GBK Kokkola
Encyclopedia
Gamlakarleby Bollklubb is a Finnish
football club from Kokkola
(Gamlakarleby in Swedish). It currently plays in the Finnish Second Division (Kakkonen
), which is the third-highest level in Finnish football. GBK play their home games at the Keskuskenttä in Kokkola, which has the capacity to accommmodate around 3,000 people.
GBK is a bilingual club that organises its activities in both Finnish and Swedish.
and bandy
until the 1950s. The ice hockey club Kokkolan Hermes, (now Hermes HT) was formed in 1953, when GBK and KPV ice hockey sections amalgamated.
The club has a long tradition and has played 5 seasons in the Finnish Championship in 1959, 1964–66 and 1976. They have also played 39 seasons at the second tier and 15 seasons in the third tier. In recent years GBK have played in the Ykkönen
(First Division) and Kakkonen
(Second Division). The club secured promotion to the Ykkönen
in September 2006 but their return to the second tier was short-lived as they were relegated at the end of the 2007 season. Since 2008 they have been playing in the Kakkonen
.
In 2000 GBK became the first women's beach soccer champion in Finland and the following year became a new championship team .
Second Level (39 seasons): 1938-39, 1945-46/47, 1948–49, 1951–58, 1960–63, 1967–75, 1977–80, 1995–97, 2002–04, 2007
Third Level (15 seasons): 1981, 1984–85, 1990–91, 1993–94, 1998–2001, 2005–06, 2008-
The Kokkola Cup was initiated in 1981 by Lars-Erik Stenfors and the tournament has grown from 50 teams to 330 teams at its peak. Current professional players who have participated in the Kokkola Cup include Andy Marshall
, Jimmy Nielsen
, Craig Bellamy
, Adam Drury
, Danny Mills
, Simon Davies and Matthew Etherington
.
(Suomen Palloliitto). In 2009 the team finished in eighth place in Group C of the Kakkonen.
GBK II are participating in the Nelonen section administered by the Keski-Pohjanmaa SPL.
GBK III are competing in Section B (Lohko B) of the Kutonen administered by the Keski-Pohjanmaa SPL.
Brazil
Republic of the Congo Herby Fortunat
Haiti
Finland
Finland
Finland
Russia
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
football club from Kokkola
Kokkola
Kokkola is a town and municipality of Finland.The town is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Central Ostrobothnia region. The town has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is...
(Gamlakarleby in Swedish). It currently plays in the Finnish Second Division (Kakkonen
Kakkonen
Kakkonen is the third tier of the Finnish football league system.-League structure:Kakkonen is divided to three groups of 14 clubs. A club plays each of the others in the same group twice, once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponents. Clubs gain three points for a win, one for a...
), which is the third-highest level in Finnish football. GBK play their home games at the Keskuskenttä in Kokkola, which has the capacity to accommmodate around 3,000 people.
GBK is a bilingual club that organises its activities in both Finnish and Swedish.
Club history
GBK was established in 1924, and it is therefore one of Finland's oldest football clubs. GBK's activity is currently focused on football, but the club has also played ice hockeyIce hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
and bandy
Bandy
Bandy is a team winter sport played on ice, in which skaters use sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team's goal.The rules of the game have many similarities to those of association football: the game is played on a rectangle of ice the same size as a football field. Each team has 11 players,...
until the 1950s. The ice hockey club Kokkolan Hermes, (now Hermes HT) was formed in 1953, when GBK and KPV ice hockey sections amalgamated.
The club has a long tradition and has played 5 seasons in the Finnish Championship in 1959, 1964–66 and 1976. They have also played 39 seasons at the second tier and 15 seasons in the third tier. In recent years GBK have played in the Ykkönen
Ykkönen
Ykkönen is the second highest level of the Finnish football league system , although it is the highest league managed by the Football Association of Finland.-Competition:...
(First Division) and Kakkonen
Kakkonen
Kakkonen is the third tier of the Finnish football league system.-League structure:Kakkonen is divided to three groups of 14 clubs. A club plays each of the others in the same group twice, once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponents. Clubs gain three points for a win, one for a...
(Second Division). The club secured promotion to the Ykkönen
Ykkönen
Ykkönen is the second highest level of the Finnish football league system , although it is the highest league managed by the Football Association of Finland.-Competition:...
in September 2006 but their return to the second tier was short-lived as they were relegated at the end of the 2007 season. Since 2008 they have been playing in the Kakkonen
Kakkonen
Kakkonen is the third tier of the Finnish football league system.-League structure:Kakkonen is divided to three groups of 14 clubs. A club plays each of the others in the same group twice, once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponents. Clubs gain three points for a win, one for a...
.
In 2000 GBK became the first women's beach soccer champion in Finland and the following year became a new championship team .
Divisional Movements since 1930
Top Level (5 seasons): 1959, 1964–66, 1976Second Level (39 seasons): 1938-39, 1945-46/47, 1948–49, 1951–58, 1960–63, 1967–75, 1977–80, 1995–97, 2002–04, 2007
Third Level (15 seasons): 1981, 1984–85, 1990–91, 1993–94, 1998–2001, 2005–06, 2008-
Season to season
| class="wikitable"> | ||||||
| Season | Level | Division | Section | Administration | Position | Movements |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen (Second Division) | North Group | Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) | 4th | Promoted |
| 2001 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen (Second Division) | North Group | Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) | 2nd | Promoted |
| 2002 | Tier 2 | Ykkönen (First Division) | North Group | Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) | 3rd | Relegation Group - 3rd |
| 2003 | Tier 2 | Ykkönen (First Division) | Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) | 11th | ||
| 2004 | Tier 2 | Ykkönen (First Division) | Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) | 14th | Relegated | |
| 2005 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen (Second Division) | North Group | Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) | 5th | |
| 2006 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen (Second Division) | Group C | Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) | 1st | Promoted |
| 2007 | Tier 2 | Ykkönen (First Division) | Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) | 13th | Relegated | |
| 2008 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen (Second Division) | Group C | Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) | 2nd | |
| 2009 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen (Second Division) | Group C | Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) | 8th | |
| 2010 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen (Second Division) | Group C | Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) |
- 4 seasons in YkkönenYkkönenYkkönen is the second highest level of the Finnish football league system , although it is the highest league managed by the Football Association of Finland.-Competition:...
- 7 seasons in KakkonenKakkonenKakkonen is the third tier of the Finnish football league system.-League structure:Kakkonen is divided to three groups of 14 clubs. A club plays each of the others in the same group twice, once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponents. Clubs gain three points for a win, one for a...
Kokkola Cup
The football tournament known as the Kokkola Cup is organised by GBK and is held in mid-July each year. This four-day tournament attracts about 300 teams to Kokkola and is recognised as Finland's second biggest football tournament after the Helsinki Cup.The Kokkola Cup was initiated in 1981 by Lars-Erik Stenfors and the tournament has grown from 50 teams to 330 teams at its peak. Current professional players who have participated in the Kokkola Cup include Andy Marshall
Andy Marshall
Andrew "Andy" Marshall Andrew "Andy" Marshall Andrew "Andy" Marshall (born 14 April 1975 in Bury St Edmunds, is an English professional footballer. He plays as a goalkeeper in the Premier League for Aston Villa...
, Jimmy Nielsen
Jimmy Nielsen
Jimmy Nielsen is a Danish professional footballer currently playing for Sporting Kansas City in Major League Soccer....
, Craig Bellamy
Craig Bellamy
Craig Douglas Bellamy is a Welsh footballer who plays as a striker for Liverpool and the Welsh national team. Born in Cardiff, Bellamy was the captain of the Welsh national side for four years after taking over from Ryan Giggs in 2007, but stood down in January 2011 due to constant injuries...
, Adam Drury
Adam Drury
Adam James Drury is a professional footballer who plays for Norwich City.-Career:Drury joined Norwich City from Peterborough United in March 2001 for £500,000. He is a left-back and has been a regular for the Canaries since he signed for the club. He was voted Norwich City player of the year in...
, Danny Mills
Danny Mills
Daniel John Mills is a former English professional footballer best known for his time at Leeds United. His main position was right-back, though he could also play as central defender...
, Simon Davies and Matthew Etherington
Matthew Etherington
Matthew Etherington is an English footballer. Etherington, a left-sided midfielder and winger, plays for Premier League club Stoke City....
.
2010 season
GBK are competing in Group C (Lohko C) of the Kakkonen administered by the Football Association of FinlandFootball Association of Finland
The Football Association of Finland is the governing body of football in Finland. It was founded in 1907, and was also the governing body of bandy in Finland until the bandy association, Suomen Jääpalloliitto, was founded in 1972....
(Suomen Palloliitto). In 2009 the team finished in eighth place in Group C of the Kakkonen.
GBK II are participating in the Nelonen section administered by the Keski-Pohjanmaa SPL.
GBK III are competing in Section B (Lohko B) of the Kutonen administered by the Keski-Pohjanmaa SPL.
Current squad
Notable players
Brazil
- Alemao
- Marcelo Machado
- Vitao Rodrigues
Republic of the Congo Herby FortunatHerby Fortunat
Herby Fortunat is a Haiti-born, French-Congolese football striker currently playing for KS Besa Kavajë in Albania.- External links :* * *...
Haiti Finland
- Mattias Ainasoja
- Kristoffer Ainasoja
- Kåre BjörkstrandKåre BjörkstrandKåre Björkstrand is a Finnish footballer currently playing for Finnish Veikkausliiga club FF Jaro.-Personal life:He is the identical twin brother of Sebastian Björkstrand and brother of Sixten Björkstrand.-External links:...
Finland
- Patrick Byskata
- Mika Granholm
- Jesse Iivonen
- Ville Jylhä
- Tuomas Kiiskilä
- Joonas Kivinen
- Sebastian MannströmSebastian MannströmSebastian Mannström is a Finnish footballer, who represents HJK of Veikkausliiga, the Finnish premier division of football.After starting his footballing career at his local GBK, Mannström was snapped by FF Jaro in 2008...
- Jonas Nyberg
- Petri Piispanen
- Juha ReiniJuha ReiniJuha Reini is former Finnish footballer.Reini, who was a versatile right sided player who played both in defence and in midfield, started his Veikkausliiga...
Finland
- Jarno Reinikainen
- Joel Sunabacka
- Björn-Erik SundqvistBjörn-Erik SundqvistBjörn-Erik Sundqvist is a Finnish footballer, who currently plays for Umeå FC.-Career:He left on 25 February 2011 FF Jaro of the Veikkausliiga and signed with Umeå FC.-References:...
- Janne Suutari
Russia
- Valeri ChupinValeri ChupinValeri Gennadyevich Chupin is a Russian professional football coach and a former player.His son Yevgeni Chupin is a professional footballer.-External links:*...
- Kamil FerkhanovKamil FerkhanovKamil Abdulbariyevich Ferkhanov is a retired Russian professional football player.-External links:*...
- Anatoli Kretov