Vargarna

File:Olle Nygren.jpg

Vargarna was one of the seven inaugural members of the Swedish speedway league, which started during the 1948 Swedish speedway season.{{cite web |url=http://www.speedway.org/history/ |title=Swedish speedway season by season |website=Speedway.org |access-date=26 March 2023}}{{cite web |url=https://wwosbackup.proboards.com/thread/3240/1948-swedish-league-table |title=Speedway riders, history and results - 1948 Swedish League table |website=WWOS Backup |access-date=26 March 2023}} Their first significant riders were Olle Nygren and Helge Brinkeback, who would both become Swedish champions. Th eteam raced at the old Norrköping Motorstadion in Dagsbergsfältet (the site of the modern day Medley Centralbadet swimming complex).{{cite web |url=https://www.formula2.se/VA_Index.html |title=History of Vargarna Speedway |website=Vargarna Speedway |access-date=12 January 2024}}

Vargarna underwent a golden period, winning the Swedish Speedway Team Championship in the 1949 season,{{cite web |url=http://www.formula2.se/VA1949.html |title=Vargarna 1949 |website=formula2.se |access-date=26 March 2023}} 1951, 1953 and 1954. A procession of top riders rode for the club and included Stig Pramberg, Dan Forsberg and Per-Olof Söderman.{{cite web |url=http://www.historyspeedway.nstrefa.pl/dmszwecji.php |title=HISTORICAL RESULTS 1948-2015 |website=Speedway History |access-date=17 March 2023}}

After missing two seasons the club returned to the league in 1957 and they later won two more titles in 1960 and 1961, led by riders such as Nygren, Björn Knutson, Per-Tage Svensson, Joel Jansson and Sören Sjösten. The success could not be matched for the remainder of the 1960s but they did still compete at the top level.{{cite web |url=http://www.formula2.se/VA1960.html |title=Vargarna 1960 |website=formula2.se |access-date=26 March 2023}}{{cite web |url=http://www.speedway.org/history/1961.htm |title=1961 |website=Speedway.org |access-date=26 March 2023}} Vargarna left the Motorstadion in Dagsbergsfältet in 1963. Six years later in 1969, they moved into the new Norrköping Motorstadion at Kråkvilan.

Despite the best efforts of Sören Karlsson and Tommy Pettersson, the club spent the 1970s decade in the lower half of the division 1 and worse was to come during the next two decades, as the team moved up and down leagues from the Elitserien to the second tier of Swedish speedway.

File:Jason Crump2.jpg

The new millennium brought about a consolidation of form as the team remained in the Elitserien. A series of overseas riders were brought into the club, including Australian Jason Crump, but when Crump left, the team were relegated in 2006. A quick promotion back to the Elitserien ensued.

In 2010, the club signed former world champion Nicki Pedersen.{{cite web |url=http://www.svt.se/sport/vargarna-varvar-nicki-pedersen |title=Vargarna värvar Nicki Pedersen - Sport {{!}} SVT.se |website=www.svt.se |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140607010341/http://www.svt.se/sport/vargarna-varvar-nicki-pedersen |archive-date=2014-06-07}} He captained the side before leaving the club for Dackarna ahead of the 2014 season.

From 2015 to 2023, the team competed in the Allsvenskan and during the 2022 Swedish Speedway season the club reached the Allsvenskan play-off final.{{cite web |url=https://www.everysport.com/speedway-herr/2022/liga/allsvenskan/33005 |title=Allsvenskan tables and final |website=Every Sport |access-date=3 January 2023}}

They are scheduled to return to the Elitserien for 2024 Swedish speedway season.{{cite web |url=https://www.fimspeedway.com/news/vargarna-returns-to-eight-team-bauhaus-elitserien-in-sweden |title=Vargarna returns to eight-team bahuas Elitserien in Sweden |website=FIM |access-date=1 December 2023}}

{{main|Swedish Speedway Team Championship}}

{{columns-list|colwidth=15em|

• {{player||SWE|Helge Brinkeback}}
• {{player||AUS|Jason Crump}}
• {{player||SWE|Dan Forsberg}}
• {{player||SWE|Torbjörn Harrysson}}
• {{player||SWE|Joel Jansson}}
• {{player||SWE|Sören Karlsson}}
• {{player||SWE|Björn Knutson}}
• {{player||SWE|Olle Nygren}}
• {{player||DEN|Nicki Pedersen}}
• {{player||SWE|Tommy Pettersson}}
• {{player||SWE|Stig Pramberg}}
• {{player||SWE|Sören Sjösten}}
• {{player||SWE|Per-Olof Söderman}}
• {{player||SWE|Per-Tage Svensson}}

}}

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2014 team

• {{player||POL|Adrian Miedziński}}
• {{player||SWE|Anders Mellgren}}
• {{player||RUS|Artem Laguta}}
• {{player||SWE|Daniel Davidsson}}
• {{player||SLO|Martin Vaculík}}
• {{player||DEN|Peter Kildemand}}
• {{player||SWE|Ricky Kling}}
• {{player||POL|Tomasz Gapiński}}
• {{player||SWE|Pontus Aspgren}}

2016 team

• {{player||SWE|Denis Fagerkransz}}
• {{player||SWE|Viktor Ohlsson}}
• {{player||DEN|René Bach}}
• {{player||SWE|Daniel Davidsson}}
• {{player||SWE|Jonas Davidsson}}
• {{player||SWE|Robin Norman}}
• {{player||DEN|Nicklas Porsing}}
• {{player||SWE|Alex Johansson}}
• {{player||SWE|Sebastian Carlsson}}
• {{player||SWE|Oliver Berntzon}}
• {{player||SWE|Pontus Aspgren}}
• {{player||SWE|Kim Nilsson}}
• {{player||AUS|Jason Doyle}}

2018 team

• {{player||SWE|Denis Fagerkransz}}
• {{player||SWE|Viktor Ohlsson}}
• {{player||GER|Erik Riss}}
• {{player||SWE|Joel Andersson}}
• {{player||SWE|Mathias Thörnblom}}
• {{player||SWE|Henrik Bergström}}
• {{player||GBR|Dan Bewley}}
• {{player||SWE|Oscar Holstedsom}}
• {{player||SWE|Viktor Bergström}}
• {{player||SWE|Anton Bork}}
• {{player||SWE|Kim Nilsson}}

2019 Team

• {{player||SWE|Dennis Fagerkransz}}
• {{player||SWE|Viktor Ohlsson}}
• {{player||FIN|Timi Salonen}}
• {{player||SWE|Joel Andersson}}
• {{player ||SWE|Mathias Thörnblom}}
• {{player||SWE|Henrik Bergström}}
• {{player||POL|Tomasz Gapiński}}
• {{player||SWE|Oscar Holstedsom}}
• {{player||SWE|Viktor Bergström}}
• {{player||SWE|Albin Born}}
• {{player||SWE|Anton Bork}}
• {{player||SWE|Kim Nilsson}}
• {{player||SWE|Billy Forsberg}}
• {{player||SWE|Daniel Davidsson}}

2022 team

• {{player||SWE|Filip Hjelmland}}
• {{player||SWE|Noel Wahlqvist}}
• {{player||POL|Mateusz Tonder}}
• {{player||DEN|William Drejer}}
• {{player||SWE|Daniel Henderson}}
• {{player||SWE|Oscar Holstensson}}
• {{player||POL|Patryk Rolnicki}}
• {{player||DEN|Bastian Borke}}
• {{player||POL|Mateusz Tudziez}}
• {{player||POL|Damian Pawliczak}}
• {{player||SWE|William Bjorling}}
• {{player||POL|Rafał Karczmarz}}
• {{player||GER|Marius Hillebrand}}

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{{Reflist}}

{{Speedway Elitserien}}

{{Swedish speedway teams}}

Category:Speedway teams in Sweden

Category:Sport in Norrköping

Category:Sports clubs and teams in Östergötland County