# Vålerenga Fotball Damer

Vålerenga Fotball Damer is the women's football branch of Vålerenga Fotball. Based in Oslo, the team plays in Norway's top league, Toppserien.
The team first won promotion to Toppserien in 2011 after earning promotion from the First Division. This made Vålerenga the third Norwegian club with both a men's team and a women's team in the top-tier league, and the first club to have its own women's team win promotion to Toppserien, as the two other clubs, Stabæk Fotball and Lillestrøm SK, inherited another club's women's team.
In 2020, the club made record by winning the Toppserien and the NM Kvinner, their first major titles after finishing runners-up at the previous editions.

## History

Founded in 1913, Vålerenga established a women's team for the first time in 1982. After several seasons in lower divisions, Vålerenga decided to make a restart in 1991. They temporarily put down their women's first team, and focused on building youth teams for the next five years. Based on the players coming through their youth teams, they restarted their women's first team in 1996 at the fifth tier of Norwegian football. They were promoted several times the following years, and played at the second tier in the 2000 season.
After spending years at the second and third tier, The team won promotion from the First Division to Toppserien in 2011. This made Vålerenga the third Norwegian club with both a men's team and a women's team in the top-tier league, and the first club to have its own women's team win promotion to Toppserien, as the two other clubs, Stabæk Fotball and Lillestrøm SK, inherited another club's women's team.
In the following years, Vålerenga established itself at the top tier of Norwegian football. In 2015, the board of Vålerenga Fotball stated that by 2020 the club should be a leading club in women's football.
After playing indoors in Vallhall Arena for several years, Vålerenga moved into the newly built Intility Arena in 2017. The first match played at the stadium was the Toppserien game against Kolbotn, which Vålerenga won 2–0. In 2017 they also reached the Norwegian Cup Final for the first time, which they lost 0–1 to Avaldsnes.
In 2020, the club won the Double, winning both the Toppserien and the NM Kvinner for the first time in the club's history. They won 2–0 against LSK Kvinner in the Cup Final, and were also ending LSK Kvinner's streak of six consecutive league titles. In 2023, Vålerenga won their second league title.
Vålerenga qualified for the UEFA Women's Champions League group stage for the first time in the 2024–25 season.

## Players
### Current squad

    As of 29 September 2024
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 1 | GK | SWE | Tove Enblom |
| 2 | DF | NOR | Sara Hørte |
| 3 | DF | USA | Michaela Kovacs |
| 4 | DF | NOR | Iselin Sandnes Olsen |
| 5 | DF | NOR | Selma Pettersen |
| 6 | MF | SWE | Tilde Lindwall |
| 7 | MF | DEN | Janni Thomsen (captain) |
| 8 | MF | SWE | Linn Vickius |
| 9 | FW | NOR | Elise Thorsnes |
| 10 | MF | NOR | Olaug Tvedten |
| 11 | MF | NOR | Emma Stølen Godø |
| 13 | FW | NOR | Mimmi Löfwenius |
| 14 | FW | NOR | Mawa Sesay |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 15 | MF | NOR | Ylinn Tennebø |
| 16 | MF | NOR | Ronja Arnesen |
| 18 | MF | NOR | Thea Bjelde (vice-captain) |
| 19 | MF | ISL | Sædís Rún Heiðarsdóttir |
| 20 | FW | NOR | Tuva Espås |
| 21 | FW | NOR | Karina Sævik |
| 22 | MF | NOR | Tomine Enger |
| 27 | DF | NOR | Lina Klech |
| 30 | MF | NOR | Stine Brekken |
| 31 | GK | NOR | Thiril Erichsen |
| 32 | GK | USA | Jalen Tompkins |
| 41 | GK | NOR | Pia Grinde-Hansen |
| — | FW | SWE | Felicia Rogic |

### Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 17 | DF | NOR | Ane Jørgensen (at Hønefoss) |
| 29 | FW | NOR | Mari Nyhagen (at Røa) |

### Coaching staff

| Position | Name |
| Director of football | Steinar Pedersen |
| Head coach | Nils Lexerød |
| Assistant coach | Aleksander Olsen |
| Player developer and analysis | Simon Hansen |
| Goalkeeper coach | Andreas Thorsen Schoute |
| Fitness coach | Luciano Arias |
| Head of medical | Helene Moa |
| Physio | Siri Nesheim |
| Equipment manager | Henning Aamodt |

### Notable former players

* Hanne Mellingsæter
* Solveig Gulbrandsen
* Tina Wulff
* Johanne Fridlund
* Ingrid Søndenå
* Maren Hauge
* Theresa Eslund
* Tinja-Riikka Korpela
* Jenna Dear
* Natasha Dowie
* Ingrid Schjelderup
* Isabell Herlovsen
* Ajara Njoya
* Sherida Spitse
* Sigrid Heien Hansen
* Celin Bizet Ildhusøy
* Marie Dølvik Markussen
* Rikke Marie Madsen
* Synne Jensen
* Dejana Stefanović
* Andrine Tomter
* Stine Ballisager Pedersen
* Ingibjörg Sigurðardóttir
* Guro Pettersen

## Managers

| Period | Manager |
| 2005–2007 | Kjell Gustad |
| 2008 | Arne Berger |
| 2009–2013 | Cecilie Berg-Hansen |
| 2014 | Glenn Rostad |
| 2015 | Leif Tsolis |
| 2016 | David Brocken |
| 2016–2017 | Kjell Gustad |
| 2018–2019 | Monica Knudsen |
| 2020–2021 | Jack Majgaard Jensen |
| 2022–present | Nils Lexerød |

## Recent seasons

    Season Pos. Pl. W D L GS GA P Cup Notes 2010 1. divisjon 3 221165 382439 Second round 2011 1. divisjon ↑ 1 201433 522245 Third round Promoted to Toppserien 2012 Toppserien 8 226511 274723 Third round 2013 Toppserien 5 22886 413732 Semi-final 2014 Toppserien 7 229310 274530 Third round 2015 Toppserien 10 226313 224221 Third round 2016 Toppserien 9 226511 254823 Third round 2017 Toppserien 7 221048 383334 Final 2018 Toppserien 6 221039 373533 Quarter-final 2019 Toppserien 2 221444 412446 Final 2020 Toppserien 1 181152 391438 Winners 2021 Toppserien 4 181125 461735 Winners 2022 Toppserien 2 181233 481239 Quarter-final 6411 16315 2023 Toppserien 1 271782 682859 Final
Source:

### Honours

* Toppserien:
** Winners: 2020, 2023, 2024
** Runners-up: 2019, 2022
* 1. divisjon:
** Winners: 2011
* Norwegian Women's Cup:
** Winners: 2020, 2021, 2024
** Runners-up: 2017, 2019, 2023