Interview with Eirik Kvarv:

Eirik Kvarv is one of the founders, and currently plays in, Fotballklubben Ild, which is a division 6 league (level 7). In this interview, Eirik shares some information about football (soccer) in Norway, recreational leagues, and how you can get involved.

In Norway, football is the most popular summer sport. Other popular sports in the country include skiing, biathlon (cross-country skiing/rifle shooting), football and handball. Eirik likes football because it is by far the “most fun way to stay in shape.” He says he hates to run with no purpose, which he assures me they don’t do in practice.  “I can run a lot more if I have a ball to run after,” he tells me. You also make a lot of friends playing football, he says, so the social aspect is important.



Three out of four Norwegian children regularly participate in some sport. Over 40% of adults say they engage in regular physical activity. Eirik grew up playing football since he was 7. Eirik is originally from Øystese, at Hardangerfjord in Kvam municipality. He moved to Stavanger 10 years ago to attend MI (now NKF, Norges Kreative Fagskole) and has been in Stavanger ever since.

Eirik Kvarv

All sports in Norway are held outside of school (aside from gym class); there are no high-school teams. When you are less than 16 you are grouped into teams by age and not ability. From ages 16-20, in junior leagues, you begin to be grouped by ability level. Senior leagues are also grouped by ability.

Like most kids in Norway, Eirik also played football outside of the leagues. The house he grew up in was next to a football field and they were also lucky enough to have a fairly large yard. In the winter season they went skiing instead, as they didn’t have artificial fields 20 years ago.

Football in Norway

The Football Association of Norway was founded in 1902.  The first international match took place here in 1908. There are approximately 25,000 registered teams in the country (8.5% of the population).

The national football league system, administered by the national football association, is organized in nine levels. Tippeligaen is the highest level and has 16 clubs. Adeccoligaen is the second level and also has 16 clubs. In the third level (division 2) there are four groups, each with 14 clubs. In the fourth level (Division 3) there are 12 groups from each fylke (Rogaland, etc.) with 12 to 14 clubs each. Levels five through nine (Division 4-8) are regional divisions and are administered by regional football associations. In Rogaland there are four leagues in division 6, with approximately ten teams in each league playing each other. The top two play in division 5 next year and the bottom two go to division 7.
The best team in Norway by far is Rosenborg (whom Eirik dislikes) from Trondheim (they have been one of the best teams for the last 20 years). Right now, Norway’s national team is ranked as 12th in the world. Three years ago they were closer to 50th. Once in the 1990s they were ranked as second in the world behind Brazil, but this team has never won anything other than a bronze medal in the 1936 Olympics. The Norwegian team has qualified for two world championships.

Viking Fotballklubb

Viking Fotballklubb (called “Viking”, “Viking Stavanger” or “De mørkeblå”–the dark blues) is Stavanger’s professional football club (in Tippeligaen). They play in Viking Stadion in Stavanger. The club was founded in 1899.

Viking Stavanger

Fotballklubben Ild

Eirik plays in Fotballklubben Ild which is a division 6 league (level 7). Eirik and the other founders started the team (officially) Nov 13 2007. The first season was 2008. They are looking forward to a good fourth season.  The team originally started at division 7 (new teams start at the bottom) and was upgraded to division 6 in 2009.



There are about 40 people in Football Klubben Ild, but they never all show up at the same time. The most people the club has had at one practice is 24.Usually practices have only 15 to 20 people (11 play at one time in a match).

Practice is held two times per week during the football season (from April through the beginning of October). The team practices at Storhaug Midjord , usually for 1.5 hrs each time. In the off-season, the team continues its practices, though less frequently.



Matches are held once a week, usually on Tuesdays. The team is allowed to substitute players during a game so everyone can have a chance to play. There is a clear “just-for-fun attitude”; if you participate, you will have a chance to play. If there is a match on a Friday or Saturday, the team usually goes out to town together afterwards. The team also hosts parties four times per year. The players do various activities together to raise money to support the team, such as painting a house or throwing an event.



At a normal practice the team warms up for 15 or 20 minutes. The players make a square with orange cones (firkant) with one player in each corner and two in the middle. The four corner-players pass the ball around and the ones in the middle try to steal the ball (keep-away). For the rest of the practice, they usually just play simulated matches.



There are currently players on Fotballklubben Ild from all over, including Norway, Sweden, England, Germany, Brazil, Chile, etc., and they would welcome new additions to the team. There are no official tryouts at level 6, but there is a fee (1.500,- a year) to cover team expenses like hiring referees for matches. To “try out,” you need to show up to practice.  Basically you are allowed to assess your own level to see where you feel comfortable playing. Some people just go to practices but don’t participate in the matches.

The team uniforms are black with some red. There is currently no mascot, but Eirik says that he is willing to accept applications for this position.



Fotballklubben Ild can be found on the web at: http://www.fk-ild.no/

The team also has a Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/fk.ild

If you are interested in coming to a practice send an email to post@fk-ild.no. Practice will be canceled for snow, but as long as the weather is ok there will be practice.

Click here for a list of all football clubs in Rogaland.