Sandvikens IF
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| Full name | Sandvikens Idrottsförening | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicknames | Järngänget (The Iron Gang) Stålmännen (The Steel Men) Rödvästarna (The Red Vests) | |||
| Founded | 1899 | |||
| Ground | Jernvallen, Sandviken | |||
| Capacity | 7,000 | |||
| Chairman | Peter Svensson | |||
| Head coach | Thomas Lagerlöf | |||
| League | Superettan | |||
| 2025 | 10th of 16 | |||
| Website | www | |||
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Sandvikens Idrottsförening, commonly known as Sandvikens IF, is a Swedish football club located in Sandviken. Formerly believed to have been founded in 1918 the club announced in 2026 that through historical research it had been discovered that the actual founding year was 1899.[1] Sandvikens IF are affiliated to the Gestriklands Fotbollförbund and play their home games at Jernvallen.[2]
The club has played 21 seasons in the top Swedish division Allsvenskan but is currently part of second tier Superettan.
History
[edit]
Sandvikens IF was created in 1899 when cross-country skiing club Sandvikens Sportklubb and ice skating club Sandvikens Allmänna Skridskoklubb merged. In 1904 football was added to their activities as they merged with IK Kronan and thus acquired their football team.[3]
When the new swedish football league system began in 1925 with Allsvenskan as its top division Sandviken started off in the second tier. In 1929 they qualified for promotion to the top level for the first time and as the first ever company town club to have done so. The 1930s became the first of two golden eras for the club with one third place and two fourth place finishes in Allsvenskan. Thus giving the club one small silver and two bronze medals, as it is the tradition in swedish football that the top four clubs are awarded medals each season.[4]
The second golden era came during the 1950s. Under the guidance of foreign managers Dai Astley and Antonio Durán the club managed to re-establish itself in Allsvenskan and win another bronze medal. During this period Sandviken also set the record for their highest ever home attendance with 20,088 people watching a home game against IFK Norrköping. At the end of the 1961 Allsvenskan the club was relegated and has not returned to the top division since.[5]
At the start of the 2000s Sandvikens IF was in crisis and according to the chairman "at the brink of ruin" with an impending bankruptcy due to debts to vendors, the municipality and the Swedish Enforcement Authority. After the clubs finances had been stabilized Sandviken achieved promotion in 2023 back to the second tier of swedish football Superettan for the first time in 30 years.[6]
Trivia
[edit]As Sandviken is an industrial community, dominated by the steel and metal corporation Sandvik, the team has been much influenced by this. The name of the home ground, Jernvallen, would translate approximately as The Iron Ground, while the nicknames Järngänget and Stålmännen are self-explaining in Swedish ("The Iron gang" and "The Men of Steel"). Stålmännen has a double meaning, as it also is the plural form of Stålmannen, the Swedish name for Superman.
Kit
[edit]
Sandviken play in red shirts with white sleeves and shorts. The club had initially played in black and white colors but wanted to switch to something more colorful in the 1930s. The player Bertil Ericsson suggested that they should adopt the colors of his favorite club Arsenal F.C. and the members of the club held a vote where they approved of the change.[7][8][9]
In 2020 Sandvikens IF signed an expanded deal with their long term kit supplier Adidas.[10]
| Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor (chest) |
|---|---|---|
| 2020– |  Adidas |
Sandvik |
Recent seasons
[edit]Summary of the ten most recent seasons for Sandvikens IF:[11]
| Season | Division | Tier | Pos | Pl | W | D | L | + | - | P | Cup | Attendances |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Division 2 | 4 | ↑ 1 | 26 | 22 | 2 | 2 | 95 | 19 | 68 | 2nd round | 694 |
| 2017 | Ettan | 3 | 10 | 26 | 9 | 5 | 12 | 35 | 41 | 32 | 1st round | 671 |
| 2018 | 6 | 30 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 47 | 39 | 45 | 2nd round | 526 | ||
| 2019 | 7 | 30 | 12 | 7 | 11 | 52 | 47 | 43 | Group stage | 790 | ||
| 2020 | 6 | 30 | 16 | 9 | 5 | 65 | 33 | 57 | Group stage | 0 | ||
| 2021 | 3 | 30 | 17 | 7 | 6 | 62 | 34 | 58 | 2nd round | 272 | ||
| 2022 | 2 | 30 | 20 | 5 | 5 | 82 | 33 | 65 | 2nd round | 654 | ||
| 2023 | ↑ 1 | 30 | 20 | 5 | 5 | 77 | 32 | 65 | 2nd round | 907 | ||
| 2024 | Superettan | 2 | 6 | 30 | 12 | 7 | 11 | 49 | 41 | 43 | Group stage | 1,511 |
| 2025 | 10 | 30 | 12 | 5 | 13 | 36 | 47 | 41 | Group stage | 1,285 |
Stadium
[edit]Sandvikens IF play their home games at Jernvallen, an area containing stadiums for multiple sports. Originally built in 1939 the old football stadium hosted two games at the 1958 FIFA World Cup. In 1991 it was converted into a bandy arena and the football was moved to a neighbouring pitch with a newly built small 700-seater stand.[12] In 2026 the municipality announced their plans to build an additional stand so that the club could comply with the stadium requirements for playing in Superettan for which they have previously been given a temporary exemption.[13]
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Current squad
[edit]- As of 14 September 2026[14]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan
[edit]Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Notable players
[edit]The following players were chosen by local newspaper Arbetarbladet as the greatest Sandvikens IF players of all time:[15]
| Name | Years |
|---|---|
 Gösta Dunker |
1922–1942 |
| Einar Snitt |
1929–1940 |
| Bertil Ericsson |
1933–1944 |
| Fred Eklöf |
1942–1944, 1953–1958 |
| Arne Hodin |
1953–1961 |
| Lennart Andersson |
1955–1961 |
| Stig Olsson |
1953–1961 |
| Rolf Zetterlund |
1968–1971 |
| Leif Jonsson |
1961–1976 |
| Ronald Åman |
1973–1975 |
| Jan Thunell |
197?–1982 |
| Kim Källström |
Youth player |
Management
[edit]Technical staff
[edit]As of 11 September 2026[14]
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Thomas Lagerlöf |
Head coach |
| Elias Gärdh |
Assistant coach |
| Jonas Rosén | |
| Elvin Tahami |
Goalkeeping coach |
 Giuseppe Morelato |
Fitness coach |
| Jens Engqvist |
Team leader |
| Ahmad Sheikha |
Equipment manager |
| Rolf Lingvall |
Previous Managers
[edit]
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Achievements
[edit]- Allsvenskan:
- Best placement (3rd): 1935–36 (Small silver medal)
Footnotes
[edit]- ↑ "Historiskt beslut på årsmötet – Sandvikens IF ändrar födelseår till 1899". Retrieved 12 September 2026.
- ↑ "Distrikten Kontaktuppgifter och tävlingar – Gestriklands Fotbollförbund – Svenskfotboll.se". Archived from the original on 10 December 2011. Retrieved 10 January 2011.
- ↑ "Nu blir SIF nästan 20 år äldre". Retrieved 13 September 2026.
- ↑ "Historia". Retrieved 13 September 2026.
- ↑ "50-talet hade världens bästa SIF: "Fotbollen gav känslan av det lilla extra i Sandviken på den tiden"". Retrieved 13 September 2026.
- ↑ "SIF-duon som lade grunden till avancemanget – har nått drömmen". Retrieved 13 September 2026.
- ↑ "Historia". Retrieved 13 September 2026.
- ↑ "Sandvikens IF 100 år". Retrieved 13 September 2026.
- ↑ "Sandvikens IF Kit History - Football Kit Archive". Retrieved 13 September 2026.
- ↑ "Förlängt och utökat avtal med Adidas och Intersport". Retrieved 14 September 2026.
- ↑ "Svensk fotboll - alla serier". Retrieved 14 September 2026.
- ↑ "Jernvallen". Retrieved 12 September 2026.
- ↑ "SIF välkomnar kommunens förslag på arenalösning". Retrieved 12 September 2026.
- 1 2 "Truppen". Retrieved 14 September 2026.
- ↑ "LISTAN: Här är de största SIF-spelarna genom tiderna – med Gösta Dunker, "Danskdödaren" och Roffe Z". Retrieved 13 September 2026.
- ↑ "Tränare genom åren". Retrieved 12 September 2026.
External links
[edit]- Sandvikens IF – official site