Göteborgs Atlet- & Idrottssällskap - last updated on 18 October 2007
(Courtesy of Johnny Beaufays)
Club name: Göteborgs Atlet- & Idrottssällskap
Foundation: March 11th 1894
City: Göteborg
Colours: Black, green and white
Website: www.gais.se
Honours:
Allsvenskan - 4 (1919, 1922, 1930–31, 1953–54)
Svenska Serien - 1 (1923–24)
Svenska Mästerskapet - 2 (1919, 1922)
Svenska Cupen - 1 (1942)
A bit of history:
GAIS was founded 11 March 1894 at Ehdlunds Café, a café in the city centre. The founders had created the club in "patriotic purposes and to promote all kinds of sports". The main activities were athletics and different kinds of strength sports. A football section was formed in 1897, and the first official game was played against local rivals Örgryte IS in 1903. GAIS first appearance in the highest league at the time, Svenska Serien was in 1915/16, finishing in fourth place. In 1919 the club won its first national championship beating Djurgårdens IF away in the finals. The same procedure would be repeated in 1922, this time against another Stockholm team, Hammarby IF.
GAIS won the first season of Allsvenskan in 1924/25, two points ahead of local rivals IFK Göteborg. The feat was to be repeated in 1926/27, this time three points ahead of IFK Göteborg. Unfortunately, league champions didn't get recognised as national champions in the 1920's, but this was changed in 1930/31. GAIS won this year as well, six points ahead of AIK and IFK Göteborg.
During the 30's GAIS slowly lost the dominance the club had exercised over Allsvenskan since its foundation, and in 1938 the club was relegated. Having spent three years in the second division, GAIS returned to Allsvenskan with a vengeance for the season of 1941/42 when the club finished in second place, and later in 1942 won Svenska Cupen for its first (and until today only) time.
The club then remained in Allsvenskan throughout the 1940's and the early 1950's, quite unexpectedly winning its fourth national championship one single point ahead of Helsingborgs IF in the season of 1953/54. The following year, equally unexpectedly, disaster struck when the club finished third last and was relegated.
GAIS returned to Allsvenskan the following season (1955/56), but from the mid-50's the club lost its former continuity and would never spend more than five years in a row in Allsvenskan. Thus, the club was relegated in 1959 and spent four seasons in the second division, returning to Allsvenskan briefly in 1964, returning to the second division in 1965 but was promoted to Allsvenskan again in 1966. Between 1966-1975 GAIS remained in allsvenskan, except for a year in the second division in 1971, and in 1975 the club made its first appearance in the UEFA cup playing Śląsk Wrocław in the first leg. GAIS lost out to the polish club after winning 2-1 at home but losing 2-4 away. The very same year GAIS got relegated from Allsvenskan for the sixth time, this time due to scoring two goals less than Halmstads BK.
The relegation in 1975 would in retrospect prove to be a turning point for the worse in the history of GAIS. Unable to qualify for Allsvenskan in 1976, and furthermore losing the qualifying spot to now arch-rivals IFK Göteborg, GAIS lost the position as Gothenburg's leading team that had been enjoyed throughout the early 70's. The club consistently failed to qualify for Allsvenskan during the following five years, and in 1981, due to economical problems and a surprisingly weak performance by the squad, GAIS got relegated to the swedish third division.
Unable to make it back up to the second division in 1982, the future of GAIS looked bleak. But due to a massive performance in the latter part of the season of 1983 the club secured the qualifying spot seven points ahead of IK Oddevold, and beat Mönsterås GoIF in the qualifying round for the second division.
In 1984, GAIS made what was to become one of the club's most spectacular signings to this date. Tunisian midfielder Samir Bakaou left his former club Étoile Sportive de Sahel to join the Gothenburg side, and proved to be the injection of flair and energy that the club had been needing so badly. With "the Black Pearl" as playmaker and notorious goalscorer, GAIS was once again a force to be reckoned with and made it to the qualifying round to Allsvenskan in 1985, only to lose out to Djurgårdens IF after a penalty shoot-out in a highly controversial game.
Failing to qualify in 1986 as well, GAIS finally made it back to Allsvenskan in 1987. Eleven long years of struggling in the lower series were over. For the second time in club history, GAIS made it to the finals of Svenska Cupen as well, but lost out 2-0 to opposing side Kalmar FF
2006 was the season, when GAIS returned to Allsvenskan after spending most of the 90's and the 00's in the second and third divisions. One of their most memorable victories of the season was beating Djurgårdens IF 2-0 away at Stockholms Stadion.
Club crests: (roll on the crest to get more informations)
Göteborgs Atlet- & Idrottssällskap
