IK Start in the period 1945 -1954

Peace broke out in Norway and Europe on May 8, 1945, and countries that had suffered through five years of war had to be rebuilt.

After World War II, Norwegian football experienced a period of reconstruction and gradual development following five years of occupation and limited organized sports. Organized football was resumed in Norway.

The Norwegian Football Federation (NFF) was re-established as the central organization coordinating football activities, while the Workers’ Sports Federation was dissolved.

The first league started fairly soon, and in the 1945/46 season the 10 best club teams in Vest-Agder, including four workers’ sports clubs, played single matches against each other in a district league. Start finished in third place.

The national top division (Hovedserien) began in 1948 with two groups of eight teams each. The group winners played finals, while the bottom two in each group were relegated to local leagues. The season was played fall/spring.

An overview of how Start placed in the NFF leagues from 1947 can be found here.

The Norwegian Cup resumed in 1945. Start reached the third round, where they lost to Viking, at the same time as Karsten Johannessen made his debut for Start.

Håkon Tveit earned a B-team appearance in 1948, playing South Norway vs. North Norway. Rolf Andresen, known as “the father of Starthallen,” made his debut for Start in 1953 at the age of 32. Karsten Johannessen began the first of a total of six coaching spells in 1954.

Rolf Andresen came from Lyn (Oslo) and saw the need to take measures to improve training attendance, increase the importance of proper match preparation, and eliminate smoking. But such changes were not easy to implement.

The list of Start’s coaches since 1947 can be found here.

Finally, work on the new football pitch began, and Kristiansand Stadion was officially inaugurated on July 11, 1948. More than 4,000 people were present at the opening, which featured a football match played in brilliant summer weather on what Fædrelandsvennen described as “a springy, light surface.”

All of this happened in line with people increasingly seeking togetherness and entertainment.

Changes were made to the club’s organization.
IK Start’s handball department was established in 1946. This marked the entry of women into the club, as they began training in the gymnasium of the old Karl Johans Minne School.

The cabin at Skreros, which had been annexed by the Germans during the war, became a common volunteer project. However, the cabin was later sold by the club in 1968, partly due to a declining interest in volunteer work.

Nevertheless, every third Thursday the club arranged social evenings at Håndverkeren, featuring entertainment and good conversation. The members’ magazine Starteren published its first issue in March 1947, with Jannes Bjørnsen as the first editor. 

Under the headline “Vår avis/Our Newspaper” one could read:
“The question of having our own newspaper for Start has been discussed at length, and now it has become a reality. It should be obvious to everyone that such an organ can be of the greatest value to the club. With its help, the members will remain connected during the time when they are otherwise scattered, namely in the winter and autumn months. For it has never been intended that the newspaper should be published throughout the entire year.”

The first chairman after the war was Finn Hansen. He was followed by Rolf Hafsett (1946), Sverre Tharaldsen (1947), Arthur Bentsen (1948), Per Roksvold (1949, 1950), Thorvald Knudsen (1951, 1952), and Sverre Heidenreich (1953, 1954).

At the meeting of the Senior Council on November 21, 1947, it was unanimously decided to nominate Adolf Arntsen for the club’s gold badge. At the same meeting, the council’s first token of recognition was awarded to Karsten Johannessen.

Internationally: West Germany won the FIFA World Cup, and the European Commission of Human Rights was established in 1954.

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Here is an overview of the final results and standings during this period. Home matches were played at “Idda” and Kristiansand Stadion.

• 1945/46 – District League Vest-Agder: 3rd place – Cup 1945: Round 3

• 1946/47 – 1st Division, District V, Group A: 4th place – Cup 1946: Round 2

• 1947/48 – 1st Division, District V, Group A: 3rd place – Cup 1947: Round 2

• 1948/49 – 1st Division, District V, Group A: 3rd place – Cup 1948: Round 2

• 1949/50 – 1st Division, District V, Group A: 1st place – Cup 1949: Round 1

• 1950/51 – 1st Division, District V, Group A: 2nd place – Cup 1950: Round 3

• 1951/52 – Regional League South/West Norway, Group A: 3rd place – Cup 1951: Round 4

• 1952/53 – Regional League South/West Norway, Group A: 4th place – Cup 1952: Round 2

• 1953/54 – Regional League South/West Norway, Group A: 2nd place – Cup 1953: Round 1

• 1954/55 – Regional League South/West Norway, Group A: 2nd place – Cup 1954: Round 3

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Sources: Start i hundre, Alt om Start in Fædrelandsvennen, nifs.no, Soccerway.com, IK Start annual reports, personal notes, and articles summarizing match results throughout the season