History
Foundation and early years (1926–1946)
Prior to 1937, the club did not keep any records, therefore there is limited information available about the early years of the club's history. Private matches were the only fixtures played until 1929, when Bryne's first official match was played against neighbouring club Klepp, ending in a 4–4 draw.
Bryne played their home matches on various pastures in the Jæren area from their formation, with grazing conditions determining the location of the fields used. The majority of the 1930s and early 1940s were spent playing on a small, rented field next to Bryne Mill, before acquiring the site of their current home ground, Bryne Stadion, at the end of the 1930s. After years of playing on borrowed fields, the club built its own stadium in 1945. At the time of its inauguration in September 1946, the stadium's grass pitch was one of the largest in the country and a far cry from the dimensions of the Bryne Mill field, which measured only 85x55 meters.[2]
In 1937, the team became district champions by defeating Vard Haugesund 3–1 in the final. Players from this time included Leonard Lura, the brothers Sigurd, Ingvar, and Bjarne Løge, Kåre Hansen, and Bjarne Thu.
During World War II, football was put on hold, although some illegal matches were played. After the war, Bryne would experience sporting success. In 1946, the junior team became champions of Western Norway by defeating Pallas 2–1 in Bergen. The core of this junior team would form the senior team for many years to come. Players from this era included Laurits B. and Odd H. Sirevaag, Karl Vaaland, Martin and Kåre Thu. Laurits B. Sirevaag, in particular, was an important player.[3]
Local league and rise to national top tier (1949–1975)
In 1949, Bryne won the local third tier and was promoted to the local second tier. The promotion to the local first tier came in 1964 after the club had come close on several occasions. Players from this time included Kjell Lura, Kristian Hamre, Olav Sigbjørnsen, Gaute Skrudland, Per Undheim, Tor Jan Skretting, Aasbjørn Aasland, Reidar Omdal, Torbjørn Reime, Magnus Grødem, Bjarne Undheim, and Johannes Vold. Since then, Bryne has belonged to the middle and top level of Norwegian football.
In the early 1970s, Bryne were relegated down to the third division for a season and the team had to undergo a renewal. A good youth team had emerged, becoming county champions by beating Sola 10–1 in the final. Many of these young players would come to play a central role just a few years later, with many forming the core of the team that secured promotion to the top division in 1975.
Bryne had come close to promotion to the national first division on several occasions but stumbled at the finish line. The goal ahead of the 1975 season was undoubtedly direct promotion to the first division. Gustav Hult returned as coach. The amount of training was increased from 3 sessions per week to four, and money was set aside for a training camp for the players and their families in the summer. The club had strengthened the team with 3 new players. Charles Tjessem from Figgjo, Arild Aadnesen from Nærbø, and Nils Steinsland from Orre. In addition, three junior players had been promoted to the first team. Kjell Tjåland, Gunnar Orre, and Jan Øvernes.
The season started with victories against Ålesund, Frigg, and Lyn. Bryne led the league with 16 points at the halfway point of the season. Vard Haugesund with Arne Larsen Økland and Rune Ottesen on the team followed with 13 points while Steinkjer had 12 points. Vard Haugesund and Lyn had gone from win to win and were close behind Bryne in the table with only two matches left. In the penultimate round of the league, Bryne would face Vard Haugesund at Haugesund Stadium. Bryne led by one point and the match was a pure promotion final. There were over 12,000 spectators present at the game. Bryne eventually won the match 1–0 after a header from Nils Steinsland midway through the first half.
The season ended the following weekend at home against Hødd. Bryne won the match 3–0. In 18 games, Bryne had won with 32 points. The team had taken 15 wins, played 2 draws, and only suffered one loss. The goal difference was 41–10. Vard Haugesund came second with 29 points and also promoted through qualification matches.[3]
Years in top tier and cup win (1976–1987)
Bryne had a successful run in the 1970s and 1980s. In the first season of the top division in 1976, Gustav Hult served as coach and managed to keep the team in the league, finishing 9th. The following three seasons were led by Kjell Schou-Andreassen, who had previously achieved success with Viking and as a national team coach. Under his leadership, Bryne steadily improved and finished in 4th place in the league in 1979, just two points behind the bronze medal position.
In 1980, Englishman Brian Green took over as coach and brought with him a new training and football philosophy that emphasized lighter training sessions and more ball play. He led Bryne to two silver medals in the league in 1980 and 1982 and subsequent European Cup appearances. While Green played a significant role in these successes, it was built upon the foundation laid by Schou-Andreassen in the previous years.
In 1983, Kent Karlsson from Sweden took over as coach and led the team for three seasons, achieving a 4th place finish in the league in 1984.
Before the 1986 season, Bjarne Berntsen was appointed as the new coach on a long-term contract. In his first year, Bryne finished 6th in the league and made it to the 4th round of the cup. The following year, the team seemed poised for great success, with three rounds left in the league they were still in contention for the title and had already secured a place in the cup final. However, they faltered in the last few matches and ultimately finished in 5th place behind Moss, Molde, Kongsvinger, and Rosenborg.
After trailing 0–2 against Rosenborg in the semifinals of the cup at Lerkendal, Bryne managed to turn the game in their favor. Bryne eventually won 2–3 and the club was ready for their first cup final.
Their opponent was Brann, and Bryne lost the draw for jersey colors, and had to play with white tops. The game ended 0–0 after regular time. The first extra time was almost over when Bryne defender Kolbjørn Ekker put the ball behind Brann goalkeeper Bjarni Sigurdson. The second extra time ended goalless and Bryne could celebrate the club's first title in its 61-year history.[3]
Relegation from top tier (1988–1998)
1988 turned out to be a disastrous year. The reigning cup champions were knocked out in the third round. There was also relegation from Eliteserien after a qualification match against Start. The match was played at Stavanger Stadion with thousands of Viking fans in the stands dressed in yellow and black, as Bryne Stadium was under renovation. Although Berntsen had a long-term contract, his coaching engagement was terminated after the 1988 season.
In 1989, Arne Larsen Økland was hired as coach, with Trond Sirevåg as assistant coach. Although neither of them had extensive coaching experience, it was expected that with their playing experience and experience from several talented coaches, they would be a good choice. The season was reasonably good, almost earning a qualification spot. The same two continued into the following season, which resulted in a qualification spot, but with a loss to Lillestrøm in the final qualifying match, and remained in the 1. divisjon.
There was now a change of coach, with Kjell Tennfjord being hired. He had coaching experience from the Eliteserien. Trond Sirevåg continued as assistant coach. This duo coached the team in 1991 and 1992, with a qualification spot in 1991 being the best result. However, a loss to Brann in the final and decisive match meant they missed out. In 1993, there was another change of coach, with Gary Goodchild being appointed with Birk Engstrøm as assistant coach. They achieved a qualification spot, but again lost in the final and decisive match away against Strømsgodset. After this season, some key players left. The following season Bryne gained few points, and towards the end of the season they were close to relegation. The coach and assistant coach were replaced, with Trond Sirevåg becoming the head coach and Tor Fosse the assistant coach. The place in the division was saved in the final match against Vidar in Stavanger. Trond Sirevåg continued in 1995 and 1996, the first year with Geir Olsen and Svein Enersen as assistant coaches and the last year with Geir Olsen as assistant coach. The first year was not particularly successful, but in 1996, they achieved a 3rd place, one spot below qualification.
In 1997, it was time for a new foreigner, Kenneth Rosèn was appointed as coach, having experience from a relatively high level both in Sweden and Norway. Rosèn stayed at Bryne until the end of the 2000 season. During his time there, Rosèn achieved good results. The first season was a bit mixed, with the team being close to both the qualifying and relegation places. The second season was a bit better, with the team doing well until August, when they suffered a collapse and ended up in the lower half of the table.[3]
Return to top tier and cup final loss (1999–2001)
1999 was a successful year, with Bryne being promoted to Eliteserien after an absence of 11 years. The spring season was average, but the fall season was better, securing the team a second-place finish in a dramatic match against Lyn at home. The second-place finish gave Bryne direct promotion to Eliteserien. The first season in Eliteserien was challenging for Bryne. The team was expected to lose from the start and throughout the season, but managed to avoid relegation in the last match against Odd at home.
Before the 2001 season, Rosèn left Bryne and Erik Brakstad was hired as the new coach. Brakstad was an experienced coach with good results from Eliteserien, and optimism was high. However, it was a troubled season in many ways, and Brakstad left the club before the halfway point. Assistant coach Hans Olav Frette took over together with former Bryne player Gabriel Høyland, until the Swede Reine Almqvist with coaching experience from both Norway and Sweden was hired. Hans Olav Frette continued as assistant coach.
The season was a struggle, with the club being a bottom team for most of the year. It was not until the last match of the season that they secured a place in the qualification round, and through the qualification, they secured a spot in Eliteserien. However, the team did much better in the cup competition, reaching the final, which they lost 3–0 to Viking.[3]
Return to second tier (2002–2015)
Almqvist continued as coach in 2002 and 2003. The first of these years was good, with a 9th place finish in Eliteserien and reaching the 4th round of the cup. The 2003 season was another disaster, with the team not winning any away matches, finishing last in Eliteserien and being knocked out in the 3rd round of the cup. This meant another relegation from Eliteserien after four seasons.
Hans Olav Frette took over as head coach in 2004 with Asle Andersen and Gabriel Høyland as assistants. The team started with a clean slate and many new local players. They were reasonably satisfied with a 7th place finish in the league and reaching the quarterfinals of the cup. Frette continued as coach with Andersen as assistant in 2005, resulting in a 5th place finish in the league and reaching the 4th round of the cup. After this season, Frette resigned and a new Swede, Magnus Johanson, took over as coach, with Andersen continuing as assistant. He was later replaced by Kenneth Eidsaunet during the season. The season resulted in a 3rd place finish and a qualification round for Eliteserien, as well as reaching the 4th round of the cup. However, they lost both qualification matches against Odd.
The 2007 season did not go as expected. Coach Magnus Johannson resigned after the spring season, and Hans Olav Frette took over. Kenneth Eidsaunet continued as assistant coach. The team ended up in 6th place in the league and reached the 3rd round of the cup.
Before the 2008 season, Rolf Teigen was hired as coach, with Mathias Haugaasen as analyst and assistant, Erik Fuglestad as player developer, and Kurt Hegre as goalkeeper coach. Despite the investment, the season was not successful. The team finished 11th in the league and reached the 3rd place in the cup.
The 2009 season began with the same coaching team. After a poor start with lackluster results (last place) and dull play, the coaching duo of Teigen and Haugaasen were dismissed in May. During a transitional period, the team was led by Trond Sirevåg and Gabriel Høyland. Mons Ivar Mjelde was hired as head coach in August, with Øystein Tveit as assistant coach. After Mons Ivar Mjelde's arrival, the team gained momentum and steadily collected points, eventually finishing in 8th place. In the cup, they were eliminated in the 4th round after beating Viking in a dramatic 3rd round match that was decided on penalties. Mons Ivar Mjelde's role as coach ended after the end of the season.
Before the 2010 season, former Bryne player Tommy Bergersen was hired as head coach, with Erik Fuglestad as assistant coach and Kurt Hegre as goalkeeper coach. Since Bergersen lacked coaching experience in the top divisions and had limited financial resources at his disposal, expectations for the season were not too high. The season started well, but as time went on, the team struggled to collect points. They were in the relegation battle throughout the autumn, but some late wins secured a safe 9th place finish. [3]
Relegation from second tier and return (2016–present)
The 2016 season can be described as extremely turbulent. During this time, the academy player Erling Haaland was promoted to the first team and played 16 games, emerging as a positive contributor to the team's performance. After six points in six games, head coach Gaute Larsen was released from his contract. In came Alf Ingve Berntsen. Berntsen led the team in nine games, during which the team picked up five points. Berntsen resigned and was replaced by Ole Hjelmhaug and assistant coach Even Sel. By that time, the team had played 15 games and had only accumulated 11 points. The summer transfer window offered two solid reinforcements. Bajram Ajeti and Marius Helle resolved what had been the team's Achilles' heel throughout the season, namely scoring goals. In addition, Marius Lode was once again ready to play after being banned for illegal use of methylphenidate.
Despite being written off, Bryne fought to stay in the 1. divisjon until the very end. But when the referee blew the final whistle on the final match of the season on 30 October at home against Fredrikstad, relegation was a fact. For the first time since 1973, Bryne was outside of the elite company of the top two levels of Norwegian football.
Ole Hjelmhaug remained as Bryne coach until the end of the 2018 season, but failed to secure promotion. Ahead of the 2019 season, he was replaced by Jan Halvor Halvorsen, while Even Sel continued as assistant coach. Halvorsen initiated a squad overhaul and implemented a 4-3-3 formation, which led to significant changes in the team's dynamics. However, Bryne's performance in the 2019 season was far from satisfactory, and they ended up in a disappointing 10th place with only 28 points.
The COVID-19 pandemic caused a delay in the 2020 league season, eventually leading to an abbreviated season with a single round-robin system followed by a play-off. Bryne emerged as champions, finishing 7 points clear of the second-place team. They managed to win all their home games, securing their promotion to the second tier after spending four seasons in the third tier. Halvorsen continued as coach for the following season, successfully securing a place in the second tier with a 10th place finish. Upon the expiry of Halvorsen's contract ahead of the 2021 season, Kevin Knappen was appointed as his replacement. [4][5]
Bryne has spent a total of 17 seasons in the top flight of Norwegian football since their debut in 1976. Their longest spell was 13 consecutive top tier seasons, from 1976 until 1988. The club's last period in the top division lasted for four seasons from 2000 until the 2003 season.
