Vejle Boldklub (Vejle [Foot]ball club), often simply referred to as VB, is a Danish professional football club, from the town of Vejle. The club was founded on May 3 1891 as a cricket club, and football was introduced at the club in 1902. VB has traditionally been a successful part of Danish football since the 1950s, with five Danish championship and six Danish Cup titles. Since relegation in 1991, the club has struggled to retain a stable position in the top Danish Superliga division. Vejle are currently at the top of the Danish 1st Division, the second best Danish league, and they are clear favourites to be promoted. The team has had a spectacularly good start to the 2007/08 season scoring 40 goals in 12 matches and they see themself topping the division.
VB joined the Danish 3rd Division in 1936, and secured promotion for the 2nd Division in 1940. After the end of World War II in 1945, VB once again started in the 3rd Division but won promotion to the 2nd Division once more in 1952. The following year, the center forwardBent Sørensen became the first VB player who was called up for the Danish national team. In 1956, VB where promoted to the best Danish division, then known as the 1st Division. Vejle Boldklub won its first Danish championship in its only second try, when Danish national team forward Henning Enoksen guided the club to the 1958 Danish championship title. The club also won two Danish Cup trophies in 1958 and 1959.
The 1970s & 1980s
2000: Allan Simonsen in the VB jersey, at an old boys match.
Through the 1970s and 1980s, Vejle fostered many successful Danish football players. The most prolific among them was Allan Simonsen, one of the few worldwide stars in Danish football history who were named European Footballer of the Year in 1977. Simonsen helped VB win the 1971 and 1972 championships, before moving abroad to play professionally. Vejle continued to win the Danish championship in 1978, in a season which also saw the club reach the quarter-finals of the international European Cup Winners' Cup 1977-78 tournament. In the 1980s, VB's domestic success manifested itself. As the club won its sixth Danish Cup 1981, the cup trophy was given to VB as property. Likewise, the Danish championship trophy became VB property when the returned Allan Simonsen lead the club to its fifth Danish championship in 1984. In 1988, Vejle Boldklub was introduced to professional football, with the founding of Vejle Boldklubs Afdeling For Betalt Fodbold A/S, the branch for paid football in VB.
The 1990s & 2000s
In 1990, Vejle took part in their first UEFA Cup international tournament, but as Vejle Boldklub had a bad 1991 season, the club was relegated to the second best division, after a record number of 35 seasons in the best league. For the next decade, VB had a varied set of results, moving from 1st Division to the best division, now named the Danish Superliga, twice. Vejle finished runners-up in the Danish Superliga 1996-97 season, but the club failed to keep a number of its leading players, most notably later national team player Thomas Gravesen. VB once again moved out of the Superliga in 2002. For the 2005-06 season, VB player Henrik Toft was named best 1st Division player of the year, as the club won promotion for the Danish Superliga. Their 2006-07 season, however, got off to a horrible start, with the team losing their first nine Superliga-matches, and not notching up a victory until their 13th match, when they beat FC Nordsjælland 3-2. After that win, they managed to get another 3 points against Randers FC, from there until the 21st round they just managed to score two points. On April 2, 2007, manager Kim Poulsen was fired. The day before, the team had lost by 4-0 against Brøndby IF, committing three penalties in the process. Ove Christensen succeeded Kim Poulsen as manager shortly after. The club managed to finish the season with several victories, including three home wins in a row against Brøndby IF, Viborg FF and Esbjerg fB with an aggregated score of 8-0. But these results were not enough to secure them another year in the best Danish league and VB finished three and four points behind AC Horsens and Viborg FF on the 10th and 9th place. The 2007-08 season has so far been a success for VB, winning all their four matches and leading the 1st Division. At 26th July 2007, Vejle BK got Kaka's cousin Eduardo Delani Santos Leite on 1 year deal.
Lars Skou
