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User:Bring back Daz Sampson/Professionalism in Norwegian football

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Professional sport developed more slowly in Norway than in most other European nations, partly due to the Nordic culture's preference for amateurism in sports. Semi-professional football was legalised in Norway from 1984, and full-time professionalism from 1991.[1][2]

Club

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Strømsgodset Toppfotball's 11–0 defeat at Liverpool in the 1974–75 European Cup Winners' Cup was reported in the Liverpool Echo as "an 11-0 massacre of the hopeless and hapless Norwegian part-timers from Strømsgodset".[3] In the previous season's Uefa Cup defeat by Leeds United, Strømsgodset's "amateur side included a five foot seven inch postman goalkeeper, office workers, a draughtsman, mechanic and lumberjack."[4]

When Manchester United played a friendly against Rosenborg BK in August 1977, the Daily Mirror reported that the new United manager Dave Sexton "is certain to experiment against the part-timers".[5]

Steve Paterson was invited to sign for top tier Norwegian club Bryne FK in 1981: "It was a part-time club and I was to be given a job as a wireless operator, for some reason. They insisted the job was crucial as it was the only way I could get a work permit."[6]

Recalling his club's 1986–87 European Cup match against Rosenborg, Linfield manager David Jeffrey described the professional status of his opponents:[7]

The Rosenborg team which defeated Blackburn Rovers 2–1 in the 1995–96 UEFA Champions League were part-timers. The winning goal was scored by carpenter Ståle Stensaas.[8] Rosenborg remained part-time when they reached the quarter-finals of the following season's competition.[9] When centre-forward Harald Brattbakk joined Celtic for £2 million in December 1997 he gave up his job as a loan broker to turn full-time.[10]

In October 1997, part-timers Tromsø IL beat Chelsea 3–2 in the first leg of their 1997–98 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup tie.[11] Strømsgodset remained part-time in 1998 when they were beaten by Aston Villa in the 1998–99 UEFA Cup.[12]

In 1999, Kevin Twaddle joined Lyn Fotball on trial but rejected a lucrative two-year contract offer from the Oslo-based club: "The money was really good, but the funny thing was that Lyn were only part-time. They didn't have any full-time players. Very few of Norway's top teams were full time. They only trained three nights a week, but all the boys were still mega-fit."[13]

In the 2000 Tippeligaen, Rosenborg had five contracted full-time professional players, eight students, six with part-time jobs and one player in the military.[14] In October 2002 part-timers Viking FK eliminated Chelsea from the 2002–03 UEFA Cup.[15] The Daily Mirror described the Rosenborg team who drew 1–1 at Chelsea in the 2007–08 UEFA Champions League as a "bunch of part-timers".[16]

As wage budgets reduced in the Early 2000s recession, there was a move back towards part-time professionalism in the 2003 Tippeligaen as clubs employed increasing numbers of players on semi-professional contracts.[17]

By the 2010 Tippeligaen, 80% of the 372 participating players were full-time professional footballers. The Norwegian Players' Association called the development "frightening" and preferred players to combine their football careers with higher education.[18]

Teacher and aspiring actor Morten Eriksen played Tippeligaen football for Sandnes Ulf in 2012: "I actually could not imagine being a full-time football player. That's not my thing."[19] Sarpsborg 08 FF were promoted to the Tippeligaen in 2013 but decided to remain semi-professional, allowing players to combine their football with other employment and education.[20]

It was reported by the South China Morning Post that Ranheim Fotball were the only part-time team competing in the 2019 Eliteserien.[21] Ranheim had "taken the Eliteserien by storm" in 2018, finishing in seventh place despite not having any full-time footballers and several players with full-time jobs outside football.[22]

National team

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When the Norway national football team beat Northern Ireland 2–1 in a September 1974 UEFA Euro 1976 qualifying Group 3 fixture, Malcolm Brodie's report in the Belfast Telegraph described "the humiliation by a team of part-timers".[23]

Norway shocked England in the 1982 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 4 competition in September 1981. Defender Einar Jan Aas praised the contribution of his part-time teammates: "To me, the view that part-timers aren't as fit or as strong as full-time pro's is something of a fallacy. Half a dozen of Norway's players against England have jobs outside football, but they still have plenty of scope to devote as much time to the game as their English League counterparts."[24]

References

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  1. ^ Telseth, Frode; Halldorsson, Vidar (1 November 2017). "The success culture of Nordic football: the cases of the national men's teams of Norway in the 1990s and Iceland in the 2010s" (PDF). Sport in Society. Taylor Routledge: 2. doi:10.1080/17430437.2017.1390928. Retrieved 18 January 2021. In Norway, football became professional in 1991, after being semi-professional from 1984.
  2. ^ Gammelsaeter, Hallgeir (May 2009). "The organization of professional football in Scandinavia". Soccer and Society. doi:10.1080/14660970902771373. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  3. ^ Charters, Michael (18 September 1974). "What a night! Eleven goals smash record". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  4. ^ "Stromsgodset Idrettsforening". Oz White. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  5. ^ Russell, Bob (3 August 1977). "Places up for grabs, Sexton". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  6. ^ Paterson, Steve (2010). Confessions Of A Highland Hero. Birlinn Ltd. ISBN 978-1841589169.
  7. ^ Holt, Chris (22 June 2010). "Linfield dealt a tough hand, insists Jeffrey". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  8. ^ "Late strike wrecks hope of a Blackburn revival". Aberdeen Press and Journal. 28 September 1995. Retrieved 16 January 2021. The Scandinavian part-timers missed a penalty, hit the post, and forced a string of magnificent saves from Tim Flowers before killing off Ray Hartford's team.
  9. ^ "Humble pie for Juventus". Irish Independent. 6 March 1997. Retrieved 16 January 2021. But it proved anything but easy for the holders who, without star strikers Alessandro del Piero and Alen Boksic, struggled against the powerful part-timers.
  10. ^ Palmer, Bryn (12 December 1997). "Parkhead move heralds a new era for Harald". Aberdeen Evening Express. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  11. ^ "Chelsea frozen out". BBC Sport. 24 October 1997. Retrieved 16 January 2021. Chelsea were beaten 3-2 in the first leg of their European Cup Winners' Cup tie against Tromso - a team of part-timers from Norway.
  12. ^ Shaw, Phil (15 September 1998). "Football: Vassell's timely entrance for Villa". The Independent. Retrieved 17 January 2021. Stromsgodset, a team of part-timers from the fishing port of Drammen.
  13. ^ Twaddle, Kevin. Life on the Line. Black & White Publishing. p. 61.
  14. ^ McDermott, Gerry (10 January 2000). "Norway blueprint for Irish soccer". Irish Independent. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  15. ^ "Chelsea slip up in Stavanger". UEFA. 3 October 2002. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  16. ^ Lipton, Martin (19 September 2007). "Chelsea 1-1 Rosenborg: Mourinho's millionaires disappoint against team of average part-timers". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 16 January 2021. For #500million, the Chelsea owner expects more than a draw with a bunch of part-timers. And Mourinho will have been told that in no uncertain terms.
  17. ^ "Ønsker deltidsproffer" (in Norwegian). Dagens Perspektiv. 24 April 2003. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  18. ^ "8 av 10 mangler høyere utdanning" (in Norwegian). NRK. 8 June 2010. Retrieved 21 February 2021. 80 prosent av spillerne i eliteserien spiller fotball på heltid.
  19. ^ Raaen, Line (31 October 2011). "Fersk eliteseriespiller headhuntet til Shakespeare-rolle" (in Norwegian). Romsdals Budstikke. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  20. ^ Rosted, Ole-Morten (29 November 2012). "Ikke fotball på heltid for 08-spillerne" (in Norwegian). Sarpsborg Arbeiderblad. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  21. ^ Mitten, Andy (30 September 2019). "The struggles of following a Norwegian league club symptomatic of English Premier League's hold over much of Europe". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  22. ^ Moen Rye, Jonas (1 September 2018). "Branns nykommer om forskjellen fra livet som «semiproff»: – helt andre betingelser" (in Norwegian). Eurosport. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  23. ^ Brodie, Malcolm (5 September 1974). "Night of shame for N. Ireland: Disgrace to green jersey". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  24. ^ "England still in with a chance - says Einar Aas of Forest and Norway". Liverpool Echo. 19 September 1981. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
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