The foundation of IK Start

It was Haakon Frøstrup, Start’s first honorary member, who introduced the sport of football to Kristiansand and thereby to the entire region. As a young man, he had seen the game in England and immediately realized that it was something worth starting up in his hometown.

According to old records, the first football club in Kristiansand was founded under the name Christianssands Fotballklubb on April 29, 1891. It later continued as Ørvarodd, which began in 1899 or 1900 – and which, in 1902 at Gimlemoen, managed to play 0–0 against none other than Odd of Skien. Then came the boys’ club Gyldenløve. It took the initiative to unite with other boys’ clubs, resulting in I.K. Start.

There are few recorded details from the first years. Reinholdt Samuelsen, who had been involved from the very beginning, once remarked:

“We were just boys and didn’t realize that even small things could be important.”

Among those who helped found I.K. Start were:
Arne Johnsen, Gunvald Olsen, Reinholdt Samuelsen, Einar Torjesen, Samuell Bugge, Jørgen Jensen, Emil Torstensen, Ole Tobias Thorstensen, Laurits Larsen, Gustav and Martin Eriksen, Håkon Endresen, Martin Pettersen, Toralf Rødland, Ingemann Rasmussen, Martin Endresen, Rolf Mangnusdal, Einar Kristiansen, Jørg Hagen, Thomas Svendsen, and Engh.

Start played its first away match in 1906 in Mandal, winning 3–1.

We have excerpted a little from a jubilee booklet published for I.K. Start’s 15th anniversary.

Written by: Erling Svendsen

Start was founded on 19 September 1905 and is a significant continuation of the earlier football club with the proud name “Gyldenløwe.”

I should note that “Gyldenløwe” was itself a continuation of “Christianssands Fotbaldclub,” which was founded in the 1880s by Mr. Agent Frøstrup. Mr. Frøstrup had learned to play football in England and had immediately fallen in love with both the sport and the ball.

Start’s first chairman was Aabert Johnsen.

He served as chairman for the first year. That year, no matches were played. However, negotiations had been underway with Flekkefjord Football Club about a match, but these fell through due to Flekkefjord’s unwillingness. The club’s first training ground was on the opposite side of the road from our current ground.

At the club’s second general meeting – in 1906 – Ole Tobias Thorstensen was elected chairman.

Start’s first match was against the officer cadets. Start lost this match 3–1. That same year, they played against the teacher training students; this match was won, though the result was not recorded. There was also a match against the grammar school students, which ended in a draw.

1907
The club’s next chairman was Gunvald Olsen. They played against a German team, which was defeated 5–0. Later in the summer, they played against Mandal, who lost 1–3. The records say nothing about 1908, as 1907 and 1908 are combined.

1909
Gunvald Olsen was re-elected chairman. That year, the long-awaited match against Flekkefjord finally took place. The match ended in a 4–1 victory for us. It is worth noting that already in this year (1909) there was talk of building a sports ground, and in connection with this, the club received from Captain Hertzberg a request to appoint representatives to the new sports ground committee.

1910
Samuel Bugge was elected chairman. That year, Start gained revenge over the officer cadets by defeating them 3–1. Negotiations were opened with the Norwegian Football Association regarding membership, though the club did not join until 1911.

1911
Haakon Endreson became the club’s next chairman. That year, changing rooms were built at the ground. We arranged a match against Grane Arendal, who were beaten twice, 11–0 and 8–0. This whetted the appetite for more, and Viking of Stavanger was invited to a match here in the city. The invitation was accepted, and the match took place at Gimlemoen. The result was perhaps more than surprising, as it ended in a 2–2 draw.

1912
Johan Johansen was elected chairman. We returned “Viking’s” visit from the previous year and played a match against them in Stavanger. The result was a 4–0 defeat for us, but the mood was high, and the players who took part still remember the trip. Grane was beaten twice, 6–0 and 4–0. Flekkefjord Football Club suffered a crushing 13–0 defeat. Kristiansands Fotballklubb fared no better, losing 8–1.

The year was a small milestone in Start’s and Norwegian football’s history, as our club became the first Norwegian team to play on Danish soil. Since this was a notable event, I will quote directly from the 1912 annual report:

“Our club was the first Norwegian team to play on Danish soil.

We received an invitation from Aalborg Boldspilklub to come to Aalborg and play a match against them. This invitation was accepted, even though the prospects of coming away in one piece were slim. It turned out that, due to military drill and the end of the holiday period, it was difficult to assemble the necessary eleven players. A team was nevertheless selected, though several younger players had to be included. The result of the match – only a 4–1 loss – was quite a surprise to us. Thus, the club became the first Norwegian team to score a goal against a Danish club, and our side was also the first Norwegian team to have played on Danish soil. Our match captain, Thomas Svendsen, was presented with a commemorative medal on the occasion.”

This year was also the first in which the district championship was contested, and Start became district champions with 4 points. Financially, the year was one of the most difficult in Start’s history. However, we had a good friend in factory owner Jacob Lauridsen, from whom we received a substantial cash donation. Mr. Lauridsen was always quick to open his purse when it came to “Start,” and all the older members will no doubt, in this jubilee year, wish he still lived and worked in Kristiansand.

For the first time, we participated in the Norwegian Championship. We played against the district champions from Grenland, Fram Larvik. The defeat was heavier than expected – 9–1.

1913
Eight matches were played this year: 5 wins and 3 losses. The first match was against Viking Stavanger, who won 1–0. The match was for the cup. In the district matches, Start once again won convincingly and became district champions for the second time. Aalborg Boldspilklub visited Kristiansand and played a match; the Danes won 5–1.

1914
Johan Jahnsen was again elected chairman, a position he would hold until his death in January 1919. This year’s district matches became a “fight to the knife” between Grane and Start. After the regular matches were completed, the two clubs were tied on points. A replay was scheduled to be held in Arendal. The war had now broken out, and as several of our players were called up and could not get leave, we withdrew from further district matches that year, leaving Grane as district champions. We attempted to arrange a merger with Oddersjaa, but the negotiations revealed little enthusiasm on their part, so nothing came of it.

1915
The previous chairman was re-elected. Once again, the battle for the district championship was fiercely contested between Grane and Start. When the scheduled matches were completed, the clubs were tied on points. The replay was held in Kristiansand and surprisingly ended in a 5–2 victory for Grane. In the second cup match against Viking, held at Gimlemoen, Viking was defeated 6–2, earning us our first share in the trophy.

1916
The chairman was re-elected. We again captured the district championship after a hard-fought replay against Grane, which we won 2–0. In a friendly against Brodd, we lost 4–2. The sensation of the year was the Norwegian Championship match against Fram Larvik. Everyone had expected a crushing defeat for Start, but the result – a narrow 1–0 win for Fram – was, as mentioned, a great surprise.

1917
The chairman was re-elected. We became district champions not only in Class A but also in Class C. The B team fought hard to win the championship in its class as well, but had to yield to Donn after a replay, which we lost 2–1. This year also saw the first Old Boys match, as the entire 1912 team was “in town.” The match drew a good-sized crowd, who greatly enjoyed the spectacular “sky-high” kicks the “old boys” produced. This year’s Norwegian Championship match was against SIF Stavanger, and once again we were eliminated in the first round, losing 4–2.

1918
The chairman was re-elected. During the winter, Start staged several amateur plays to help the club’s finances, and these exceeded all expectations both artistically and financially. We became undisputed district champions in Class A, beating all other clubs by a combined score of 20–1. We also retained the district title in Class C. In Class B, we fought hard for the title but lost the replay against Mandalskameratene 2–1. In the Thornes Challenge Cup, we secured our first share by beating Donn 3–0 and Grane, Arendal’s best club, 6–0. We played three friendlies, all of which we lost – against Frigg 7–1, Brodd 2–0, and Vidar 4–1. The Norwegian Championship match against Ørn ended in a 6–2 loss, and once again we were out in the first round.

1919
Jahnsen was re-elected chairman, but we did not enjoy the benefit of his work for long, as he was taken by the Spanish flu on January 9. Vice chairman Bernh. Bertelsen acted as chairman until further notice. Bertelsen later moved away from the city, and at an extraordinary general meeting, Einar Torjesen was elected chairman.

That year’s district matches were handled with aplomb – we became district champions in Classes A, B, and C. The Thornes Challenge Cup was captured for the second time. At Pentecost, we played a friendly against Frigg to improve on the previous year’s result, and we did – reducing the loss to 3–2. In another match against Vidar, we lost 2–1.

We beat Donn 10–2. But how long was Adam in paradise?

At last, the day arrived when we would progress beyond the first round of the Norwegian Championship. Well, the first round was rather easily managed, as we received a walkover. In the second round, we met Donn, who had beaten Viking in the first round. We defeated Donn 10–2. But how long was Adam in paradise? In the third round, our opponent was the defending champions, Kvik, and now it was our turn to take a beating. The match, played in Larvik, brought Kvik a 6–0 victory. I should note that we played that match with two reserves – for goalkeeper and inside half. It was not particularly pleasant to travel such a long way and return with such a result, but the lads took it calmly and enjoyed themselves thoroughly with the free time they had. With that match, the season was over.