Brøndby IF
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| Full name | Brøndbyernes Idrætsforening |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) |
Drengene Fra Vestegnen (The Boys from the Western outskirts) |
| Founded | 3 December 1964 |
| Ground | Brøndby Stadium |
| Capacity | 28,000 |
| Chairman | Jesper Møller |
| Manager | Alexander Zorniger |
| League | Alka Superliga |
| 2015–16 | Danish Superliga, 4th |
| Website | Club home page |
Brøndby IF (Danish pronunciation: [ˈb̥ʁɶnb̥y]) is a Danish football club based in Brøndbyvester, Brøndby, on the western outskirts of Copenhagen. The club is also known as Brøndbyernes Idrætsforening, or Brøndby and BIF for short. The club, founded in 1964 as a merger between two local Brøndby clubs, has won ten 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 (a merger between KB anno 1876 and B.1903 anno 1903), the two clubs have had a fierce rivalry, and the Derby between the two sides called the "New Firm", attracts the biggest crowds in Danish football.
Brøndby IF was founded in 1964 as an amateur club in the 6th tier 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 syphilis 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; his first action was to sack head coach Sinding. In his place, Brøndby hired former professional and Denmark national team player Finn Laudrup, who took over as head coach while he still took actively part in the games as a player. 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 club's playing style was changed to a more attacking strategy, even though Laudrup decided to fully concentrate his efforts as a player after only a year. After winning promotion in 1974, Laudrup left Brøndby in the 3rd Division in 1976 to play for KB in the Danish top-flight league (then named the 1st Division) and a year later Michael Laudrup, the brightest talent in Danish football, followed.
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