# 2017 Eliteserien

The 2017 Eliteserien was the 73rd completed season of top-tier football in Norway. The season began on 1 April 2017 and ended on 26 November 2017, not including play-off matches. This was first season of Eliteserien as rebranding from Tippeligaen. Rosenborg were the defending champions, while Kristiansund and Sandefjord entered as the promoted teams from the 2016 1. divisjon.
The 2017 season saw the name of the league change from Tippeligaen (named after sponsor Norsk Tipping) to Eliteserien, a non-sponsor affiliated name controlled by the Football Association of Norway. Rosenborg won their third consecutive title and 25th top-flight title overall, with two games to spare. Rosenborg conceded only 20 goals during the season, a league record.

## Overview
### Rebranding

On 28 August 2016, the Football Association of Norway (NFF) and Norsk Toppfotball announced a rebrand; beginning with the 2017 season, the competition was known simply as Eliteserien, without any sponsor's name attached. As part of the rebranding, a new logo was introduced.

### Summary

Rosenborg won their third consecutive title and 25th top-flight title overall. Rosenborg were the defending champions, while Kristiansund and Sandefjord entered as the promoted teams from the 2016 1. divisjon.
Rosenborg won the league with two games to spare. Aalesund and Viking were relegated directly. Fourteenth-finishers Sogndal were relegated after losing the play-off final to Ranheim.

## Teams

Sixteen teams competed in the league – the top fourteen teams from the previous season, and two teams promoted from the 1. divisjon. The promoted teams were Kristiansund (first season in the top-flight) and Sandefjord, (returning to the top flight after a season's absence). They replaced Bodø/Glimt and Start ending their top flight spells of three and four years respectively.

### Stadia and locations

    Note: Table lists in alphabetical order.
| Team | Ap. | Location | Arena | Turf | Capacity |
| Aalesund | 16 | Ålesund | Color Line Stadion | Artificial | 10,778 |
| Brann | 60 | Bergen | Brann Stadion | Natural | 17,686 |
| Haugesund | 11 | Haugesund | Haugesund Stadion | Natural | 8,754 |
| Kristiansund | 1 | Kristiansund | Kristiansund Stadion | Artificial | 4,000 |
| Lillestrøm | 54 | Lillestrøm | Åråsen Stadion | Natural | 12,250 |
| Molde | 41 | Molde | Aker Stadion | Artificial | 11,800 |
| Odd | 36 | Skien | Skagerak Arena | Artificial | 12,500 |
| Rosenborg | 54 | Trondheim | Lerkendal Stadion | Natural | 21,405 |
| Sandefjord | 6 | Sandefjord | Komplett Arena | Natural | 6,582 |
| Sarpsborg 08 | 6 | Sarpsborg | Sarpsborg Stadion | Artificial | 4,700 |
| Sogndal | 18 | Sogndal | Fosshaugane Campus | Artificial | 5,539 |
| Stabæk | 21 | Bærum | Nadderud Stadion | Natural | 7,000 |
| Strømsgodset | 30 | Drammen | Marienlyst Stadion | Artificial | 8,935 |
| Tromsø | 30 | Tromsø | Alfheim Stadion | Artificial | 6,859 |
| Vålerenga | 57 | Oslo | Intility Arena | Artificial | 17,233 |
| Viking | 68 | Stavanger | Viking Stadion | Natural | 16,300 |

### Personnel and kits

| Team | Manager | Kit manufacturer | Sponsor |
| Aalesund | Trond Fredriksen | Umbro | Sparebanken Møre |
| Brann | Lars Arne Nilsen | Nike | Sparebanken Vest |
| Haugesund | Eirik Horneland | Macron | Haugaland Kraft |
| Kristiansund | Christian Michelsen | Umbro | SpareBank 1 Nordvest |
| Lillestrøm | Arne Erlandsen | Legea | DNB |
| Molde | Ole Gunnar Solskjær | Nike | Sparebanken Møre |
| Odd | Dag-Eilev Fagermo | New Balance | SpareBank 1 Telemark |
| Rosenborg | Kåre Ingebrigtsen | Adidas | SpareBank 1 SMN |
| Sandefjord | Lars Bohinen | Macron | Jotun |
| Sarpsborg 08 | Geir Bakke | Select | Borregaard |
| Sogndal | Eirik Bakke | Umbro | Sparebanken Vest |
| Stabæk | Antoni Ordinas | Macron | SpareBank 1 Østlandet |
| Strømsgodset | Tor Ole Skullerud | Puma | DNB |
| Tromsø | Simo Valakari | Select | Sparebanken Nord-Norge |
| Vålerenga | Ronny Deila | Umbro | DNB |
| Viking | Bjarte Lunde Aarsheim (caretaker) | Diadora | Lyse |

### Managerial changes

| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment | Table |
| Viking | Kjell Jonevret | Mutual agreement | 14 November 2016 | Pre-season | Ian Burchnall | 24 November 2016 | Pre-season |
| Tromsø | Bård Flovik | Sacked | 26 June 2017 | 15th | Simo Valakari | 12 July 2017 | 15th |
| Viking | Ian Burchnall | Sacked | 9 November 2017 | 16th | Bjarte Lunde Aarsheim (caretaker) | 9 November 2017 | 16th |

## League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Rosenborg (C) | 30 | 18 | 7 | 5 | 57 | 20 | +37 | 61 | Qualification for the Champions League first qualifying round |
| 2 | Molde | 30 | 16 | 6 | 8 | 50 | 35 | +15 | 54 | Qualification for the Europa League first qualifying round |
| 3 | Sarpsborg 08 | 30 | 13 | 12 | 5 | 50 | 36 | +14 | 51 | Qualification for the Europa League first qualifying round |
| 4 | Strømsgodset | 30 | 14 | 8 | 8 | 45 | 37 | +8 | 50 | |
| 5 | Brann | 30 | 13 | 8 | 9 | 51 | 36 | +15 | 47 | |
| 6 | Odd | 30 | 12 | 6 | 12 | 27 | 39 | −12 | 42 | |
| 7 | Kristiansund | 30 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 44 | 46 | −2 | 40 | |
| 8 | Vålerenga | 30 | 11 | 6 | 13 | 48 | 46 | +2 | 39 | |
| 9 | Stabæk | 30 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 46 | 50 | −4 | 39 | |
| 10 | Haugesund | 30 | 11 | 6 | 13 | 35 | 39 | −4 | 39 | |
| 11 | Tromsø | 30 | 10 | 8 | 12 | 42 | 49 | −7 | 38 | |
| 12 | Lillestrøm | 30 | 10 | 7 | 13 | 40 | 43 | −3 | 37 | Qualification for the Europa League second qualifying round |
| 13 | Sandefjord | 30 | 11 | 3 | 16 | 38 | 51 | −13 | 36 | |
| 14 | Sogndal (R) | 30 | 8 | 8 | 14 | 38 | 48 | −10 | 32 | Qualification for the relegation play-offs |
| 15 | Aalesund (R) | 30 | 8 | 8 | 14 | 38 | 50 | −12 | 32 | Relegation to First Division |
| 16 | Viking (R) | 30 | 6 | 6 | 18 | 33 | 57 | −24 | 24 | Relegation to First Division |
* ↑ Lillestrøm qualified for the Europa League second qualifying round as winners of the 2017 Norwegian Cup.

## Positions by round

| Team ╲ Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
| Rosenborg | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Molde | 6 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Sarpsborg 08 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Strømsgodset | 4 | 11 | 8 | 10 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Brann | 8 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Odd | 16 | 12 | 14 | 9 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 6 |
| Kristiansund | 11 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 7 |
| Vålerenga | 7 | 7 | 9 | 15 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 8 |
| Stabæk | 3 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 9 |
| Haugesund | 14 | 9 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
| Tromsø | 9 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 11 |
| Lillestrøm | 5 | 8 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 12 |
| Sandefjord | 10 | 16 | 13 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 13 |
| Sogndal | 15 | 6 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 16 | 15 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 14 |
| Aalesund | 13 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 15 |
| Viking | 12 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
* Leader
* 2018–19 UEFA Europa League first qualifying round
* Relegation play-offs
* Relegation to 2018 1. divisjon

## Relegation play-offs

The 14th-placed team, Sogndal took part in a two-legged play-off against Ranheim, the winners of the 1. divisjon promotion play-offs, to decide who would play in the 2018 Eliteserien.
1–1 on aggregate. Ranheim won 5–4 on penalties.

## Results

| Home \ Away | AAL | BRA | HAU | KRI | LIL | MOL | ODD | ROS | SND | SRP | SOG | STB | STM | TRO | VÅL | VIK |
| Aalesund | — | 3–3 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 0–3 | 5–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 4–3 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 |
| Brann | 1–1 | — | 3–1 | 0–4 | 2–0 | 4–1 | 2–0 | 0–3 | 5–0 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 5–0 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 1–1 |
| Haugesund | 2–0 | 2–3 | — | 2–3 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 4–3 | 2–1 |
| Kristiansund | 1–1 | 1–0 | 3–2 | — | 1–1 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 3–3 | 3–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 4–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 |
| Lillestrøm | 4–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–0 | — | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–3 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 4–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 |
| Molde | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 2–1 | — | 2–1 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 4–0 | 3–2 |
| Odd | 3–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–2 | — | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–5 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 0–2 |
| Rosenborg | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 4–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 3–0 | — | 5–1 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 2–0 |
| Sandefjord | 2–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 3–3 | 0–0 | 0–3 | — | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 |
| Sarpsborg 08 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 5–1 | 3–3 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 5–0 | — | 3–1 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–0 |
| Sogndal | 1–0 | 2–3 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 0–3 | 3–2 | 3–3 | — | 4–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 5–2 | 4–0 |
| Stabæk | 3–1 | 2–0 | 0–3 | 1–4 | 2–4 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–3 | 3–0 | 1–1 | — | 0–2 | 1–2 | 4–2 | 1–1 |
| Strømsgodset | 1–1 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 4–2 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 1–2 | — | 2–1 | 2–0 | 4–2 |
| Tromsø | 3–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 5–0 | 3–0 | 0–3 | 1–1 | — | 2–4 | 3–0 |
| Vålerenga | 5–1 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | — | 1–0 |
| Viking | 1–2 | 2–4 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2–3 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–7 | — |

## Season statistics
### Top scorers

| Rank | Player | Club | Goals | Games | Average |
| 1 | Nicklas Bendtner | Rosenborg | 19 | 29 | 0,66 |
| 2 | Ohi Omoijuanfo | Stabæk | 17 | 27 | 0,63 |
| 3 | Björn Bergmann Sigurðarson | Molde | 16 | 27 | 0,59 |
| 3 | Mos | Aalesund | 16 | 30 | 0,53 |
| 5 | Patrick Mortensen | Sarpsborg 08 | 12 | 30 | 0,40 |
| 6 | Eirik Ulland Andersen | Strømsgodset | 11 | 26 | 0,42 |
| 7 | Flamur Kastrati | Sandefjord | 10 | 25 | 0,40 |
| 7 | Thomas Lehne Olsen | Tromsø | 10 | 28 | 0,36 |
| 7 | Bassel Jradi | Strømsgodset | 10 | 29 | 0,34 |
| 7 | Benjamin Stokke | Kristiansund | 10 | 30 | 0,33 |

### Hat-tricks

| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
| Ohi Omoijuanfo | Stabæk | Aalesund | 3–1 (H) | 2 April 2017 |
| Ohi Omoijuanfo | Stabæk | Sarpsborg 08 | 3–0 (H) | 17 April 2017 |
| Gilbert Koomson | Sogndal | Viking | 4–0 (H) | 13 May 2017 |
| Erling Knudtzon | Lillestrøm | Tromsø | 4–1 (H) | 28 May 2017 |
| Lars Veldwijk | Aalesund | Odd | 5–1 (H) | 25 June 2017 |
| Benjamin Stokke | Kristiansund | Stabæk | 4–1 (A) | 25 June 2017 |
| Simen Juklerød | Vålerenga | Viking | 7–1 (A) | 22 October 2017 |
| Mos | Aalesund | Strømsgodset | 4–3 (H) | 26 November 2017 |

#### Notes

(H) – Home team (A) – Away team

### Clean sheets

| Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets |
| 1 | Per Kristian Bråtveit | Haugesund | 12 |
| 2 | André Hansen | Rosenborg | 11 |
| 3 | Andreas Linde | Molde | 10 |
| 3 | Sondre Rossbach | Odd | 10 |
| 5 | Anders Kristiansen | Sarpsborg 08 | 9 |
| 6 | Ingvar Jónsson | Sandefjord | 8 |
| 6 | Piotr Leciejewski | Brann | 8 |
| 8 | Mathias Dyngeland | Sogndal | 6 |
| 8 | Gudmund Kongshavn | Tromsø | 6 |
| 8 | Sean McDermott | Kristiansund | 6 |
| 8 | Arnold Origi | Lillestrøm | 6 |
| 8 | Espen Bugge Pettersen | Strømsgodset | 6 |

### Discipline
#### Player

* Most yellow cards: 7
** Flamur Kastrati (Sandefjord)
** Kaj Ramsteijn (Aalesund)
* Most red cards: 2
** Andreas Albech (Sarpsborg 08)
** Victor Demba Bindia (Sandefjord)

#### Club

* Most yellow cards: 54
** Sandefjord
* Most red cards: 4
** Viking

### Attendances

| Pos | Team | Total | High | Low | Average | Change |
| 1 | Rosenborg | 263,892 | 21,112 | 15,271 | 17,593 | 0.0%$^†$ |
| 2 | Brann | 177,881 | 17,009 | 8,706 | 11,859 | −4.2%$^†$ |
| 3 | Vålerenga | 145,543 | 17,011 | 5,844 | 9,703 | +6.9%$^†$ |
| 4 | Molde | 116,780 | 10,720 | 6,635 | 7,785 | −7.2%$^†$ |
| 5 | Viking | 110,705 | 9,838 | 6,157 | 7,380 | −16.3%$^†$ |
| 6 | Odd | 106,593 | 9,049 | 6,164 | 7,106 | −11.6%$^†$ |
| 7 | Strømsgodset | 94,078 | 7,706 | 5,575 | 6,272 | −8.1%$^†$ |
| 8 | Aalesund | 90,937 | 9,062 | 5,178 | 6,062 | −4.8%$^†$ |
| 9 | Lillestrøm | 84,430 | 8,552 | 4,280 | 5,629 | −3.9%$^†$ |
| 10 | Sarpsborg 08 | 70,519 | 5,759 | 4,091 | 4,701 | +21.3%$^†$ |
| 11 | Haugesund | 66,827 | 6,100 | 3,709 | 4,455 | −14.5%$^†$ |
| 12 | Sandefjord | 60,175 | 6,103 | 3,034 | 4,012 | +38.1%$^†$ |
| 13 | Stabæk | 59,401 | 4,938 | 3,310 | 3,960 | +4.0%$^†$ |
| 14 | Kristiansund | 57,367 | 4,126 | 3,392 | 3,824 | +88.6%$^†$ |
| 15 | Tromsø | 53,947 | 5,445 | 3,068 | 3,596 | −11.3%$^†$ |
| 16 | Sogndal | 48,697 | 5,600 | 2,237 | 3,246 | +3.3%$^†$ |
| | League total | 1,607,772 | 21,112 | 2,237 | 6,699 | −3.9%$^†$ |
Updated to games played on 26 November 2017 Source: nifs.no

## Awards

| Award | Winner | Club |
| Player of the Year | Tore Reginiussen | Rosenborg |
| Breakthrough of the Year | Krépin Diatta | Sarpsborg 08 |
| Manager of the Year | Kåre Ingebrigtsen | Rosenborg |
| Goal of the Year | Nicklas Bendtner | Rosenborg |