Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur - last updated on 14 February 2008
(Courtesy of Johnny Beaufays)
Club name: Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur
Foundation: February 16th 1899
City: Reykjavík
Colours: Black and white
Website: www.kr.is
Honours:
Landsbankadeild - 24 (1912, 1919, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1931, 1932, 1934, 1941, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1952, 1955, 1959, 1961, 1963, 1965, 1968, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003)
VISA-bikar - 10 (1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1967, 1994, 1995, 1999)
Deildabikar - 3 (2001, 1998, 2005)
A bit of history:
KR was established on February 16, 1899, making it the oldest of its kind in Iceland. KR was the only football club in Reykjavík for a decade but as soon as other clubs were established there were plans for competitions. KR won the inaugural championship in 1912 after a play-off with Fram.
After winning the title the club chose to wear the colors of the English champions of that year, whoever they might be, and have since then worn the black and white stripes of Newcastle United. They won the first title after the Icelandic league was divided into two division in 1955, and in 1959 when the 1st Division was played on a home-and-away basis for the first time. KR also won the first Cup competition in 1960. KR was the first Icelandic club to play in European competition, facing Liverpool in 1964 (The game was also Liverpool's first European game). KR’s women's team was also the first Icelandic contender in Europe, entering the inaugural European Competition in 2001.
Recent success has made decades of waiting for major trophies look like the distant past. When KR won their twentieth title in 1968, it was regarded as yet another title. No one could have foreseen that the club would have to wait for 31 years until its next success. Relegation to the Second Division in 1977 and heart-breaking near misses in 1990, 1996 and 1998, when KR lost out in the title race on the final day, only seemed to strengthen the solidarity within the club.
In KR’s centenary year in 1999 the men's team ended its long quest for glory in the most spectacular manner. The team had not won the league title for 31 years but nothing could stop them that year. They clinched the title with a 4-0 win over Víkingur in the penultimate round and then beat ÍA 3-1 in the cup final in front of a capacity crowd at the national stadium. The women's team was equally successful, winning the league and the cup, and KR celebrated its centenary year with an unprecedented double-double.
In total, the men's team has won the league title 24 times and the cup ten times and during the last decade the women's team has won six league titles and twice won the cup. The men's team has three times won the double, in 1961, 1963 and in 1999.
Club crests: (roll on the crest to get more informations)
Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur - Founded on February 16th 1899
