The current stadium was opened in 1955, and is very smart in terms of Danish stadiums. It has a two tier main stand, with a small row of executive boxes sandwiched in the middle. Opposite this stand is a small covered stand, with both ends being open terraces. The stadium sits close to the coast, to the northwest of the town centre. The stadium went through a further redevelopment programme in the mid 1990’s which saw the seating put into the main stand, taking the capacity to the current 14,500. The stadium is one of the smallest in the Danish Superliga.
Who Plays There? After a period in the wilderness of the lower leagues, EFB has returned to the top division. It all seems like an eternity ago that the team from the west coast were the undisputed kings of Danish football. Between 1961 and 1965, the club won four Danish championships and the Danish Cup in 1964.
The club were formed in 1898 under the name of Esbjerg Boldklub, and made its first appearance in the Jutland leagues in the season 1899-90. In 1923 they merged with Esbjerg Amatør club to form the team that we know today. Four years later they won their first major honour, the Jutland Championship, and followed this up with appearances in the club final in 1927 and 1928. They gained promotion to the national league in 1931, finishing 5th in 1935 to record their best ever position.
After the end of the Second World War the club recommenced its fight in the top division, narrowly avoiding relegation on a number of occasions. In 1955 they moved to their present ground, the Idraetspark. A year later they recorded their best ever finish, ending the season as runners up to AGF Aarhus. However, the team was rebuilt in the latter years of the 1950’s leading to the five years of glory.
The golden period ended abruptly in 1969 when they were relegated to the second division, and then again to the third division in 1972. The team was completely dismantled and rebuilt between 1972 and 1974 which resulted in back to back promotions into the First Division in time for the 1976 season. That year the team won the Danish Cup for the second time. A year later the team finished 3rd in the Danish Championship, and just 12 months later they ran champions Vejle close before finishing 2nd. However, they put the set back behind them in 1977 by winning the title for the 5th time in their history. This was to be the last title the team won, and their fortunes both on and off the pitch went into decline.
In 1986 the team were relegated back to the second division, and filed for bankruptcy with crippling debts. A decade of financial struggle ensued, with the club unable to rise out of the second level. However in 1998 the club appointed Viggo Jensen as head coach, who immediately made changes on the pitch. In 2001 the team finished 7th in the top division, marking their return to the big time. In 2003 the team replaced Jensen with Ove Pedersen who took the team to 5th place in the league in 2003, and then a third place finish (and a UEFA Cup spot) in 2004. In 2004/05 the team repeated the feat, and again qualified for the UEFA Cup – beating FC Flora Tallinn 8-1 on aggregate before losing to the Norwegian’s Tromso on penalties in the 2nd qualifying round.
In January 2006 Pedersen was replaced by Troels Bech after a poor start to the season – the team went into the winter break over 20 points behind Brøndby in 2nd place, and only 7 points off the drop zone. However, they picked up after Christmas and eventually finished the season in 6th place. The club also reached their 7th Danish Cup final where they surprisingly lost 1-0 to Randers in the Parken, after a fantastic 2-legged Semi Final victory of Brøndby. This season the team have started well, although the poor performance of the bottom two has meant that relegation has almost been assured for Vejle and Silkeborg. Their current position of 6th should see them gain confidence to try and push on into 4th place and a spot in the UEFA Cup again.
How to get to the Idraetspark The stadium is located around 2km out of the town centre. On a nice sunny day the walk is very pleasant. Head westward out of the town centre along Strandbygade until you reach the roundabout with Gl Bardevej and turn right. Follow this road northwards, in-between the parks of Stranskoven and Vognbølparken. Just after the junction with Parkvej the stadium will be visible on the left hand side. If you feel like letting public transport take the strain then catch bus number 4 in the direction of Umanakparken to Gjesing Nord.
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How to get a ticket for the Idraetspark It has been quite along time since any game at the Idraetspark has come near to selling out. Even the visit of Denmark’s top team FC Kobenhavn fails to have the locals flooding to the stadium. The average attendance this season is just over the 2,000 mark. A ticket for the main stand will cost 100Dkr, and a place on the open terrace will be 80Dkr.
Around the Idraetspark The stadium is located in the green parks of Idraets, with little around in terms of hospitality. There is a small supporter’s bar at the ground and any visiting fans from the UK are always made more than welcome.
Ryanair currently fly to this tiny airport just outside the town centre. Bus number 9 leaves the airport at regular intervals during the day, and travels to the main train station. The trip takes around 20 minutes and costs less than 20Kr. A taxi would take around 10 minutes and cost 100Kr. There is also a bus direct to Billund Legoland – bus 44 runs at least hourly and takes around 80 minutes. British Midland also have a daily flight (bar Saturday’s) into Esbjerg from Aberdeen.
The Stadium – Idraetspark 