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Viborg FF

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Viborg
Full nameViborg Fodsports Forening
NicknameDe Grønne (the Greens)[1]
Short nameVFF
Founded1 April 1896; 130 years ago (1896-04-01)
GroundEnergi Viborg Arena
Capacity10,000
Coordinates56°27′21″N 9°24′7″E / 56.45583°N 9.40194°E / 56.45583; 9.40194
Owners
  • Better Holding 2012 A/S
  • Reedtz Football ApS
  • Green Heart Capital ApS
ChairmanKim Nielsen
Head coachNickolai Lund
LeagueDanish Superliga
2025–26Superliga, 5th of 12
Websitevff.dk
Current season

Viborg Fodsports Forening (lit. 'Viborg Footsport Association'), also referred to as Viborg FF or simply VFF, is a Danish association football club based in the Central Jutland city of Viborg. The club currently competes in the Danish Superliga, the highest league of the Danish football league system. Nicknamed De Grønne, the club was founded on 1 April 1896. As of the end of their 2025–26 season, the club's only trophies are the 1999–2000 Danish Cup and the 2000 Danish Super Cup.

After originally playing their football matches at Eksercerpladsen, Viborg moved into their current stadium, Energi Viborg Arena, in 1931. Following the stadium's reconstruction in the early 2000s, the current capacity is 10,000.

History

[edit]
Viborg performance from 1930 to 2024

Viborg Fodsports Forening was established on 1 April 1896.[2] The club originally encompassed several sports, including cricket, gymnastics, boxing, and others. Football was not initially a sport included within the club; however, the club won Mesterrækken in 1924, which was highest football league on the Jutland peninsula in Denmark at the time.[3] By 1929, as other sports had separated into other independent organisations, football remained as the club's only sport.[2] For the following decades, Viborg FF competed in the regional Danish leagues before finally reaching the national divisions in 1959, when it qualified for the 4th division after several unsuccessful attempts.[2] Erik Bundgaard was one player involved in the club's achievement, and his 421 matches played for the club were a record until 2008, when Jakob Glerup surpassed his mark.[2]

During the early 1970s, Viborg FF was relegated from the national divisions to the Danmarksserien, but returned to the national divisions in 1974.[2][4] Since this time, the club has stayed within the national divisions of the Danish football pyramid.[5] After a series of promotions, Viborg reached the Danish 1st Division in 1980, which was then the highest division in Danish football.[6] After only one season, the club were relegated to the 2nd Division and would not return to the 1st Division until 1989.[7] After several years of progress and investing in their youth football programs, Viborg returned to the top level in 1993, gaining promotion to the newly established Danish Superliga, which had been created in 1991.[5][6] Once again, however, the club were relegated after only one season. In 1995, the club again returned to the Superliga where they would remain for more than a decade.[8][9]

Viborg FF's highest achievement came during the 1999–2000 Danish Cup. With a 1–0 victory over AaB in the final, the club won the biggest football tournament in the country.[10] The club was given the opportunity to play in the Danish Super Cup in the season following their cup win, defeating Herfølge BK on penalties.[11] The club received an invitation to the UEFA Cup for the 2000–01 tournament, marking their participation in continental football for the first time in the club's history. Their participation would be short-lived however, as they were eliminated in the second round by Spanish club Rayo Vallecano.[12] The same season, the club established full-time professional contracts for all its playing staff.[2] By 2002, Viborg FF had fully established a youth academy of their own in FK Viborg.[13]

While Viborg FF continued to enjoy varying degrees of success in the years after, including a 4th place finish in 2005–06, the club was once again relegated in the spring of 2008. After several more years in the 1st Division, the club became a yo-yo club for the next several years with two promotions and two more relegations between the 2012–13 and the 2016–17 seasons. The club captured their fourth 1st Division title during the 2020–21 season and once more returned to the Superliga. Their first season back in the Superliga proved to be successful as the club reached the UEFA Conference League, after defeating AaB in a European play-off match. The club advanced to the play-off round following victories over Lithuan club FK Sūduva[12] and Faroese-side B36 Tórshavn,[14] before losing 6–1 on aggregate to eventual-tournament winner West Ham United.[15] As of the 2026–27 season, the club remains in the top-flight.

Stadium

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The interior of Energi Viborg Arena in 2025

Viborg plays its home matches at Viborg Stadium, known as Energi Viborg Arena since 2011 due to sponsorship.[16] Originally built in 1931, the stadium was demolished and rebuilt in 2001[17] at a cost of 62.1 million Danish kroner (93.8 million DKK in 2023).[18] The stadium has a capacity of 10,000, of which 9,566 is seated. The seats are divided in multiple sections with the eastern stand having the highest capacity at 2,792 seats, and the southern stand with the lowest capacity at 2,040 seats. The pitch size is the same dimensions as the national stadium at 105 metres (115 yd) long and 68 metres (74 yd) wide.[19] UEFA, the governing body of football in Europe, has approved the stadium for international use, and the stadium is also home to the Danish women's national football team. The men's national team has also played select matches at the ground.[20]

Viborg Stadium itself is part of the Viborg Stadion Center and is owned by the Viborg Municipality.[17]

Supporters

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Supporters of Viborg FF at a match in August 2025

Viborg FF has no official Fanclub. A former official Fanclub is The Green Pride.[21] It closed in June 2024 however.[22] The first ultra group was established in 2002, when a group of young adults established Fanatikos.[21] In 2004 a new group, Shamrock Ultras, was created.[21]

Viborg's primary rivalry is with FC Midtjylland, in a game frequently called hadets opgør (transl. Showdown of Hatred) or det midtjyske derby (transl. Mid-Jutland Derby).[23] Viborg fans frequently refer to Midtjylland as FC Vestjylland (FC Western Jutland).[23][24] One former Viborg captain, Thomas Frandsen, transferred to Midtjylland and his home was subsequently vandalised.[25]

Players

[edit]

First-team squad

[edit]
As of 3 September 2026[26]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK  DEN Lucas Lund
2 DF  TUN Mohamed Iyadh Riahi
3 DF  ISL Valgeir Lunddal Friðriksson
4 DF  DEN Lukas Kirkegaard
5 DF  SLO Žan Zaletel
6 MF  DEN Mads Søndergaard
7 FW  FRA Yonis Njoh
8 MF  DEN Asker Beck
9 FW  NED Tim Freriks
10 FW  DEN Sami Jalal
11 FW  DEN Charly Nouck
13 MF  DEN Jeppe Grønning (captain)
18 MF  NOR Ruben Alte (on loan from Viking)
No. Pos. Nation Player
19 FW  GEQ Dorian Jr.
20 GK  DEN Kasper Kiilerich
23 DF  DEN Oliver Bundgaard
24 DF  KEN Daniel Anyembe
25 FW  BRA Giulio Gabriel da Silva
26 DF  DEN Hjalte Bidstrup
28 MF  CIV Lasso Coulibaly (on loan from Auxerre)
29 FW  TTO Roald Mitchell (on loan from New York Red Bulls)
33 MF  DEN Frederik Damkjer
34 MF  DEN Philip Keller
36 FW  DEN Adam Kleis-Kristoffersen
38 DF  DEN Emil Monrad

Out on loan

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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
4 MF  NED Mees Hoedemakers (at Almere City FC until 16 June 2027)
17 FW  DEN Osman Addo (at Helsingborgs until 1 January 2027)
21 MF  FRA Bilal Brahimi (at Pau FC until 16 January 2027)

Retired numbers

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Academy

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Forenede Klubber i Viborg (English: United Clubs in Viborg), more commonly known as FK Viborg, was the youth academy of Viborg FF. FK Viborg consists of several youth teams ranging from under-12 to under-16. It was founded in 2002 as a collaborative effort between Viborg FF, Overlund GF, Viborg B67, Viborg Søndermarken IK, Viborg Nørremarken and Houlkær IF's best youth teams.[27] The under-17 and under-19 teams, previously under FK Viborg, now operate under Viborg FF instead.[2]

Managerial history

[edit]

Honours

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League

[edit]

Cup

[edit]

European record

[edit]
Season Competition Round Opponent Home Away Aggregate Ref.
2000–01 UEFA Cup First round Russia CSKA Moscow 0–0 1–0 (a.e.t.) 1–0 (a.e.t.) [29][30]
Second round Spain Rayo Vallecano 0–1 2–1 2–2 (a) [31][32]
2022–23 UEFA Europa Conference League Second qualifying round Lithuania Sūduva 1–0 1–0 2–0 [33][34]
Third qualifying round Faroe Islands B36 Tórshavn 3–0 2–1 5–1 [35][36]
Play-off round England West Ham United 0–3 1–3 1–6 [15]

See also

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References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Klub: Viborg F.F." Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Viborg FF's historie" (in Danish). Viborg FF. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  3. ↑ Danske byer og sogne: Historiske og personalhistoriske oplysninger om land og by (PDF). Vol. 11. Vort Lands Forlag, København E. 1934. p. 126.
  4. ↑ "1.Division 1971". Hjemmeside billigt (in Croatian). Retrieved 9 August 2026.
  5. 1 2 "Viborg FF". Fodbold i Danmark (in Danish). 2 February 2026. Retrieved 9 August 2026.
  6. 1 2 Rasmussen, Søren Hein (5 March 2012). "Sporten professionaliseres – Gyldendal og Politikens Danmarkshistorie" (in Danish). Lex. Retrieved 9 August 2026.
  7. ↑ "Kampdagsstatus: Første akt i pokalkvartfinalerne". Vejle Boldklub (in Danish). Retrieved 9 August 2026.
  8. ↑ "Viborg FF, serier i superligaen". SuperStats. 5 November 2000. Retrieved 9 August 2026.
  9. ↑ Jensen, Kenneth (22 June 2020). "Se listen: Silkeborg er Superligaens nedrykningskonger" (in Danish). Tipsbladet. Retrieved 9 August 2026.
  10. ↑ "Danish Cup Winners 1955–2008" (in Danish). Danish Football Association. Archived from the original on 2 May 2009. Retrieved 30 April 2009.
  11. ↑ "Denmark – List of Super Cup Finals". RSSSF. Retrieved 9 August 2026.
  12. 1 2 "Viborg FF v West Ham United – All You Need To Know". West Ham United. 24 August 2022. Archived from the original on 3 June 2023. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  13. ↑ "Ben Davies: How Viborg stint made Wales defender an unlikely cult figure in Denmark ahead of Euro 2020 clash". iNews. 26 June 2021. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  14. ↑ "VFF spillede sig videre i Tórshavn" (in Danish). VFF. 9 August 2022. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  15. 1 2 "Viborg 0–3 West Ham (agg: 1–6): Hammers reach Europa Conference League group stage". BBC. 25 August 2022. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  16. ↑ "Viborg Stadion bliver til Energi Viborg Arena" (in Danish). Viborg Stifts Folkeblad. 14 October 2011. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  17. 1 2 Møller, Dan Ersted (5 July 2005). "Viborgs historie – Historier – Sportens by". www.viborghistorie.dk (in Danish). Lokalhistorisk Arkiv for Viborg Kommune, Viborg Centralbibliotek, Viborg Stiftsmuseum. Archived from the original on 9 January 2017. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  18. ↑ "Inflation calculator". Statistics Denmark. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  19. ↑ "Stadionoversigt". Viborg FF. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  20. ↑ "9180 tilskuere så Danmark vinde i Viborg" (in Danish). Viborg Stifts Folkeblad. 8 June 2015. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  21. 1 2 3 "Viborg Ultras" (PDF). Fanzine (in Danish) (1 ed.). Gerner Smidt. 12 March 2006. p. 4. Retrieved 9 November 2025.
  22. ↑ Thomas Mielcke (30 June 2024). "Engang var den Viborg FF's største fanklub – nu er den truet af lukning". Viborg Folkeblad (in Danish). Retrieved 9 November 2025.
  23. 1 2 Christiansen, Casper Helweg (18 July 2015). "Mestrene åbner sæsonen med 'hadets opgør'". DR (in Danish). Retrieved 18 July 2026.
  24. ↑ Nelausen, Raymund (2 October 2022). "Lössl om VFF-stikpiller: For fanden, vi ligger jo mest vestpå". Bold (in Danish). Retrieved 18 July 2026.
  25. ↑ "Thomas Frandsen frafalder sigtelse mod fans". Tipsbladet (in Danish). 31 December 2004. Retrieved 18 July 2026.
  26. ↑ "Truppen" (in Danish). Viborg FF. Retrieved 3 September 2026.
  27. ↑ "FK Viborg" (in Danish). Danish Football Association. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
  28. ↑ "Trænerkontract" [Manager contract] (Document). Viborg, Denmark: Viborg Fodsports Forening. 22 April 1957. 1. Engagement tiltrædes 1. juni 1957
  29. ↑ "History: CSKA Moskva 0–0 Viborg". UEFA.com. Retrieved 9 August 2026.
  30. ↑ "History: Viborg 1–0 CSKA Moskva". UEFA.com. Retrieved 9 August 2026.
  31. ↑ "History: Rayo Vallecano 1–0 Viborg". UEFA.com. Retrieved 9 August 2026.
  32. ↑ "History: Viborg 2–1 Rayo Vallecano". UEFA.com. Retrieved 9 August 2026.
  33. ↑ "History: Sūduva 0–1 Viborg". UEFA.com. Retrieved 9 August 2026.
  34. ↑ "History: Viborg 1–0 Sūduva". UEFA.com. Retrieved 9 August 2026.
  35. ↑ "History: Viborg 3–0 B36 Tórshavn". UEFA.com. Retrieved 9 August 2026.
  36. ↑ "History: B36 Tórshavn 1–2 Viborg". UEFA.com. Retrieved 9 August 2026.
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