From the brink of bankruptcy to winning the Eliteserien, local dual coaches and homegrown youth development have fueled Viking FK’s eight-year revival.

Written by Han Bing Vikings are a famous historical symbol in Northern Europe, and on the evening of November 30th, Viking once again became a headline name in Norwegian football and across the country. Thanks to a seven-match winning streak at the season’s end, Viking FK clinched the Eliteserien title by a slim one-point margin over the reigning champions Bodø/Glimt, breaking a 34-year drought.

Viking FK is located in the old city of Stavanger in western Norway, which has fewer than 150,000 residents. Last Sunday evening, as the referee’s whistle blew, Viking fans rushed onto the pitch in wild celebration. The local brewery’s prepared 3,000 liters of beer before the match went entirely to waste. The Stavanger Aftenblad called the celebration at the city square, attended by over 50,000 people, “the grandest carnival in the city’s history.”

For Viking FK, who were still playing in Norway’s second division in 2018, this is an unimaginable miracle. Supported by the region’s thriving oil industry, Viking FK won five league titles in the 1970s but fell into decline after their last championship in 1991. In 2017, Viking FK was relegated and came close to bankruptcy, even mortgaging their stadium to a local bank for debt restructuring. The club was saved thanks to support from the local government, fans, and businesses.

From that point on, Viking embarked on an epic eight-year journey true to their name. The club underwent a complete overhaul, retaining only a few staff members and releasing most high-priced foreign players. Since 2020, CEO Bjøno has stated that although their main sponsor is a local oil company, Viking decided to abandon the era of lavish spending in the transfer market and focus on cultivating local youth talent.

Viking returned to the Eliteserien after just one year and won the Norwegian Cup in their first top-flight season after 18 years. At the end of 2020, the club made another strategic move by promoting two locally developed assistant coaches, Åsheim and Jensen, to head coaches, adopting a rare dual-coach system in European football. Even CEO Bjøno finds the dual-coach setup incredible, but the two complement each other’s personalities, have clear divisions of responsibility, and work seamlessly together. Both share a relentless fighting spirit, making them key contributors to Viking’s championship.

Under the dual coaches’ leadership for five years, Viking finished third in the Eliteserien twice and last season narrowly missed the title on the final day. This season, Viking started strong and won all of their last seven matches without conceding points. The team relies heavily on efficient counterattacks and set-piece goals, especially after set-piece coach Nedrebø joined, significantly improving this aspect. Although Bodø/Glimt scored more goals and conceded fewer, Viking’s consistent ability to secure points ultimately brought them the title.

Viking’s success is built on a solid youth academy foundation and the savvy player market operations led by sports director Neflan. Having played for Viking for many years, Neflan scored twice in 2002 to help Viking defeat Ranieri’s Chelsea and reach the UEFA Cup final. He knows how to build a successful team blending experience and youth. Captain Tripic, who joined Viking when they were in the second division in 2018, has been the team’s offensive core and inspirational leader, recording double-digit goals and assists for three consecutive seasons.

This season, Viking’s transfer market spending was only 1 million euros, one-fifth of Bodø/Glimt’s and less than other top teams like Molde, Rosenborg, and Brann. Their net spending was just 150,000 euros, nearly 1/30th of Bodø/Glimt’s. The true cornerstone of Viking’s championship remains local youth development. CEO Bjøno emphasizes that most players come from Stavanger and surrounding areas: “This creates stronger team cohesion and a sense of belonging. The players’ commitment to Viking is beyond imagination.” Last year, seven academy players made their first-team debuts, and this year Viking promoted nine more youth players to the senior squad.

Among the championship squad’s core players, goalkeeper Østbo, left-back K. Haugen, right-back Heggem, midfielders Hansen and Akskog, and left winger Østbo all came through Viking’s youth system. Of the 27 first-team members, aside from six foreign players, 12 of the remaining 21 are homegrown talents. The attack mainly depends on Danish striker Christensen (18 goals, 5 assists) and Croatian winger Tripic (11 goals, 18 assists), but youth products Østbo (7 goals, 7 assists), Akskog (6 goals, 5 assists), and midfielder Hansen (3 goals, 5 assists) also delivered impressive stats and have established themselves as starters at a young age.

Winning the championship means Viking qualifies for next season’s UEFA Champions League, guaranteeing at least 40 million euros in prize money. However, CEO Bjøno has stated that most of this will be reinvested in youth development to give more local Stavanger kids better training opportunities and a bigger platform to prove themselves.