Hardball (company)
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Hardball is a Norwegian investment company founded in 2004 to finance player transfers for the football team SK Brann from Bergen, Norway. Former news editor at Norwegian TV 2 and managing director of software company Vizrt, Bjarne Berg, fronts Hardball and is one of several members of the investors group - where Eivind Kåre Lunde is the Managing Director.
When a Hardball financed player is sold, Hardball is to have their investment back after expenses are withdrawn. Any profits are to be divided 50-50 between Hardball and Brann. Hardball has no ownership in Brann, and the power to sell or trade players stays with the club. The investors are predominantly local businessmen from Bergen and are known Brann supporters, and have expressed desire to help Brann becoming a top class team. According to Bjarne Berg, the company's long term goal is to make itself redundant without losing money in the process [1].
The company has partially or fully financed the following player transfers:
Note! All transfer fees are approximates.
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This table may contain original research or unverified claims. Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (September 2007) |
| Bought from | Date | Transfer fee (NOK) | Player | Transfer fee (NOK) | Date | Sold to |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bryne | December 2003 | 2.200.000 | Ragnvald Soma | 6.000.000 | March 2006 | Viking |
| Northern Spirit | February 2004 | 750.000 | Dylan Macallister | 750.000 | March 2006 | Lyn |
| Salzburg | August 2004 | 5.000.000 | Paul Scharner | 32.000.000 | January 2005 | Wigan Athletic |
| Stabæk | December 2004 | 10.000.000 | Martin Andresen | Free transfer | November 2007 | Vålerengen |
| KR Reykjavik | December 2004 | 1.000.000 | Kristján Örn Sigurðsson | - | - | - |
| Ham-Kam | November 2005 | 10.000.000 | Petter Vaagan Moen | - | - | - |
| FH Hafnarfjarðar | August 2006 | 2.000.000 | Ármann Smári Björnsson | - | - | - |
| Vålerenga | August 2006 | 7.000.000 | Ardian Gashi | 6.000.000 | July 2007 | Fredrikstad |
| Leeds | August 2006 | 5.000.000 (sign on fee) | Eirik Bakke | - | - | - |
| Rosenborg | March 2007 | 6.000.000 | Jan Gunnar Solli | - | - | - |
| Løv-Ham | July 2007 | 2.500.000 | Knut Walde | - | - | - |
| Elfsborg | July 2007 | 2.000.000 | Joakim Sjöhage | - | - | - |
| Free transfer | July 2007 | Unknown (sign on fee) | Hassan El Fakiri | - | - | - |
| Benfica | August 2007 | 3.000.000 | Azar Karadas | - | - | - |
Investors of Hardball: [2]
Svein Ove Strømmen - IT
Rolf Westfal-Larsen - Shipping
Eivind Kåre Lunde - Managing Director of Hardball
Bjarne Berg - Managing Director of Hardball
Reidar Andreas Madsen - Real estate and Supermarkets
Oddvar Leiv Holmedal - Catering
Arne Veidung - Importer of wine and liquor
Tor-Inge Måkestad - Fruit and vegetable importer
Per Jæger - Automobile sales
Knut Herman Holler Gjøvaag - Automobile sales
Hermund Sigfred Linde - Real estate
Bjarne Davidsen - IT
Karl Kvalheim - Shipping broker
Arne Viste - Shipping
Tore Brynjulfsen - Real estate
[edit] References
- ^ Mads Kvernen Kleppe (2007). Brukte 17 millioner på Brann-spillere (Norwegian). abcnyheter.no. Retrieved on 2007-11-05.
- ^ «Gutteklubb» vil kjøpe gullet, Nettavisen, September 8, 2006(Norwegian)
