GIF Sundsvall

GIF Sundsvall

Full name	Gymnastik- och Idrottsföreningen Sundsvall
Nickname(s)	Giffarna Norrlandslaget (Northland team)
Short name	GIF
Founded	25 August 1903; 121 years ago (1903-08-25)
Ground	NP3 Arena, Sundsvall
Capacity	8,000
Head coach	Erol Ates
League	Superettan
2024	Superettan, 13th
Website	http://www.gifsundsvall.se/
Home colours Away colours
Current season

Gymnastik- och Idrottsföreningen Sundsvall, more commonly known as GIF Sundsvall (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈɡɪfː ˈsɵ̂nː(d)sval]),^[1] Giffarna or simply Sundsvall, is a Swedish professional football club based in Sundsvall. The club is affiliated with Medelpads Fotbollförbund and plays its home games at NP3 Arena with a capacity of roughly 8,000 spectators.^[2] Formed on 25 August 1903, the club has played 19 seasons in Sweden's highest football league Allsvenskan, the club's first season in the league was in 1965.

GIF Sundsvall is placed twenty-second in the overall Allsvenskan table maratontabellen. The club colours, reflected in their crest and kit, are blue, yellow and white. Nevertheless, white is not articulately present in today's kit it has a strong history within the club.

The club was formed on August 25, 1903, at Matilda Anderssons Café. At that time, GIF Sundsvall stood for "Godtemplarnas Idrotts Förening Sundsvall" which mainly was for Teetotallers up until the alcohol demands was lightened in 1920. The initials then came to stand for, to this day still, "Gymnastik och Idrottsföreningen Sundsvall" (Gymnastics and sports club Sundsvall).

The club reached the first tier of the domestic football in 1965. The club has since been a "yo-yo team" mainly playing in the second division but with Allsvenskan stints in 1975, 1987–89, 1991, 2000–06, 2008, 2012 and 2015–19.

GIF Sundsvall earlier had women's football, bandy and ice hockey on the program. The bandy team became district champions for Västernorrland in 1921.^[3] The hockey team folded in the late 1960s. In 1985 the women's team was transferred to Sundsvalls DFF. This mainly because the women's team was disappointed with the lack of support from the men's team.

GIF Sundsvall's home stadium is NP3 Arena, formerly known as Idrottsparken and Norrporten Arena. It is located in the heart of Sundsvall and was inaugurated on August 6, 1903. It was renovated in 2001–2002 and it can now hold a capacity of 8,000, with 5,000 under roof.^[4]

Between 2006 – 2016 the name was changed to Norrporten Arena and during 2017 the club expect to present a new sponsor and name of the stadium. The stadium's grass is artificial turf since 2004.

The record attendance was 16,507 against Högadals IS on October 15, 1961.

A panorama of NP3 Arena in Sundsvall.

The official supporter's club of GIF Sundsvall is called Patronerna. Formed in 1999, mostly as a joke by some friends supporting^{[further explanation needed]} their friend, the club has in a short period of time amassed a strong reputation^{[citation needed]}. The name is mainly a historical reference to the sawmill owners who were very powerful in Sundsvall during the post-industrial-revolution era. In 2005, FP-tifo, the group who designs the club's terrace choreography, won the Swedish tifo awards arranged by Canal+.

• Superettan
  • Runners-up (3): 2011, 2014, 2021
• Division 1 Norra
  • Winners (2): 1990, 1999
• Norrländska Mästerskapet
  • Winners (1): 1942
  • Runners-up (2): 1928, 1951

As of 1 September 2024^[5]

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  SWE Jonas Olsson 2 DF  GHA Kojo Peprah Oppong (on loan from IFK Norrköping) 3 DF  SWE Monir Jelassi 4 DF  SWE Ludvig Svanberg 5 DF  SWE Dennis Olsson 6 MF  GHA Abdul Halik Hudu 7 MF  SWE Marcus Burman 8 MF  ESP Marc Manchón 9 FW  JPN Taiki Kagayama 11 MF  SWE Jesper Carström 12 DF  SWE Pontus Lindgren 13 GK  SWE Daniel Henareh 14 FW  SWE Johan Bengtsson

No. Pos. Nation Player 15 MF  USA Marcelo Palomino 16 MF  SWE Elvis Hansson 17 FW  SWE Gustav Nordh 18 DF  SWE Lucas Forsberg 19 MF  SWE Yaqub Finey 20 FW  SWE Oliver Grenholm 21 FW  SWE Pontus Engblom 23 MF  SWE Hugo Aviander 26 DF  SWE Edvard Carrick 27 MF  SWE Amaro Bahtijar 30 DF  SWE Anton Kralj (on loan from Hammarby) 32 DF  SWE Anton Mossnelid

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  SWE Edwin Dellkrans (at Gottne until 30 November 2024) — MF  SWE Yonis Shino (at IFK Östersund until 30 November 2024)

No. Pos. Nation Player — FW  HAI Ronaldo Damus (at Colorado Springs Switchbacks until 30 November 2024) 22 FW  SWE Ahmed Gibrill During (at Friska Viljor until 30 November 2024)

10 – Leif Forsberg, forward (1980–1988, 1990–2001)

• Stig Sundqvist (1955–58)
• Jimmy Meadows (1976)
• Anders Grönhagen (1986–89)
• Jan Mattsson (1990–92)
• Anders Grönhagen (1999–01)
• Per Joar Hansen (2002–03)
• Patrick Walker (2002–04)
• Rikard Norling (Jan 2004 – Dec 2004)
• Jan Halvor Halvorsen (Jan 2005 – Aug 2005)
• Anders Högman (2005)
• David Wilson (July 2005 – July 2006)
• Mika Sankala (2006–07), (2008–Ass.)
• Per Joar Hansen (Jan 2008 – Oct 2008)
• Sören Åkeby (Oct 2008 – Nov 2012)
• Joel Cedergren (Nov 2012 – Aug 2019) & Roger Franzén (Nov 2012 – Sep 2016)
• Tony Gustavsson (Aug 2019 – Dec 2019)
• Henrik Åhnstrand (Dec 2019–July 2022)
• Brian Clarhaut (July 2022–December 2022)
• Douglas Jakobsen (January 2023–June 2024)
• Ion Doros (June 2024–12 July 2024)
• / Erol Ates (12 July 2024 – present)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to GIF Sundsvall.

• Allsvenskan (Premier league) – Official site
• GIF Sundsvall – Official site
• Patronerna – Official supporter club site
• Superettan (Second tier league) – Official site