Boldklubben Frem, to give them their full title, is a semi-professional football club who are located in the south-western Valby-Sydhavnen area of Copenhagen. Frem were formed on the 17th July 1886 as Fremskridtsklubbens Cricketklub.
The
young studious men who formed the club were from the Venstre Reform Party,
which was hostile to the government of the time. The club was a mask to hide
political activity. Football was introduced, with the club changing their name
to Boldklubben Frem, stiftet af Fremskridtsklubben, meaning ‘The Ball Club
Forward, founded by the Progress Club’.
The
club were Copenhagen Cricket Champions in 1894 and 1898.
In 1905, the club moved to
its own field at Enghavevej, Vesterbro, to enhance its working-class profile.
The club won the official championship of Denmark in 1922-23, 1930-31, 1932-33,
1935-36, 1940-41 and 1943-44. The final two of those triumphs saw Sophus Johansen manage the team.
The last of those titles came after Frem moved to Valby Idrætspark in 1942. For many years, Frem continued along in the top flight. In 1956, a 1-0 victory over AB (Akademisk Boldklub) saw the club lift the Danish Cup in front of 23,000 fans at Idrætsparken in Copenhagen as Bent Jørgensen starred with John Hansen managing the team.
The
1967-68 season saw the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup football arrive with a defeat to Athletic
Bilbao, with Ivan Jessen as team manager. Further forays into the UEFA Cup lasted no further than the second
round, as team managers included John Kramer and, later, Kell Larsen.
In 1978, the Danish Cup was won for a second time. Esbjerg fB were beaten
5-4 on penalties after a replay at Idrætsparken in front of a poor gate of just
2,300. The 1980s saw Frem hit financial problems.
Eventually, the club was declared
bankrupt in 1993 and was demoted to the fourth tier Denmark Series as the
debts built up and the club was accused of fraud. Frem pulled themselves around and fought their way back to the second-tier First Division. The 2002-03 season saw the side finish in second place and win promotion to the Superliga.
However, this would be a solitary campaign in the top flight as they finished second bottom.
After settling back into First Division football, the club went bankrupt once again in 2010. This time, they were demoted to the fifth-tier Copenhagen Series. Brewing giants Carlsberg decided to lend their neighbours a helping hand by offering sponsorship.
This kind gesture led to Frem battling back to the third-tier Second Division. The team narrowly missed out on promotion after the Championship Round in 2015-16, which was followed by a mid-table finish the following season after being transferred to Group 1 in the regular season. A ninth overall position came in 2017-18.
Frem ended as top of the Relegation Group in 2018-19 under manager Lasse Holmgaard before winning a place in the Promotion Group in 2019-20 when the season was suspended owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. The side went down when Henrik Gundersen was manager.
The team regathered to regain their status in 2021-22 as Danish league football was reorganised around that time. The following season saw Frem go down from the streamlined single division to the fourth-tier 3rd Division.
The side won the title in 2023-24 to return to the 2nd Division. However, once again their spell at the higher level only lasted twelve months as they were again relegated, as Daniel Pederson was appointed as manager in January 2025.
BK Frem will play in the Danish 3rd Division in the 2025-26 season.
My
visit
Sunday 8th November 2015
Copenhagen
had lived up to my expectations. I was only there for a day, primarily to
sightsee and go to the high-octane local derby between Brøndby IF and F.C.
København. However, after a good walk around the city centre, I wasn’t going to
pass up the opportunity to go and visit a couple of local clubs on the way to
my match.
The
regular service took me from Nørreport station to Ny Ellebjerg St. I
immediately spotted the tall floodlights of Valby Idrætspark, but I was at a
total loss on how to leave the station on the same side.
After
going this way and that, I set off on a long walk along Carl Jacobsens Veg and
then over the railway bridge down the main Gammel Køge Landevej. I was
determined not to check the map App on my iPhone, but when I hit the junction
by McDonald's, I gave in.
It’s
as well that I did. I would have continued instead of going under the other
railway along Ellebjergveg and Julius Andersens Veg past the clubhouse and to
the stadium entrance. It appeared that there was residential accommodation for
sportsmen and women adjoining the stadium.
The
main gates were shut, so I went down the alley and found a blue gate that was
unlocked, so I went inside for a proper look. Valby
Idrætspark was a proper old football ground. The standout feature was the
multi-barrelled all-seated Main Stand.
This was built in 1965. The
near end behind the goal had two small sections of open standing on frames. The
far end appeared to be similar. The far touchline had around ten rows of open
terracing down the full length of the pitch.
There
were plenty of facilities for fans behind the goal, by way of snack bars and a
club shop. Litter was still on the floor from the previous evening’s clash,
which had seen Frem maintain their spot at the top of the table following a 3-2
win against Nykøbing.
I
departed and headed towards my next port of call, Hvidovre IF. I was delighted
to find a nearby bus stop that would take me directly!