Allmänna Idrottsklubben Information & Allmänna Idrottsklubben Links at HealthHaven.com

Allmänna Idrottsklubben (usually referred to as just AIK), currently located in Solna/Stockholm, is the largest and one of the oldest sports clubs in Sweden. AIK was founded in 1891 in central Stockholm, at the downtown address of Biblioteksgatan 8. The club's achievements include Swedish championship titles in a slew of sports: football, ice hockey, bandy, handball, floorball, bowling, badminton, athletics and many other sports as well as Wimbledon championships in tennis (through club member Sven Davidson).

[edit] The founding

The idea to start an athletic association began when the brothers Isidor and Paul Behrens were taking a walk through Hantverkargatan, in central Stockholm. They were walking pretty fast; and noticed that there were two other youngsters behind them who also walked quickly. The strangers tried to walk pass the Behrens’, so they had to speed up to keep the lead; but the strangers did the same. Finally all of them started to run in what now looked like an improvised competition. When Isidor and Paul were far away from the unknown youngsters, Isidor said that they should start an athletic association and compete with others.

So the brothers gathered their friends, who were strongly athletic interested, and held a meeting at Behrens' on February 15, 1891 on Biblioteksgatan 8, in central Stockholm. Isidor introduced his idea to everyone, and they liked it. Since the boys agreed that every thinkable sport should be practiced, they decided that “Allmänna Idrottsklubben” (The General Sports Club) would be a suitable name. The name also had other meanings: AIK allowed anybody to become member; and at this time many athletic clubs were limited for e.g. the military.

[edit] Media

In 1995 AIK became the first non-American sports club to promote an Internet website.^{[citation needed]} And as the first sports club among the Nordic countries AIK in 2004 began broadcasting radio with daily cast.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Supporters

During the 1980s and 1990s AIK's official supporter group Black Army raged havoc around the country, making headlines in national newspapers. As a result of Black Army's bad behaviour an another supporter group was created in 2000, Allmänna Supporterklubben (the General Supporters Club), as an option to Black Army. In 2002 Allmänna Supporterklubben was renamed to the much more AIK related name "Smokinglirarna" (the Tuxedo Players). In 2002 an ultras group was formed, Ultras Nord (Ultras North), and two years later, 2004, Sol Invictus was formed. Black Army, Smokinglirarna, Ultras Nord and Sol Invictus together with AIK-Tifo forms the so called AIK-Alliansen (the AIK Alliance).

The king of Sweden Carl XVI Gustaf told the swedish newspaper Aftonbladet as late as 2009 that he actually is a Djurgården fan. crown princess Victoria's spouse-to-be Daniel Westling and princess Madeleine's boyfriend Jonas Bergström both are ardent AIK fans.^[1] From time to time the royal family visits the clubs home matches, though the king Carl XVI Gustaf in an interview with the regional daily newspaper Kalmarposten denied him being an AIK supporter, and added that the rivals Djurgårdens IF is his favourite team instead.^[2]

Among Swedish politicians the party chairman of the Swedish Social Democratic Party Mona Sahlin is an AIK supporter as well as former Minister for Justice Thomas Bodström.^[3]

The Wallenberg family are also closely attached with AIK as a club, being one of the major share holders.

[edit] Active departments

AIK Fotboll - football department
AIK Fotboll Damer - women's football department
AIK Hockey - ice hockey department
AIK Innebandy - floorball department

AIK Bandy - bandy department
AIK Handboll - handball department
AIK Bowling - bowling department
AIK Golf - golf department

[edit] References

[edit] External links

AIK - official site
Black Army - AIK's biggest fanclub

[0] Derby-sessorna

[1] ”Jag håller på Djurgården”

[2] Bodströms äkta kärlek för svartgult

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