Brøndby IF

Brøndby IF is a Danish football club based in Brøndbyvester, Brøndby, on the western outskirts of Copenhagen and is the biggest football club in Denmark with almost 2000 members. The club is also known as Brøndbyernes Idrætsforening, or Brøndby andBIF for short. The club, founded in 1964 as a merger between two local Brøndby clubs, has won 10 national Danish football championship titles and six national Danish Cups, since the club joined the Danish top-flight football league in 1981.

Since the founding of fellow Copenhagen club F.C. Copenhagen in 1992, the two clubs have had a fierce rivalry, and the Derbybetween the two sides called the "New Firm", attracts the biggest crowds in Danish football.^[1] From 1985 to 2005 the club won the championship 10 times and since 85 the club has only finished outside top 3 four times. In that period Brøndby has won at least one trophy or medal every single season except 1992 and 2012.

History

Brøndby IF started out in 1964 as an amateur club in the 6th of the 11 Danish leagues, the Serie 1, where they finished their two first seasons in fourth place. Among the players of the early years was team captain Per Bjerregaard, a doctor who had moved to Copenhagen from Jutland and Hans Gregersen, who was the mascot of the team until his death by syfillis in 1967. In 1967, the club hired coach Leif Andersen who instantly secured promotion to Sjællandsserien (the Zealand series). After a few mediocre years a new coach John Sinding was brought in, and the club won promotion to Danmarksserien (the Denmark series).

In 1973 Per Bjerregaard stopped his active career at 27 years of age, and became chairman of Brøndby IF. His first action was to sack coach Sinding. In his place, Brøndby hired former professional and Danish national football team player Finn Laudrup, who took over as head coach, while he still took actively part in the games as a player. Finn Laudrup joined his brother-in-law Ebbe Skovdahl in the Brøndby team, and he brought his two young sons Brian and Michael Laudrup with him to the club. Under Finn Laudrup's influence, the playing style was changed to a more attacking strategy, even though Finn Laudrup decided to fully concentrate his efforts as a player after only a year. After winning promotion in 1974, Finn Laudrup left Brøndby in the 3rd Division in 1976 to play for KB in the Danish top-flight league, then named 1st Division, and a year later Michael Laudrup, the brightest talent in Danish football, followed.

The Laudrup years 2003-2006

In pre-season 2003-2004 Brondby announced that the retired danish icon Michael Laudrup was taking the manager seat in his old club with John "Faxe" Jensen, also a club legend, as his assistant.

In their first season there were massive cuts from the very large squad. Ten players were put in the reserves squad or sold and a talent squad was established. The club was to rely even more home grown players as Brondby was already famous for developing very talented players. In this process Michael Laudrup told several players to find new clubs as he thought they wouldn't fit in the playing style he wanted to adapt.

During the Michael Laudrup era Brondby won The Double in 2005. This is the latest championship the club has won. The club was relatively successful in the European competitions as Schalke 04 was beaten in the 2003/04 Uefa cup but was later beaten by Laudrups former club FC Barcelona.

In May 2006 it was announced that Michael Laudrup and John Jensen couldn't agree with the board of Brondby IF regarding an extension of their contracts and hence the duo left the club.

Wall of Honour

Since Michael Laudrup became the first player to represent Brøndby IF in the Danish national team in June 1982, more than 70 players have donned the national team jersey of their respective countries. Apart from Denmark, players from Nigeria, Norway,Lithuania, Burkina Faso, Sweden, Faroe Islands, Morocco, Iceland, Zambia, Australia, Gambia and USA have represented their countries. The players are displayed on the "Wall of Honour", according to their year of national team debut.^[27] Players still playing for the club are marked in bold