Ole Fritsen
Encyclopedia
Playing career
Ole Fritsen began his footballing career in Vejle BoldklubVejle Boldklub
Vejle Boldklub is a Danish football club with proud traditions from the town of Vejle. The club has won the Danish championship five times and the Danish cup title six times....
in 1963. Fritsen was the first Vejle Boldklub
Vejle Boldklub
Vejle Boldklub is a Danish football club with proud traditions from the town of Vejle. The club has won the Danish championship five times and the Danish cup title six times....
player to move abroad and become a professional.
In 1966, Fritsen was sold to Dutch club GVAV Groningen, where his professional career lasted until 1 July 1972. In total he played 210 matches for Groningens first team and scored amazing 150 goals.
In 1971, Fritsen went back to Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
to play for his childhood club Vejle. In his first season after returning, Vejle Boldklub won the Danish Championship
Danish football champions
The Danish football champions are the winners of the highest league of football in Denmark. The title has been contested since 1913, in a varying form of competitions. Since 1991, the winners have been found through the Danish Superliga championship...
, and in 1972 the club won The Double
The Double
The Double is a term in association football which refers to winning a country's top tier division and its primary cup competition in the same season...
.
Managerial career
Later on Ole Fritsen became a successful manager in Vejle BoldklubVejle Boldklub
Vejle Boldklub is a Danish football club with proud traditions from the town of Vejle. The club has won the Danish championship five times and the Danish cup title six times....
. He managed the club for three periods: 1981–1983, 1988–1989 and 1994–1999.
In his first season as manager in Vejle Boldklub, Fritsen won the Danish Cup
Danish Cup
The Danish Cup is the official "knockout" cup competition in Danish football, run by the Danish Football Association. The cup has been contested annually since 1955...
. After that he built up a team that went on to become Danish Champions
Danish football champions
The Danish football champions are the winners of the highest league of football in Denmark. The title has been contested since 1913, in a varying form of competitions. Since 1991, the winners have been found through the Danish Superliga championship...
in 1984. In addition, Fritsen spend many years coaching the Vejle Boldklubs youth teams. Working with youngsters was arguably his greatest talent.
In his last period as manager Fritsen came from a job as youth coach in the club, where he had helped to educate players such as Thomas Gravesen
Thomas Gravesen
Thomas Gravesen is a retired Danish professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He has played for teams such as Hamburger SV, Everton F.C., Real Madrid CF and Celtic F.C.....
, Alex Nørlund
Alex Nørlund
Alex Nørlund Andersen is a Danish former football player in the attacking midfielder position. He played 229 games for Vejle Boldklub, and also represented Danish Superliga clubs Viborg FF and AGF, winning the 2000 Danish Cup with Viborg...
, Kaspar Dalgas
Kaspar Dalgas
Kaspar Buhl Dalgas is a former Danish footballer who was the joint top scorer of the Danish Superliga 2001-02 season with 22 goals in 31 games. He represented the Danish U21 team once, in 1997.-Biography:...
and Peter Graulund
Peter Graulund
Peter Graulund is a Danish professional footballer who currently plays for AGF Aarhus. He is a striker, and has previously played for Danish clubs Vejle Boldklub and Brøndby IF. He has played six games and scored two goals for the Denmark national under-21 football team...
. Ole build up a team around these players, and in only four seasons his team advanced to the Danish Superliga
Danish Superliga
The Danish Superliga is the current Danish football championship tournament, and administered by the Danish Football Association. It is the highest association football league in Denmark and is currently contested by 12 teams each year, with 2 teams to be relegated, which proves to be one of the...
, won silver medals in 1997 and participated in the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
two times.
In the season 1996–1997, Fritsen was named Manager of the Year in Denmark.
Fritsen's last managerial spell was with FC Fredericia
FC Fredericia
FC Fredericia is a Danish professional football club, from the town of Fredericia. The club is currently playing in the Danish 1st Division.-History:...
where he spent two seasons from 2003 to 2005.