Røa IL is a

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

sports club from

Røa Røa is a neighbourhood and a former administrative borough of the city of Oslo, Norway. In 2004 the borough of Røa was merged with neighbouring Vinderen to become Vestre Aker borough. Røa is a suburb of Oslo, located approximately 7 kilometer ...

in the borough of

Vestre Aker Vestre Aker (Western Aker) is a borough of the city of Oslo, Norway. It has a population of 50,157 as of 2020. The previous Aker Municipality was merged into the city of Oslo in 1948. The borough of Vestre Aker was organized as part of the 1 Ja ...

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

. It was founded on 11 November 1900, and has sections for

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, shou ...

bandy Bandy is a winter sport and ball sport played by two teams wearing ice skates on a large ice surface (either indoors or outdoors) while using sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team's goal. The international governing body for bandy is ...

, and

cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreation ...

. Football, bandy, and Nordic skiing have been dominant in Røa. In bandy, the team has twice made it to the finals in the Norwegian cup, losing both to arch-rivals Stabæk. In skiing, the two foremost names are Olav Hansson, world champion team large hill ski jumping in the 1982 World Ski Championships and

Martin Johnsrud Sundby Martin Johnsrud Sundby (born 26 September 1984) is a former Norwegian cross-country skier who competed between 2003 and 2021. He is a two time Olympic champion at the 2018 Winter Olympics in the team sprint and relay and was also a silver and bro ...

, a Norwegian national team cross-country skier who won the

FIS Cross-Country World Cup The FIS Cross-Country World Cup is an annual cross-country skiing competition, arranged by the International Ski Federation (FIS) since 1981. The competition was arranged unofficially between 1973 and 1981, although it received provisional recogn ...

and the

Tour de Ski Tour or Tours may refer to: Travel * Tourism, travel for pleasure * Tour of duty, a period of time spent in military service * Campus tour, a journey through a college or university's campus * Guided tour, a journey through a location, directed ...

in 2013–14. The biggest success so far is probably the women's football team. While Røa was open for women participating in

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the g ...

and

, football was frowned upon for quite some time. Women's football was started outside the club by Røa legend Ole Bjørn Edner and his daughter Kristine with friends. The team was finally recognized when they started winning the

Norway Cup The Norway Cup is an international youth football tournament in Oslo, Norway. It has been held annually since 1972, with the exception of 1976 (due to a conflicting arrangement), 2020 and 2021 (due to the COVID-19 Pandemic). It is the world's l ...

in 1993. The team started in the fourth tier in 1994, and spent two years in each tier before they qualified for the first tier,

Toppserien The Toppserien is the top level of women's association football in Norway. It was founded in 1984. History Women's league football was introduced on a county basis in 1977. These leagues acted as qualification for the regional (South) league in 1 ...

, in 2000. As the bandy team were relegated the same season, the football team took over as the main success. In an attempt to brand the team, a former bandy player came up with the nickname "Dynamite Girls", which has stuck since. Røa's first season in Toppserien was a fierce battle to avoid relegation. In the last match the team saw it through. The next two seasons were a dramatic improvement, the team finished fourth (out of ten) both times. In 2004 Røa won both league and cup. After an abysmal 2005 season, they continued their dominance with a cup victory in 2006, a league victory in 2007, and a Double in 2008 and 2009. With in all eight trophies, Røa is the third most successful team in women's football in Norway (joint with Sprint-Jeløy if one counts the proto-national league from 1984.1986). The team has a host of current and former national team players. Among them are the 2007 World Cup players

Siri Nordby Siri Kristine Nordby (born 4 August 1978) is a Norwegian football defender who played over fifteen years for Røa in Norway's Toppserien league. She also played for the Norway women's national football team. Career Nordby started her career at ...

(captain),

Guro Knutsen Mienna Guro Knutsen Mienna (born Guro Knutsen on 10 January 1985) is a Norwegian former footballer who played for Røa IL of the Toppserien league and for the Norway women's national football team. She played alongside her older sister Marie Knutsen ...

Lene Mykjåland Lene Mykjåland (born 20 February 1987) is a Norwegian footballer who played for LSK Kvinner and the Norway women's national team, having made her debut for the senior team on 7 March 2007, in a 1–2 loss against Germany. Career Mykjåland s ...

, Marie Knutsen and Marit Fiane Christensen. The men's football team currently plays in the Third Division (fourth tier).

List of seasons

Source:

First team squad

European history

Røa has participated in five seasons of UEFA competitions with their best result reaching the quarter-finals in 2009/10 losing in those to

Turbine Potsdam 1. Frauenfußballclub Turbine Potsdam 71 e. V., commonly known as 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam (or Turbine Potsdam outside of Germany), is a German women's football club located in Potsdam, Brandenburg. They are one of the most successful women's footb ...

, the eventual champion.

UEFA Women's Cup The UEFA Women's Champions League, previously called the UEFA Women's Cup (2001–2009), is a European women's association football competition. It involves the top club teams from countries affiliated with the European governing body UEFA. The ...

*2005/06: First qualifying round *2008/09: Second qualifying round

UEFA Women's Champions League The UEFA Women's Champions League, previously called the UEFA Women's Cup (2001–2009), is a European women's association football competition. It involves the top club teams from countries affiliated with the European governing body UEFA. The ...

*2009/10: Quarter-finals *2010/11: Round of 16 *2012/13: Round of 16

References

External links

Official site - women's football

Official site - men's football

Røa Kunstgress - Nordic Stadiums
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roa IL Football clubs in Oslo Bandy clubs in Norway Sport in Oslo Association football clubs established in 1900 Bandy clubs established in 1900 1900 establishments in Norway Women's football clubs in Norway