Djurgårdens Idrottsförening, commonly known simply as Djurgårdens IF, Djurgården (), and (especially locally) Djurgår'n (), Dif or DIF – is a Swedish sports association with several sections, located in Stockholm. Djurgårdens IF is an since 1991 and, , it consists of 22 individual sports clubs.
History Founding (1891–1896)
The club was founded in 1891 by a group of young athletes living in the borough and port district on Djurgården in central Stockholm. Inspired by the Norwegian His Majesty the King's Guard and their ski jumping exhibitions in Stockholm, the adolescents of the area contested diverse sports against each other both summertime and wintertime. On 12 March 1891, John G. Jansson, then 22 years old, and a dozen others founded Djurgårdens IF near . The exact address was a café on Alberget 4a. Jansson became the first chairman. Most of the founders were from the working class, and Djurgården maintained that profile for most of its early history, in sharp contrast with middle class rivals AIK. From the beginning, to be considered a member, one had to live on the island of Djurgården, but this was soon erased from the statues of the club.
With an original focus on winter sports and athletics, the club quickly branched into other sports, becoming one of Sweden's most successful sports clubs of the 20th and 21st century.
Initial achievements (1897–1923) In 1897, Gustaf Söderström became Djurgårdens IF's first Swedish champion when he won the shot put (both hands), event at the Swedish Athletics Championships. He repeated the achievement the following year, and also won the discus throw event. Söderström also competed in the 1900 Summer Olympics and won the tug of war event. Club mate Karl Gustaf Staaf was also in the Denmark–Sweden mixed team that won.
The football department was formed in 1899 with the help of former GAIS player Theodor Andersson. The team played its first match in July 1899, a 1–2 loss against AIK. Soon started a strong and close competition with neighbouring club AIK, which both had been founded within a month in 1891. The two rivals play the Tvillingderbyt.
In 1900, Ernst Ekberg became the clubs first Swedish champion in racewalking, winning the 5000 metres event. In 1904, Djurgården won its first Swedish championship in speed skating when Birger Carlsson won the allround event. Swimming had become a sport for the programme of the club, but in 1906 the swimmers left the club and instead started SK Neptun.
In 1908, the bandy team won its first national title. The team consisted of Erik Andéhn, Gunnar Friberg, Ivar Friberg, Götrik Frykman, Gottfrid Johansson, Erik Lavass, Bror Modén, Algot Nilsson, Karl Öhman, Arvid Spångberg, and Birger Walla. Women were allowed into the club in 1908. In 1909, Tage Carlsson won the clubs first national championship title in cycling, when he won the 5 km track event.
In 1910, N. A. Hedjerson won the first Swedish championship title in cross-country skiing, the 30 km event. The same year, Einar Olsson also won the club's first Swedish championship in Nordic combined and ski jumping. Einar Olsson, who had joined Djurgårdens IF in 1905, would become national champion in ski jumping, Nordic combined, ski orienteering and football. In 1911, Hedjerson, Albin Sandström, and Alfred Sandström won the club's first Swedish championship in ski orienteering by winning the relay event.
In 1911, Gottfrid Svensson became Djurgården's first Swedish champion in wrestling, when he won the Greco-Roman lightweight event, which he also repeated in 1912 and 1913. Also in 1911, Bertil Gustavsson became Djurgårdens IF's first champion in weightlifting when he won the one-hand snatch event.
From 1911, Djurgårdens IF rented the ground Tranebergs IP. In 1912, the bandy team won its second national title. At the 1912 Summer Olympics, Djurgården athlete Erik Almlöf represented Sweden and won a bronze medal in the men's triple jump event. The same year the men's football team won its first national championship title, winning the 1912 Svenska Mästerskapet final with a team consisting of Gösta Backlund, Gösta Dahlberg, Götrik Frykman, Victor Jansson, Valdemar Johannison, Gösta Karlsson, Bertil Nordenskjöld, Nils Öhman, Einar Olsson, Jean Söderberg, and Ragnar Wicksell. The team then repeated the achievement three times the following years – in the 1915 final, 1917 final and 1920 final.
From 1913 to 1919, Djurgården ski jumpers won seven consecutive national championships in ski jumping with Nils Lindh claiming three, Einar Olsson three and Menotti Jakobsson one. In 1913, Einar Olsson won the ski jumping event at the 1913 Nordic Games. The club won its first Swedish championship title in boxing in 1920 when David Lindén won the men's light heavyweight title. At the 1920 Summer Olympics, Djurgården wrestler Gottfrid Svensson represented Sweden and won a silver medal in the men's freestyle lightweight event. At the same Olympics, Djurgården wrestler Fritiof Svensson won a bronze medal in the men's Greco-Roman featherweight event. In 1922, Svensson became wrestling world champion at the 1922 World Wrestling Championships, held at Cirkus in Stockholm. In 1922, the ice hockey team entered the 1922 Swedish Ice Hockey Championship but lost in the semi-finals against Hammarby IF, and in the following season, the team first participated in the 1923 Klass I.
1924–1939 In 1924, Djurgården won its first Swedish championship title in a women's event when Karin Bollner, Sigrid Sandström, and Ester Hedjerson won the women's 10 km team event at the Swedish Cross-Country Skiing Championships. At the 1924 Summer Olympics, Djurgården footballer Harry Sundberg was part of Sweden's bronze medal winning team in the football tournament.
In 1926, the ice hockey team won its first Swedish championship. In the final, they beat Västerås IK, 7–1. The title winning team consisted of Ruben Allinger, Folke Andersson, Sune Andersson, Wilhelm Arwe, Nils Johansson, Ernst Karlberg, Erik Lindgren, and Walter Söderman. The men's football team made its debut in Allsvenskan in the 1927–28 season, but the stay only lasted one season. At the 1928 Winter Olympics, two Djurgården ice hockey players – Nils Johansson and Ernst Karlberg – was part of Sweden's bronze medal winning team in the men's tournament. Also in 1928, Bertil Nordenskjöld became the chairman of Djurgården. He was a former football defender of the club and four-time Swedish champion.
At the 1928 Swedish Women's Athletics Championships, Djurgårdens IF won their first four Swedish championship titles in women's athletics events – Ebba Myrberg won the 100 metres event and the long jump, Inga Gentzel the 800 metres event and a team consisting of the Margareta Hagelberg, Myrberg, Emy Pettersson, and Anna Sundblad won the 4 × 100 metres relay event. The championship, held at Strömvallen in Gävle was the first championship where women competed. Later in the year Djurgården's Gentzel represented Sweden at the 1928 Summer Olympics and won a bronze medal in the 800 metres event. Gentzel then also won the 800 metres event at the 1929, 1930, and 1931 Swedish Athletics Championships.
At the 1928 Summer Olympics, Djurgården boxer Nils Ramm represented Sweden and won a silver medal in the men's heavyweight event. In the 1931 season, the bandy team competed in the first national bandy league, the Division 1. At the 1932 Summer Olympics, Djurgården wrestler Einar Karlsson represented Sweden and won a bronze medal in the men's freestyle featherweight event. In 1933, Östen Eriksson became the club's first national champion in bowling when he won the men's individual event.
In ice hockey, Djurgården discontinued the department after the 1933–34 Elitserien season due to high costs. In 1935, Djurgårdens IF had to leave Tranebergs IP that was going to be used for housing projects. Starting in 1936, the club instead had the Stockholm Olympic Stadium as its home for football.
Starting in 1936, Olle Tandberg won five consecutive national boxing titles in the men's heavyweight. At the 1936 Summer Olympics, Djurgården wrestler Einar Karlsson again represented Sweden and won a bronze medal, this time in the men's Greco-Roman featherweight event. In 1937, the club won their first Swedish championship titles in alpine skiing – Harald Hedjerson won the men's slalom event and Inga Söderbaum the women's slalom event.
In 1938, the men's handball team played in the national championship final but lost. Thereafter, the team played the 1939–40 season and 1939–40 season in Allsvenskan before relegation. After a four-year hiatus, in 1938, Djurgården started its ice hockey team again and began in Klass V.
Up until 1939, Djurgårdens IF had won 167 Swedish championship titles.
1940–1949 In 1941, Barbro Olsson, Maud Cederholm and Dis Cederholm won the women's 10 km team event at the Swedish Cross-Country Skiing Championships, which they repeated in 1942 and again in 1943. In 1942, after 14 years, Bertil Nordenskjöld stepped down as chairman for the club. During the 1940s, the women's bandy team played in a series in Vasaparken in Stockholm together with KSK Artemis, Föreningen GCI, and IK Göta.
In 1948, the club took its first Swedish championship titles in table tennis. At the championship held in Malmö, Tage Flisberg won the men's singles, Flisberg and Arne Neidenmark won the men's doubles, Flisberg, Neidenmark and Bengt Grive won the men's team event and Flisberg, together with of Ingrid Hägglund of Örnsköldsviks BTK, won the mixed doubles.
Football and ice hockey heydays (1950–1969) The 1950s and 1960s would see nine Swedish ice hockey championship titles and four Swedish football championship titles for Djurgårdens IF.
In 1950, the men's ice hockey team won its second national title. Between 1952 and 1964, Edvin Vesterby won ten national wrestling titles in the freestyle 57 kg event, missing only 1953, 1958, and 1962. On four occasions during the period he also won the corresponding titles in the Greco-Roman bantamweight event. At the 1952 Winter Olympics, five Djurgården ice hockey players – Hans Andersson-Tvilling, Stig Andersson-Tvilling, Lasse Björn, Gösta Johansson, and Sven Johansson – was part of Sweden's bronze medal winning team in the men's tournament. At the 1952 Summer Olympics, Djurgården footballer Gösta Sandberg was part of Sweden's bronze medal winning team in the tournament.
In 1954, the men's ice hockey team again won the national title, its third. This was repeated in 1955. In 1955, the men's football team won its fifth national title by winning the 1954–55 Allsvenskan. Starting in 1955, the Djurgården women's table tennis team won six consecutive national championship titles – Elisabeth Thorsson took part in all six, Signhild Tegner in five, Ing-Britt Molin in four, and Siv Petersson in three. At the 1956 Summer Olympics, Djurgården wrestler Edvin Vesterby represented Sweden and won a silver medal in the men's Greco-Roman bantamweight event.
In 1955, the men's football team made its debut in European competition and played Gwardia Warsaw of Poland in its first match. The home leg at the Stockholm Olympic Stadium ended 0–0. In the return leg, Djurgården won 4–1, after three goals from John Eriksson and one from Gösta Sandberg, and progressed to the next leg.
In 1958, the men's ice hockey team won its fifth national title and started a period of six consecutive titles until 1963. In 1959, the men's football team won its sixth national title by winning the 1959 Allsvenskan. Djurgården players Hans Mild, Sven Johansson, and Gösta Sandberg were playing in both teams and winning both the 1959 ice hockey and football national titles.