Fylkir

Infobox Football club
clubname = Fylkir


fullname = Íþróttafélagið Fylkir
nickname = Fylkismenn
founded = May 28,1967 as KSÁ
ground = Fylkisvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland
capacity = 4,000 (1000 seated)
chairman = flagicon|IcelandHörður Antonsson
manager = flagicon|IcelandÓlafur Þórðarson
league = Landsbankadeild
season = 2008
position = Landsbankadeild, 9th
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Fylkir is an athletic club in Árbær, in the eastern part of Reykjavík, the capital of Iceland.

Former players include Gylfi Einarsson, who played for Leeds United, and Ólafur Ingi Skúlason, formerly of Arsenal and currently playing for Helsingborgs IF. Ragnar Sigurðsson who is one of the best defenders in Sweden plays for IFK Göteborg, he left Fylkir in 2006. Eyjólfur Héðinsson plays for GAIS in Sweden.

History

Fylkir FC was founded in 1967 on May 28 in a newly established suburb of Reykjavik, Árbær, by young and enthusiastic footballers who wanted to train and play football in their own neighbourhood. From the start, the club has emphasized the importance of youth development and for the first years Fylkir FC did not a field a senior team.

The senior team took first part in a national competition in 1972 and became that year second in their heat in the Icelandic 3. division. That was not enough to for Fylkir to gain promotion and for five successive years the team played in Division Three. All these years Fylkir was on the edge of promotion but it was not until 1977 that the dream came true. Fylkir earned a promotion to the 2. division after a historical Third Division Final in which Fylkir had to field its B-team because the majority of the normally starting eleven had gone to Spain on a long before pre-paid holiday!

The next six years, Fylkir played in Division Two, only once being close to gaining promotion. From 1984 to 1988, Fylkir roller-coasted between the Second and the Third Division and it was not until 1989 that Fylkir played its first season in Division One – the top league in Iceland at that time. The season was no success, Fylkir became ninth and was relegated, but the season is nevertheless an interesting one as two players - Þórhallur Dan Jóhannsson and Finnur Kolbeinsson - who are still playing for Fylkir, played their first season at a top level.

The next time Fylkir earned a promotion to Division One was in 1993, but just as in 1989 the team became ninth and was relegated. In 1996, history reapeted itself for the third successive time, Fylkir occupied the club's seemingly beloved ninth place and was once again relegated to Division Two.

In the year 1999, Fylkir was promoted to the top league – now called the Premier League - for the fourth time. The following year of 2000 Fylkir was only two points from winning the league, in its first year after promotion. The second place earned the club its first games in a European competition.In 2001, Fylkir won the Icelandic Cup for the first time, but finished fifth in the Premier League after leading the competition for the first two thirds of it. In the UEFA cup, Fylkir won Pogoń Szczecin from Poland 2:1 in the club's first European game. In Poland, Fylkir equalized in the last minute of the game to the euphoria of its 200 dedicated supporters who had travelled to Poland to support their team. 3:2 in aggression and Fylkir were through to the second Qualifying Round. The opponents, Roda Kerkrade from Holland, proved to be stronger than the Poles. Roda won the first game in Holland, 3:0, a game in which football almost played a side role as it took place September 11. In Iceland, Fylkir scored the first goal, but the Dutch side the next three, ending the European adventure for Fylkir FC.

The Cup victory in 2001 earned Fylkir a spot in the UEFA cup for the second successive year, the opponents this time being Royal Excelsior Mouscron from Belgium. The teams drew 1:1 in Iceland and Mouscron won the game in Belgium 3:1. In the Icelandic Premier League 2002, Fylkir became second after a last minute battle with KR Reykjavik. Fylkir repeated the Cup success and won the competition for the second year in a row.

Forty years after its establishment, Fylkir is still a club with strong roots in its neighbourhood and the majority of its players and staff are born and bread in Arbaer. The club is now one of the bigger clubs in Iceland and the senior side has established itself as a prominent Premier League team after years of constant travelling between divisions.

In the season of 2006, Fylkir was not a big success. They finished 8th, staying in the Premier League by only two points. In stead, Grindavík got relegated after getting a 1-1 draw against the Icelandic Champions, Fimleikafélag Hafnarfjarðar, when they needed to win.

2007 proved to be a good year for Fylkir, after sitting firmly at the middle of the table all season, Fylkir ended up in 4th place, earning a spot in the UEFA Intertoto Cup in 2008. Fylkir also reached the VISA-Cup semi-final but a shocking loss to 1st Division Fjölnir ended their hopes for a third Cup win during the decade.

2007 was also a good year for Fylkir U20 team as they won the Icelandic division for U20 teams for the first time in clubs history. After the season Fylkir U20 coach Bryngeir Torfason left to manage second devision club Reynir Sandgerði. Tómas Joð Þorsteinsson was voted the best player and Ásgeir Örn Arnþórsson was voted most promising player of the year 2007.

In the first round of the 2008 Intertoto Cup, Fylkir managed a 2-1 first leg victory in Latvia against FK Rīga. However, the visiting club won the return leg 2-0, taking the tie 3-2 on aggregate.

Achievements

*VISA-bikar: 2 ::2001, 2002

European games

UEFA Cup

*2001 Fylkir - Pogoń Szczecin 2 - 1
*2001 Pogoń Szczecin - Fylkir 1 - 1
*2001 Roda Kerkrade - Fylkir 3 - 0
*2001 Fylkir - Roda Kerkrade 1 - 3
*2002 Fylkir - Royal Excelsior Mouscron 1 - 1
*2002 Royal Excelsior Mouscron - Fylkir 3 - 1
*2003 AIK - Fylkir 1 - 0
*2003 Fylkir - AIK 0 - 0

Intertoto Cup

*2004 Fylkir - AA Gent 0 - 1
*2004 AA Gent - Fylkir 2 - 1
*2008 FK Riga - Fylkir 1 - 2
*2008 Fylkir - FK Riga 0 - 2

Sports played

Besides football (soccer) Fylkir participates in volleyball, handball, gymnastics, and karate.

Stadium

The Fylkir stadium if called Fylkisvöllur meaning simply "Fylkir Stadium." Up until Fylkir's promotion to Premier League in 1999, Fylkir had no stadium but a comfortable grass hill was sufficient to the thousands of dedicated supporters who followed the team. After the promotion, concrete stands were put in, merely to make it a legal stadium for the Premier League. Since then the Icelandic Football Association has changed the rules, leaving Fylkir with a stadium that meets no requirements. Fylkir is currently exempt from the requirements until 2010. Fylkir and Reykjavik City Council are currently holding talks regarding the construction of a brand new Fylkir stadium to be located only a few hundred meters from the current stadium.

Official supporters club

Fylkir's official supporters club is called Kiddi Tomm, named after a former Fylkir player, Kristinn Tomasson, who was a leading striker for Fylkir all his career except playing for Fram one season. The club was formed before the 2007 season, following several previous supporters clubs of Fylkir. The club voted defender Kristjan Valdimarsson as their player of the year for the 2007season. Their website is fylkismenn.is [http://www.fylkismenn.is]

Local pub

The local pub is called Blásteinn (e. Blue Stone). Fylkir supporters gather at Blásteinn before and after matches, sometimes being joined by Fylkir players and coaches.

Current squad

fs player| nat=Iceland | pos=MF | no=5|name=Ólafur Ingi Stígsson (C)fs player| nat=Iceland | pos=GK | no=12|name=Björn Metúsalem Aðalsteinsson fs player| nat=Iceland | pos=DF | no=20|name=Arnar Þór Úlfarsson (on loan to Selfoss) fs player| nat=Iceland | pos=MF | no=25|name=Sigurður Helgi Harðarson (on loan to Afturelding)fs player| nat=Iceland | pos=FW | no=26|name=Pape Mamadou Faye (of senegalese origin)fs player| nat=Iceland | pos=FW | no=33|name=Ásgeir Börkur Ásgeirsson (on loan to Selfoss)

External links

* [http://www.fylkir.net/ Official website]
* [http://www.fylkismenn.is/ Official Supporters site]