To Trondheim, where I come face to face with Rosenborg Ballklub's impressive young CEO Tore Bjørseth Berdal (and European Club Association (ECA) board member) to discuss the challenges of restoring one of European football's fallen dynasties back to glory.
It is now six years since his club, Norway’s most successful, last lifted a league title (in the 1990s and 2000s they had a streak of 13 consecutive titles), and four since they last competed in the group stage of a European competition, income from which used to provide the bedrock of their dominance in the Eliteserien, Norway’s tops division.
As well as slipping behind established rivals, such as Molde, more recently Rosenborg have fallen behind more nimble and focussed upstarts, such as Bodo/ Glimt, the tiny club from the Arctic, who have won three of the last four titles, and which Off The Pitch has named as one of Europe’s best-run clubs.
Lack of on pitch success – Rosenborg finished last season ninth, their worst showing in 46 years – has fed a financial crisis at the Trondheim club. There have been player sales, staff redundancies and much soul searching.
For Berdal the prognosis is simple. “To say it easily, our income has been lower than our expenses,” he says. “That's the easy answer. And then you can ask why.”
How will he turn it around? Read on 👇