	15	3	8	60	41	48	Quarter-final
2000	Tippeligaen	6	26	11	7	8	42	29	40	Quarter-final
2001	Tippeligaen	2	26	17	5	4	64	33	56	Semi-final
2002	Tippeligaen	7	26	10	6	10	37	30	36	Third round
2003	Tippeligaen	7	26	10	7	9	33	35	37	Fourth round
2004	Tippeligaen	7	26	8	11	7	45	33	35	Semi-final
2005	Tippeligaen	4	26	12	6	8	37	31	42	Final
2006	Tippeligaen	4	26	12	8	6	44	33	44	Quarter-final
2007	Tippeligaen	4	26	12	8	6	47	28	44	Winner
2008	Tippeligaen	12	26	7	7	12	30	40	28	Second round
2009	Tippeligaen	11	30	9	10	11	43	50	37	Fourth round
2010	Tippeligaen	10	30	9	13	8	51	44	40	Third round
2011	Tippeligaen	13	30	9	7	14	46	52	34	Fourth round
2012	Tippeligaen	9	30	9	12	9	46	47	39	Fourth round
2013	Tippeligaen	10	30	9	9	12	37	44	36	Semi-final
2014	Tippeligaen	5	30	13	7	10	49	35	46	Quarter-final
2015	Tippeligaen	8	30	12	9	9	45	43	44	Third round
2016	Tippeligaen	12	30	8	10	12	45	50	34	Third round
2017	Eliteserien	12	30	10	7	13	40	43	37	Winner
2018	Eliteserien	12	30	7	11	12	34	44	32	Semi-final
2019	Eliteserien	↓ 14	30	7	9	14	32	47	30	Third round	Relegated to 1. divisjon through play-offs
2020	1. divisjon	↑ 2	30	16	9	5	49	26	57	Cancelled	Promoted to Eliteserien
2021	Eliteserien	4	30	14	7	9	49	40	49	Quarter-final
2022	Eliteserien	4	30	16	5	9	49	34	53	Final
2023	Eliteserien	6	30	13	4	13	49	49	43	Second round
2024	Eliteserien	↓ 15	30	7	3	20	33	63	24	Quarter-final	Relegated to 1. divisjon

European record

Summary

Competition	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Last season played
European Cup UEFA Champions League	14	3	5	6	10	17	2002–03
UEFA Cup	28	10	2	16	35	49	2018–19
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup	10	3	0	7	11	18	1993–94
UEFA Europa Conference League	4	2	0	2	7	7	2022–23
UEFA Intertoto Cup	8	4	2	2	18	11	2006
Total	64	22	9	33	81	102

Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against. Defunct competitions indicated in italics.

List of matches

Season	Competition	Round	Opponent	Home	Away	Agg.
1977–78	European Cup	R1	Ajax	2–0	0–4	2–4
1978–79	European Cup	R1	Linfield	1–0	0–0	1–0
		R2	Austria Vienna	0–0	1–4	1–4
1979–80	Cup Winners' Cup	PR	Rangers	0–2	0–1	0–3
1982–83	Cup Winners' Cup	R1	Red Star Belgrade	0–4	0–3	0–7
1984–85	UEFA Cup	R1	Lokomotive Leipzig	3–0	0–7	3–7
1986–87	Cup Winners' Cup	R1	Benfica	1–2	0–2	1–4
1987–88	European Cup	R1	Linfield	1–1	4–2	5–3
		R2	Bordeaux	0–0	0–1	0–1
1989–90	UEFA Cup	R1	Werder Bremen	1–3	0–2	1–5
1990–91	European Cup	R1	Club Brugge	1–1	0–2	1–3
1993–94	Cup Winners' Cup	QR	Nikol Tallinn	4–1	4–0	8–1
		R1	Torino	0–2	2–1	2–3
1994–95	UEFA Cup	PR	Shakhtar Donetsk	4–1	0–2	4–3
		R1	Bordeaux	0–2	1–3	1–5
1995–96	UEFA Cup	PR	Flora Tallinn	4–0	0–1	4–1
		R1	Brøndby	0–0	0–3	0–3
1996–97	Intertoto Cup	Group 5	Kaunas	N/A	4–1	–
			Sligo Rovers	4–0	N/A	–
			Heerenveen	N/A	1–0	–
			Nantes	2–3	N/A	–
1997–98	UEFA Cup	QR2	Dinamo Minsk	1–0	2–0	3–0
		R1	Twente	2–1	0–1	2–2 (a)
2000–01	UEFA Cup	QR	Glentoran	1–0	3–0	4–0
		R1	Dynamo Moscow	3–1	1–2	4–3
		R2	Deportivo Alavés	1–3	2–2	3–5
2002–03	Champions League	QR2	Željezničar	0–1	0–1	0–2
2006–07	Intertoto Cup	R2	Keflavík	4–1	2–2	6–3
		R3	Newcastle United	0–3	1–1	1–4
2007–08	UEFA Cup	QR1	Käerjéng 97	2–1	0–1	2–2 (a)
2008–09	UEFA Cup	QR2	Copenhagen	2–4	1–3	3–7
2018–19	UEFA Europa League	QR2	LASK Linz	1–2	0–4	1–6
2022–23	UEFA Europa Conference League	QR2	SJK	5–2	1–0	6–2
		QR3	Royal Antwerp	1–3	0–2	1–5

Records

• Greatest home victory: 10–0 vs. Geithus, 4 October 1953
• Greatest away victory: 7–0 vs. Stabæk, 20 March 2011
• Heaviest home loss: 1–7 vs. Fredrikstad, 15 August 1954
• Heaviest away loss: 1–7 vs. Odd, 7 June 1953
• Highest attendance, Åråsen Stadion: 13,652 vs. Vålerenga, 16 May 2002
• Highest average attendance, season: 9,018 in 2007
• Most appearances, total: 720, Frode Kippe 1997–1998, 2002–2019
• Most appearances, league: 441, Frode Kippe 1997–1998, 2002–2019
• Most goals scored, total: 319, Tom Lund 1967–82
• Most goals scored, league: 154, Tom Lund 1967–82
• Most goals scored, season: 26, Tom Lund 1973

Current squad

As of 17 July 2024

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

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
1	GK	NOR	Stefan Hagerup
2	DF	NOR	Lars Ranger
3	DF	NOR	Martin Ove Roseth
4	DF	NOR	Espen Garnås
5	DF	IRQ	Mohanad Jeahze
6	MF	NOR	Vebjørn Hoff
7	FW	KOS	Ylldren Ibrahimaj
8	MF	NOR	Marius Lundemo
9	FW	SWE	Jabir Abdihakim Ali (on loan from Västerås)
10	FW	NOR	Thomas Lehne Olsen
11	DF	DEN	Frederik Elkær
12	GK	NOR	Mads Hedenstad Christiansen
14	FW	CIV	Mathis Bolly
15	MF	NOR	Erling Knudtzon
16	MF	NGA	Uba Charles
17	MF	NOR	Eric Kitolano
18	MF	SWE	August Karlin

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
19	DF	NOR	Kristoffer Tønnessen
20	FW	ANG	Felix Vá
21	MF	NOR	Markus Karlsbakk
22	FW	NOR	Elias Solberg
23	MF	NOR	Gjermund Åsen
28	DF	NOR	Ruben Gabrielsen (captain)
29	GK	NOR	Jørgen Sveinhaug
30	DF	NOR	Sander Moen Foss
31	GK	NOR	Oliver Petersen (on loan from Molde)
33	FW	SEN	Moctar Diop
37	MF	NOR	Leandro Neto
38	FW	NOR	Alexander Røssing-Lelesiit
43	FW	NOR	Markus Wæhler
55	MF	NOR	Kevin Krygård
64	DF	SWE	Eric Larsson
77	DF	NOR	Lucas Svenningsen

For season transfers, see transfers winter 2023–24.

Out on loan

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

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
24	MF	NGA	Efe Lucky (at Åsane until 31 December 2024)
26	FW	NOR	Oliver Henriksrud (at Strømmen until 31 December 2024)
27	MF	NOR	Uranik Seferi (at Hødd until 31 December 2024)

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
90	FW	NOR	El Schaddai Furaha (at Raufoss until 31 December 2024)
—	DF	NOR	Maximilian Balatoni (at Strømmen until 31 December 2024)
—	DF	USA	Sam Rogers (at Aalesund until 31 December 2024)

Coaching staff

Position	Name
Head coach	Hans Erik Ødegaard
Assistant coach	Eirik Mæland
Goalkeeping coach	Fredrik Vestgård
Fitness coach/Physio	Geir Kåsene
Physio	Erik Kveen
Head of Analytics	André Schelander
Sports coordinator	Tor Arne Solberg
Mental coach	Mette Rosseland
Doctor	Pål Jeroen Husby
Nutritionist	André Baumann
Scout	Espen Olsen

Academy

Position	Name
Head of academy	Toni Ordinas
Head of Development	Frode Kippe

Administrative staff

Position	Name
Chairman	Morten Kokkim
Managing director	Robert Lauritsen
Sporting director	Simon Mesfin
Sales and partnership rep	Kari Herredsvela
Sales and partnership rep	Andreas Nilsen Grov
Financial and administration director	Linda Djupnes
Head of communications	Morten Stokstad
Marketing consultant/club store manager	Jørgen Heen Enger

Coaches

• Alf Martinsen (1947–50; 1952–53)
• Karl Guðmundsson (1958; 1960)
• Ragnar Larsen (1962)
• Walther Svendsen (1963)
• Henry Mathiesen (1964–1965)
• Rolf Wahl (1966)
• Ivar Christiansen (1967)
• Rolf Wahl (1968)
• Svein Bergersen/ Rolf Wahl (1971)
• Oddvar Richardsen (1972)
• Joar Hoff (1973)
• Ronny Mathiesen (1974)
• Joar Hoff (1975–1976)
• Joe Hooley (1977–1980)
• Kjell Schou-Andreassen (1980–1982)
• Joar Hoff (1982)
• Bill Foulkes (1984)
• Tom Lund (1985–1988)
• David Hay (1989–1990)
• Tom Lund (1 July 1990 – 30 June 1991)
• Ivar Hoff (1991–1993)
• Teitur Þórðarson (1994– Sept 9, 1995)
• Arne Erlandsen/ Kjetil Osvold (Sept 10, 1995–1996)
• Per Brogeland (1996– 1 June 1997)
• Even Pellerud (1997)
• Arne Erlandsen (1998–2005)
• Uwe Rösler (2005–2007)
• Tom Nordlie (2007 – 29 May 2008)
• Erland Johnsen (caretaker) (29 May 2008 – 16 June 2008)
• Erland Johnsen (16 June 2008 – 21 Oct 2008)
• Henning Berg (21 Oct 2008 – 26 Oct 2011)
• Petter Belsvik/ Magnus Powell (caretakers) (26 Oct 2011–2012)
• Magnus Haglund (2012–2015)
• Rúnar Kristinsson (2015– 18 Sep 2016)
• Arne Erlandsen (20 Sep 2016 – 26 June 2018)
• Arild Sundgot (caretaker) (26 June 2018 – 13 July 2018)
• Jörgen Lennartsson (13 July 2018 – 2 December 2019)
• Tom Nordlie (caretaker) (3 December 2019 – 11 December 2019)
• Geir Bakke (31 December 2019 – 12 July 2023)
• Simon Mesfin/ Frode Kippe (caretakers) (12 July 2023 – 20 August 2023)
• Eirik Bakke (caretaker) (20 August 2023 – 21 December 2023)
• Andreas Georgson (21 December 2023 – 26 July 2024)
• Robin Asterhed (caretaker) (9 August 2024 – 23 August 2024)
• David Nielsen (caretaker) (23 August 2024 – 30 September 2024)
• Dag Eilev Fagermo (30 September 2024 – 10 December 2024)
• Hans Erik Ødegaard (10 December 2024 –)

Supporters

Lillestrøm is one of the most supported clubs in Norway, and has the second biggest fan-club in Norway, as the official fan-club, Kanarifansen has more than 5,000 members. Kanarifansen was founded on 3 December 1992 and publishes its own magazines and has its own collection of clothing.

Rivalries

See also: Lillestrøm SK–Vålerenga Fotball rivalry

Lillestrøm's biggest rival is Vålerenga Fotball. The club also has a rivalry with Rosenborg. Their traditional local rival dated back to the clubs foundation is Strømmen IF.

External links

• Official website
• "Kanari-Fansen", the Lillestrøm SK Supporters Club
• Stats, history and facts