Kristiansund BK is a Norwegian football club located in Kristiansund that currently plays in Eliteserien. The team plays its home matches in the 4,444-capacity Kristiansund Stadion. Kristiansund BK was formed in the autumn of 2003, when two rival clubs of Kristiansund, Kristiansund FK and Clausenengen FK, agreed to establish a new elite team. History Background Since Magnar Isaksen won a bronze medal in the 1936 Summer Olympics, many footballers from Kristiansund have played for the Norwegian national team, including Ole Gunnar Solskjær, Øyvind Leonhardsen, Trond Andersen, Ole Stavrum and Georg Hammer. In addition, players like Ola Lyngvær, Jan Erlend Kruse, Arild Stavrum, Ole Erik Stavrum, André Flem and Christian Michelsen have played for different clubs in the Norwegian top division, and Clausenengen has been called a "talent factory". Nevertheless, the football clubs from Kristiansund have had limited success, with Kristiansund FK's spell in the 1. divisjon in 1991 and Clausenengen in 1999 as the most recent. 2003–2004: Founding and development In 2003, the local bank Sparebank 1 Nordvest initiated a merge between Kristiansund FK and Clausenengen, with the bank as the main sponsor of the new club paying per year. Kristiansund BK was founded on 2 September 2003 and replaced Kristiansund FK in the 3. divisjon, with the other two clubs continuing to play in the lower divisions. Atlanten Stadion was chosen as the club's first home ground and Erik Brakstad was appointed as the club's first head coach. The club finished their 2004 debut season in second place behind Træff in their 3. divisjon group 18. 2005–2016: Promotions In 2005, Kristiansund won promotion to the 2. divisjon after beating Volda in the 4–2 win on aggregate in the promotion play-offs. Brakstad left his position as head coach after the promotion and Ole Gunnar Iversen took over. In 2006, Kristiansund finished seventh in their first season in the 2. divisjon. In 2007, Kristiansund moved to Omsundet at Frei due to the poor turf conditions at Atlanten Stadion. Ahead of the 2007 season, Geir Midtsian replaced Ole Gunnar Iversen as head coach and with New Zealand international Kris Bright on the team, who scored 23 goals in 26 matches for the club, Kristiansund BK started to look like a contender for promotion and finished fifth in 2007 and fourth in 2008. The team also eliminated Rosenborg in the second round of the 2008 Norwegian Football Cup. After finishing third in 2009,