Superfinalen - History

History

There have previously been attempts at pre-season friendlies between the reigning league and cup champions. For instance, the 2002 pre-season match between Rosenborg and Viking was played between the reigning league and cup champions, although it had no official status. Superfinalen was the first attempt to make an official tournament. Such a super cup is common between the domestic league and cup winners in many European countries, such as the English Charity Shield. Superfinalen also introduced philanthropy into such a match: the game was to be baked into a larger television event which would include concerts and entertainment in an attempt to generate revenue for charity. The matchday profits from the inaugural season were, along with the television fundraising, given to UNICEF, who used the revenue to fund part of a school project in Africa, which had been fronted by Ole Gunnar Solskjær.

The first season was organized as a trial project by the Football Association of Norway (NFF), Norsk Toppfotball (NTF), the clubs Stabæk and Vålerenga, and broadcaster TV2. The 2009 edition was regarded as a success by NFF and it was decided to continue with a new edition for 2010, which was held between Rosenborg and Aalesund.

Ahead of the 2011 season, NFF and NTF stated that Superfinalen would be discontinued, stating that the championship was interesting neither from a sports nor from a commercial aspect. However, the two would-be qualified teams, league winner Rosenborg and cup winner Strømsgodset, were free to play a pre-season friendly, although it would not be regarded as an official match. Rosenborg has traditionally played its final pre-season game against Viking and stated that they intended to take up that tradition following the abandoning of Superfinalen.