Holstebro Boldklub (; also simply called Holstebro or HB) is an

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

club based in the town of

Danish football league system The Danish football league system, also known as the football league pyramid, refers to the hierarchically interconnected league structure for association football in Denmark, in which all divisions are bound together by the principle of promotio ...

. Founded in 1921, it is affiliated to the DBU Jutland, the regional body of football in

Jutland Jutland (; , ''Jyske Halvø'' or ''Cimbriske Halvø''; , ''Kimbrische Halbinsel'' or ''Jütische Halbinsel'') is a peninsula of Northern Europe that forms the continental portion of Denmark and part of northern Germany (Schleswig-Holstein). It ...

. The team plays its home matches at Holstebro Idrætspark, where it has been based since 1989.

History

Formation and early development (1921–1940s)

Holstebro Boldklub was established on 21 March 1921. Previously,

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

was the main sport in

Holstebro Holstebro is the main town in Holstebro Municipality, Denmark. The town, bisected by Storå, Denmark, ''Storåen'' ("The Large Creek") and has a population of 37,487 (1 January 2025).association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

introduced in the region around the turn of the century. The town's first recorded football match was held on the market square between ''Holstebro Idrætsforening'', a precursor to Holstebro Boldklub, and the main club from nearby Lemvig. Interest in football grew rapidly, especially after the Holstebro–Lemvig teams became among Jutland's strongest in the 1910s, attracting a record 5,000 spectators in a 1919 match against Skive. Johannes Nielsen organised a meeting on 21 March 1921 at Holstebro's temperance hotel, resulting in the formation of Holstebro Boldklub. Nielsen served as the first chairman, with a board that included local tradespeople and craftsmen. Despite achieving several early victories, including promotion to ''Mesterrækken'' (now the Jutland Series), the club faced challenges as top players often transferred to stronger regional clubs like Herning Fremad, which led to a quick relegation. Holstebro Boldklub achieved an early milestone by winning the Jutland junior division championship, featuring future national team players Oluf Skjelmose and Kaj Nielsen. Under chairman Martin Schmidt, Holstebro developed a cohesive internal culture, referred to as the "HB spirit." The club advanced by winning its Mellemrække group and earning promotion to JBU's Mesterskabsrække with a win over Brønderslev, remaining undefeated for 29 consecutive matches during this period. Holstebro then won the northern division of the Mesterskabsrække and took fourth place in the DBU's promotion series, the second-tier of the

, competing with clubs such as HIK and B 1913. The club also won the Jutland Championship with a 3–2 victory over

Vejle Vejle () is a city in Denmark, in the southeast of the Jutland Peninsula at the head of Vejle Fjord, where the Vejle River and Grejs River and their valleys converge. It is the site of the councils of Vejle Municipality (''Municipalities of De ...

, attended by 3,000 spectators. Holstebro was recognised among the top clubs in Jutland after winning the "Jutland Cup Tournament," but the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

soon interrupted the season. Despite challenges during the war, the club continued to focus on youth development.

Post-War growth and competitive success (1950s–1990s)

Holstebro appointed its first professional coach, Axel Larsen, who led them to another northern Mesterskabsrække title, though promotion was not secured. With new coach Carl I. Christensen, Holstebro improved in fitness and performance, achieving promotion to the Danish 4th Division in 1958 after a successful playoff against Herning Fremad. Though they faced subsequent relegations, Holstebro returned briefly to the 4th Division under coach Robert Andreasen. In 1989, the club opened a new clubhouse, and its team in the

Denmark Series The Denmark Series () is the fifth tier in the Danish football league system. Teams are divided into four groups of ten. The top team in each following promotion group is promoted to the Danish 3rd Division. The bottom three teams in each group ...

(which had replaced the 4th Division in 1966) earned promotion once again. Holstebro reached its highest historical ranking in 1995, placing 5th in the second-tier

Danish 1st Division The 1st Division (''1. Division'') is the second-highest football league in Denmark, also known as NordicBet Liga for sponsorship reasons. From 1945 to 1991, the 1. Division was the name of the highest level of football in Denmark. With the for ...

. In 1999, Holstebro Boldklub won the Danish indoor football championship.

Modern era and recent achievements (2000s–present)

At the turn of the century, Holstebro competed in the third-tier

Danish 2nd Division The 2nd Division () is a professional association football league for men and the third division in Denmark. It is organised by the Divisionsforeningen on behalf of the Danish Football Association (Danish FA; DBU) as part of the nation-wide Da ...

, finishing in the bottom half of the league table during the 1999–2000 season. Results steadily improved the following seasons, with the club finishing fourth in the 2001–02 season. In April 2003, Holstebro became part of the FS MidtVest talent development partnership with

FC Midtjylland Football Club Midtjylland (, "Central Jutland") is a Danish professional football club based in Herning and Ikast. The club is the result of a merger between Ikast FS and Herning Fremad. Midtjylland competes in the Danish Superliga, which they ...

, which included over 57 clubs. This collaboration aimed to enhance player and coach development, while providing Holstebro members with free access to Midtjylland's home games. Additionally, fringe players from Midtjylland would have opportunities to play for Holstebro in the 2nd Division. In the following years, Holstebro narrowly avoided relegation, and managed to stay in the 2nd Division. In September 2005, Holstebro faced accusations of

match fixing In organized sports, match fixing (also known as game fixing, race fixing, throwing, rigging, hippodroming, or more generally sports fixing) is the act of playing or officiating a contest with the intention of achieving a predetermined result, v ...

after a 3–2 loss to Næsby in the 2nd Division, marking the first instance of such allegations in Danish football. Significant betting activity raised suspicions, as around 95% of bets were placed on a Næsby victory, leading experts to warn that Danish football is vulnerable to manipulation by Asian betting syndicates. Holstebro denied any wrongdoing, stating that an internal investigation found no evidence of misconduct among players or staff. On 8 June 2008, Holstebro was relegated from the 2nd Division to the fourth-tier

after a 1–0 home loss to Midtjylland's reserves, ending a 19-year tenure in the Danish divisions. The following season, Holstebro earned immediate promotion back to the 2nd Division. In the 2008–09 Danish Cup fourth round, they faced

Danish Superliga The Danish Superliga (, ) is a professional association football league in Denmark and the highest level of the Danish football league system. The league is currently contested by 12 teams each year, with 2 teams relegated. It is the current ...

club Brøndby, narrowly losing 2–1. The match marked the return of former player Bo Hansen, who had played for both clubs, as well as

Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club ( ) is a professional association football, football club based in Horwich, Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the Englis ...

in the Premier League. Retired since 2004 due to injuries, Hansen returned to the pitch for the final 20 minutes of the game. After ten years away, the club returned to the third-tier

in 2020, continuing its presence in the divisions of Danish football.

Players

First-team squad

Former players

Goalkeeper In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie, or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or i ...

Peer Lauritsen played over 400 matches for the club. Holstebro Boldklub has developed players who later reached top-level Danish and international football, including Jakob Kjeldbjerg ( Chelsea), Jens Risager ( Brøndby), Bo Hansen ( Brøndby,

), Kim Kristensen (

Midtjylland The Central Denmark Region (), or more directly translated as the Central Jutland Region and sometimes simply Mid-Jutland, is an administrative region of Denmark established on 1 January 2007 as part of the 2007 Danish municipal reform. The refo ...

Herfølge Herfølge is a suburb of the town of Køge, Denmark, located about 5 kilometers south of central Køge, and is a part of Køge Municipality. The suburb is connected to Køge and Næstved by the Lille Syd railway line. Herfølge Church Herføl ...

Claus Bech Jørgensen Claus Bech Jørgensen (born 27 April 1976) is a Faroese former professional footballer who is a youth team coach at AaB. Born in Denmark, he represented the Faroe Islands national team between 2004 and 2006. He first established himself as a ...

, Morten Skoubo (

, Brøndby,

Borussia Mönchengladbach Borussia Verein für Leibesübungen 1900 e.V. Mönchengladbach, better known as Borussia Mönchengladbach () and colloquially known as just Gladbach, is a professional Association football, football club based in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-W ...

Real Sociedad Real Sociedad de Fútbol, more commonly referred to as Real Sociedad ( ; ''Royal Society'') in English, and Erreala or Reala in Basque language, Basque, is a Spanish professional sports club in the city of San Sebastián, Donostia / San Sebastián, ...

), and Søren Krogh ( Brøndby).

Club officials

Management

Technical staff

References

External links

Holstebro Boldklub official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holstebro Bk Football clubs in Denmark Association football clubs established in 1921 1921 establishments in Denmark Holstebro Sport in the Central Denmark Region