IFK Kristianstad
Idrottsföreningen Kamraterna Kristianstad (pronounced [krɪˈɧǎnːsta, -ɑːd]), or IFK Kristianstad, is a Swedish professional handball club based in Kristianstad. They play in Handbollsligan, the top level of Swedish men's handball. The club was founded in 1899 as a multi-sport club. The handball team made its debut in 1925 and has been the only section of the club since 2000. The club plays its home matches at Kristianstad Arena.
| IFK Kristianstad | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Idrottsföreningen Kamraterna Kristianstad | ||
| Short name | Kristianstad, IFK (locally) | ||
| Founded | 7 November 1899 | ||
| Arena | Kristianstad Arena, Kristianstad | ||
| Capacity | 4700 | ||
| President | Johan Cosmo | ||
| Head coach | Stian Tønnesen | ||
| League | Handbollsligan | ||
| 2022–23 | |||
| Club colours | |||
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| Website Official site | |||
Kristianstad have won nine Swedish Championship (SM) gold medals. They won their first gold in 1941. From 1946 to 1957 they were a consistent top team, finishing in the top four every year and winning three golds. They were again a contender in the 1970s, losing the final in 1975. In the 1980s and 1990s, they mainly yo-yoed between the top two divisions. After spending the entire 2000s decade outside the top flight, Kristianstad enjoyed a massive resurgence in the 2010s, culminating in four consecutive golds from 2015 to 2018. In 2023 they won another SM gold as well as their first Swedish Cup title.
In 2018–19, the team had an average attendance of 4271, the highest in Swedish handball. While the club, like most Idrottsföreningen Kamraterna (IFK) clubs, has a blue and white logo, its shirt colour is orange. The club uses the slogan Sveriges häftigaste handbollsklubb ("Sweden's coolest handball club").