Norwegian reserve football teams compete at all levels of league football within the Norwegian football league system apart from the top two divisions, Eliteserien and

1. divisjon The Norwegian First Division, also called 1. divisjon and OBOS-ligaen (named sponsor is property developer OBOS), is the second-highest level of the Norwegian football league system. Each year, the top finishing teams in the 1. divisjon are p ...

. The highest league these teams can currently enter is the 2. divisjon, set at the third tier of the league system. The reserve teams are attached to their first teams with a "2" suffix and must play in a lower league than the first team. Furthermore, if a club's first team plays in the 1. divisjon, the reserves team cannot play in the 2. divisjon either. If a reserve team ends up at a promotion spot when it is not allowed to be promoted, the promotion is awarded to best following team in the league standings which is allowed to be promoted. Also, a reserve team is forcefully relegated, regardless of the final league position, if it is no longer qualified for playing at that level - i.e. if the first team is relegated to a league level where the reserve team's level is no longer allowed. For example, if an Eliteserien team is relegated while its reserve team in 2. divisjon ends up at a secure place (or even a promotion spot), the reserve team is forcefully relegated to 3. divisjon. In such a situation, the best placed qualified team at a relegation position in the league that the reserve team is relegated from will keep its place. If there are no qualified teams at relegation positions (e.g. only reserve teams no longer qualified for the level), one extra team from the division below (the best placed qualified one) is promoted.

Controversy

Reserve teams have in general been criticized for fielding uneven teams from week to week, with many first-team players one week and more youth players the next. They have also been criticized for keeping smaller clubs out of the Second Division, meaning a more centralized football culture. In 2009 manager

Ivar Morten Normark Ivar Morten Normark (born 27 May 1963, in Narvik) is a Norwegian football coach and former player. His most recent head coaching job was at FK Mjølner in the 2. divisjon. Normark resigned from this position at the end of the 2013 season. Normark ...

proposed to throw the reserve teams out of the ordinary league pyramid, and other managers like Dag Eilev Fagermo agreed. In a survey, 19 of 31 responding Second Division clubs wanted the reserve teams out, as did 30 of the 49 responding Third Division clubs. At the 2010 congress of the Football Association of Norway, new rules were agreed to. From 2010, reserve teams in the Second Division can only field three players over the age of 21 at any time. More "overage" players can sit on the bench, but cannot enter the field unless substituted with another overage player.

Sporting success

From time to time, a reserves team wins its group in the third tier 2. divisjon. This is the highest sporting position a reserves team can achieve, since promotion is impossible. In the

1991 2. divisjon The 1991 2. divisjon, the third highest association football league for men in Norway. 22 games were played in 6 groups, with 3 points given for wins and 1 for draws. Odd, Bærum, Vard, Os, Stjørdals-Blink and Bodø/Glimt were promoted to the ...

, Brann's reserve team won group 4—ahead of Fyllingen's reserve team. Also in the 1991 2. divisjon, Rosenborg's reserve team won group 5. Rosenborg 2 won again in the

1996 2. divisjon The 1996 2. divisjon, the third highest association football league for men in Norway. 22 games were played in 6 groups, with 3 points given for wins and 1 for draws. Sarpsborg and Runar were promoted to the First Division through playoffs agains ...

, and the same team won group 7 in the

1998 2. divisjon In the 1998 2. divisjon, the third highest football league for men in Norway, 22 games were played in 8 groups, with 3 points given for wins and 1 for draws. Liv/Fossekallen, Skjetten, Clausenengen and Lofoten were promoted to the First Division t ...

. In the

1992 2. divisjon The 1992 2. divisjon, the third highest association football league for men in Norway. 22 games were played in 6 groups, with 3 points given for wins and 1 for draws. Ski, Skeid, Åssiden, Åsane, Nardo and Mjølner were promoted to the First ...

, Lillestrøm's reserve team won group 1. In the 2005 2. divisjon, Viking's reserve team won group 3.

Today

This is a list of where the reserve teams of Eliteserien and

clubs play, as of the 2023 season.NIFS
/ref> ;Reserve teams of Eliteserien clubs: * Aalesund – 2. divisjon * Bodø/Glimt – 3. divisjon * Brann – 2. divisjon * HamKam – 3. divisjon *

Haugesund Haugesund () is a municipality on the North Sea in Rogaland county, Norway. While the population is greater in the neighboring Karmøy municipality, the main commercial and economic centre of the Haugaland region in northern Rogaland and southern ...

–

4. divisjon The Norwegian Fourth Division, also called 4. divisjon, is the fifth highest division of the men's football league in Norway. Like the rest of the Norwegian football league system, the season runs from spring to autumn, running approximately from ...

* Lillestrøm – 3. divisjon *

Molde Molde () is a town and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Romsdal. It is located on the Romsdal Peninsula, surrounding the Fannefjord and Moldefjord. The administrative centre of the m ...

– 3. divisjon * Odd – 3. divisjon * Rosenborg – 3. divisjon * Sandefjord – 3. divisjon * Sarpsborg 08 – 3. divisjon * Stabæk – 3. divisjon *

Strømsgodset Strømsgodset is a former municipality in Vestfold county (from 1964 Buskerud county), Norway, today a part of the city of Drammen. History Strømsgodset was originally a small rural annex to the city parish of Bragernes (Drammen). But since th ...

– 2. divisjon * Tromsø – 3. divisjon *

Vålerenga Vålerenga () is a neighbourhood in the city of Oslo, Norway, belonging to the borough of Gamle Oslo. Vålerenga is located between the neighbourhoods of Gamlebyen, Jordal, Ensjø, Etterstad and Lodalen. Vålerenga is in particular known for it ...

– 2. divisjon * Viking – 3. divisjon ;Reserve teams of 1. divisjon clubs: * Åsane – 4. divisjon * Bryne – 4. divisjon * Fredrikstad – 3. divisjon * Hødd – 3. divisjon * Jerv – 4. divisjon *

KFUM Oslo KFUM-Kameratene Oslo is the sports branch of the local YMCA in Oslo, Norway. It has sections for association football, futsal, volleyball and track and field. The football team currently plays in 1. divisjon, the second tier of the Norwegian foot ...

– 3. divisjon * Kongsvinger – 4. divisjon * Kristiansund – 3. divisjon * Mjøndalen – 3. divisjon *

Moss Mosses are small, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic division Bryophyta (, ) '' sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryophytes, which comprise liverworts, mosses, and hor ...

– 4. divisjon * Ranheim – 4. divisjon * Raufoss – 3. divisjon * Sandnes Ulf – 3. divisjon *

Skeid Skeid is a Norwegian alliance sports club from Nordre Åsen, Oslo. It has sections for association football (one for elite and one for grassroots football), Nordic skiing and bandy. General history The club was founded as ''IK Skeid'' on 5 De ...

– 3. divisjon * Sogndal – 3. divisjon *

Start Start can refer to multiple topics: *Takeoff, the phase of flight where an aircraft transitions from moving along the ground to flying through the air * Starting lineup in sports *Standing start, and rolling start, in an auto race Acronyms *St ...

– 3. divisjon

References

{{Football in Norway Norwegian Second Division Norwegian Third Division Norwegian Fourth Division