Football for kids in Oslo

Kringsjå, Nordre Aker

Children's football at Kringsjå with Lyn, founded on 3 March 1896 and thus one of the country's very oldest football clubs. The youngest play five-a-side and seven-a-side under the FA's rules for children's sport, with equal playing time and no tables up to age twelve. The clubhouse and artificial pitch are in Olav M. Troviks vei, right by Kringsjå metro station, so many children get there on their own.

ages 6-12

Ullernbanen, Ullern

Children's football from age six at the large multi-sport club Ullern IF, at Ullernbanen. As in all Norwegian children's football there is equal playing time and no league tables up to age twelve. Ullern is a multi-sport club, so children can easily try handball, cheerleading or other sports alongside.

ages 6-12

Bekkelaget, Nordstrand

Children's football at Bækkelagets Sportsklub, founded on 24 October 1909, with eight sporting sections: all-round sport, football, athletics, handball, elite handball, floorball, orienteering and skiing. This is the club that runs Norway Cup - the world's largest football tournament for children and young people - on Ekebergsletta every summer since 1972. Playing for BSK means the home tournament is the one everyone else travels to. Children's football follows the FA's rules with equal playing time and no tables up to age twelve.

ages 6-12

Ammerud, Grorud

Children's football at Ammerud with Sportsforeningen Grei, founded on 1 April 1919. The club was originally called A.S.K. after the initials of Ammerudskogen, Apalløkka, Sandås and Kalbakken, and took the name Grei when it was renamed in June 1920. Today it has around a thousand members, eight hundred of them in football, recruiting mainly from Ammerud, Rødtvet and Kalbakken. Equal playing time and no tables up to age twelve.

ages 6-12

Lille Tøyen, Grünerløkka

A grassroots football club taking players from age five upwards, founded in 1982 and run by volunteers from the Lille Tøyen, Hasle and Lilleberg areas. The club takes all ability levels, and describes itself as much as a meeting place for parents and neighbours as for the players. Approved for the Oslo leisure card.

ages 5-18

Ole Deviks vei 17, Alna

Children's and youth football at Teisen, with teams for boys and girls from the age of six and up. The club runs the artificial pitch at Bryn and the clubhouse in Ole Deviks vei, and has been the neighbourhood football club since 1971. If you have a younger sibling, the club's sports play takes children from three.

ages 6-16

Gressbanen, Vestre Aker

The football section of Ready, based at Gressbanen in Holmen. The club itself defines children's football as the programme for children aged 8 to 12, and the teams train once a week with parent coaches supported by a paid age-group coordinator. From age eight the teams play in the Oslo Football Association league. Children who want to train more than once a week can also join Griegakademiet, the club's own additional programme at the facility. Ready also runs starter training for the very youngest through the winter, plus football schools in week 25 and weeks 32 and 33 in summer and week 40 in autumn.

ages 8-12

Grefsen stadion, Nordre Aker

Children's football at Grefsen stadion with Kjelsås IL, founded on 16 March 1913. The club is a multi-sport association with football, handball, basketball, cross-country and alpine skiing, snowboarding and orienteering, and is perhaps best known for cross-country: its women's team won the national relay championship thirteen times in fifteen years between 1985 and 1999. As in all Norwegian children's football there is equal playing time and no league tables up to and including age twelve.

ages 6-12

Bygdøy, Frogner

A football club on Bygdøy focused on children's football and on building a neighbourhood where everyone is noticed. Bygdøy has few sports clubs relative to how many people live there, so this is the local club for the area. Approved for the Oslo leisure card.

ages 6-18

Ellingsrud, Alna

Children's football at Ellingsrud sports park, which the club runs itself along with courts for beach handball and tennis. Ellingsrud IL was founded on 14 November 1974 and has handball, football, tennis, floorball and all-round sport under one roof. The facility sits in the middle of the neighbourhood, so the walk to training is short for most children. Equal playing time and no tables up to age twelve.

ages 6-12

Dælenenga idrettspark, Grünerløkka

A neighbourhood club in the middle of Grünerløkka with children's football from age six at Dælenenga, where a new multi-purpose hall has opened. The club also runs UEFA Play Makers, a dedicated introductory programme for the youngest girls. A short trip for many inner-city families.

ages 6-12

Jerikobanen, Alna

A parent-run football club at Lindeberg, founded in 1983, with around 350 active members from age 6 upwards. Training is mostly at Jerikobanen, the club's own artificial pitch with a clubhouse beside it, while the oldest players also train on nearby pitches. The pitch is a short walk from Lindeberg metro station. Being parent-run means contributions are expected, whether as a coach, team manager or on shared duties. Approved for the Oslo leisure card.

ages 6-18

KFUM Arena, Nordstrand

A large community club at Ekeberg with children's football at all levels from age six, based at the grounds around KFUM Arena. The club takes in many year groups and usually fields both girls' and boys' teams in each.

ages 6-12

Tokerud flerbrukshall, Stovner

Children's football at Tamil Sangam IL, with teams for girls and boys. The club is based at Tokerud multi-purpose hall in Stovner and is one of the Tamil sports communities in Groruddalen, open to everyone.

ages 6-18

Prinsdal, Søndre Nordstrand

A multi-sport club in Prinsdal and Hauketo, founded in 1927, with activities for children and teenagers in football, handball, floorball, multi-sport, orienteering and e-sport. Six sports in one club means a child can change sport without changing surroundings, which matters more than it sounds at twelve. Approved for the Oslo leisure card.

ages 6-18

Voksen, Vestre Aker

A broad football offering in one of the clubs with the most children's teams in western Oslo. The football association's club data shows teams in every single birth year from age seven up to seventeen, for both girls and boys, with several teams per year group in the younger ages. Note that the club's own football page does not list training times or fees: for those you need to contact the club, which has its own football director. The facilities are at Voksen with artificial grass and a gravel pitch, and VASK is a broad-based club from 1907 that also offers cross-country skiing, floorball, volleyball, badminton, all-round sports and orienteering.

ages 7-17

Løren idrettspark, Bjerke

The football section of the neighbourhood club at Løren, with children's teams in the age classes from eight to twelve for both girls and boys. It is one of the bigger clubs in the inner east of the city, with around seventy children's teams registered with the football association, so there are usually several teams in each year group. Matches and training take place on the artificial turf at Løren idrettspark in Spireaveien, and the club also uses Linderud kunstgress. Hasle-Løren additionally runs ice hockey, handball, floorball, skiing and cycling from the same grounds, so trying a different sport is an easy step.

ages 8-12

Manglerud idrettspark, Østensjø

Children's football at Manglerud idrettspark, with separate teams in every year group for girls and boys alike. The club is currently inviting children born in 2021 to a Fotballstart intake, younger than the usual starting point of six, so get in touch if you have a five-year-old who wants to begin. The grounds on Plogveien have an eleven a side artificial pitch with underfloor heating, several smaller pitches and a clubhouse, and the club also uses Manglerudhallen when the weather calls for a roof. The ice hockey side of Manglerud Star is based at the same complex, so siblings can do different sports in one place. Training times and sign-up are on the club's own pages.

ages 6-12

Rustadgrenda og Abildsø, Østensjø

Children's football in Østensjø across two grounds: Rustadgrenda and the Abildsø artificial pitch. The club came about on 1 December 2021, when Rustad IL and Abildsø IL merged their football sections, and today it has close to a thousand active members. As in all Norwegian children's football there is equal playing time and no league tables in the early years, and RASK aims to field a team in every year group so neighbourhood children end up together. The kit is green.

ages 6-12

Vestli idrettsplass, Stovner

Children's football at Vestli sports ground. Vestli IL was founded on 19 October 1972, at the same time as the Vestli housing estate was being built, to give local children and young people somewhere to do sport. Note: in 2021 the club merged with Rommen SK and is now called Stovner SK - that is where children's football at Vestli is organised today, and the link points there.

ages 6-12

Korsvollbanen, Nordre Aker

Children's football from age six at the neighbourhood club Korsvoll IL, with Korsvollbanen as its home ground in the north of the city. As in all Norwegian children's football there is equal playing time and no league tables up to age twelve. Korsvoll is a multi-sport club with handball, floorball and cross-country skiing in addition to football.

ages 6-12

Bjørndal, Søndre Nordstrand

Children's football at Bjørndal sports park, where the club itself runs five pitches. Bjørndal IF was started on the initiative of local enthusiasts who wanted one unified sports offering back when Bjørndal was a brand-new housing area, and the club has been the neighbourhood's mainstay ever since. Children's football follows the FA's rules with equal playing time and no tables up to age twelve.

ages 6-12

Haraløkka idrettspark, Østensjø

The football section of Bøler IF, with teams in most age groups and both girls' and boys' sides. The pitches are at Haraløkka with the Østmarka forest as the nearest neighbour. The club runs the Tine football school in the summer holidays, an easy way to try it out without joining first.

ages 6-18

Holmlia idrettspark, Søndre Nordstrand

A broad and inclusive children's football programme in Søndre Nordstrand, with separate girls' and boys' teams in each year group from age six. Holmlia is a multi-sport club, so children can also try basketball, dance, fencing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu at the same grounds.

ages 6-12

Furuset idrettspark, Alna

Children's football at Furuset sports park. Furuset IF was founded on 10 January 1914 by four boys who loved football but had nowhere to play - today the club is an alliance with separate associations for all-round sport, football, handball, ice hockey and tennis. That means children who start with football can easily try other sports within the same club. Equal playing time and no tables up to age twelve.

ages 6-12

Veitvet, Bjerke

A sports club at Veitvet with teams for children and teenagers in football as its main sport, but also tennis, dance, pilates and a running group. The breadth is the point: a family who comes for football finds several other things in the same club, and the club describes itself as a platform for integration as much as for sport. Approved for the Oslo leisure card.

ages 6-18

Haugerud, Alna

Children's football on the Haugerud artificial pitch. Haugerud IF was founded on 26 November 1970 and grew out of the red blocks of the housing estate; today it is one of the city's broadest sports clubs: badminton, basketball, capoeira, cricket, dance, football, handball, floorball, orienteering, chess, tennis and its own swimming for women. Few clubs in Oslo offer so many onward paths for a child who wants to try something else.

ages 6-12

Nordstrand, Nordstrand

Children's football from age six at the tradition-rich Nordstrand IF, best known for a strong handball scene but with a broad football programme too. As in all Norwegian children's football there is equal playing time and no league tables up to age twelve, with teams for both girls and boys.

ages 6-12

Kollbanen, Nordberg, Nordre Aker

The football section of IL Koll, with its pitch and clubhouse at Kollbanen in Nordberg, next to Nordberg church. Koll is a multi-sport club, so a child who tries football and does not settle can move on to volleyball, athletics, skiing or orienteering within the same club. Approved for the Oslo leisure card.

ages 6-18

Bygdøy, Frogner

Football in the neighbourhood club on Bygdøy, and the club's largest section. The teams cover the 2012 to 2019 birth years for boys and 2009 to 2019 for girls, that is from the age of seven upwards, with separate teams for the oldest youth as well. Monolitten is a multi-sport club that also has handball, floorball, tennis and all-round sports, so trying something else alongside is easy. Training times and team lists are under «Våre lag» on the club's site.

ages 7-17

Intility Arena, Gamle Oslo

Children's football from age six with separate teams for each year group, for girls and boys alike, at one of the city's biggest clubs. As in all Norwegian children's football there is equal playing time and no league tables up to age twelve. The home ground is Intility Arena by Helsfyr.

ages 6-12

Årvoll, Bjerke

Children's football at Årvoll IL, founded on 16 October 1932. The club runs football alongside cross-country skiing, ski jumping, orienteering, volleyball and handball, with the jump hill and the ski tracks of Lillomarka right behind the ground. For families, that breadth means siblings with different interests can belong to the same club. Children's football has equal playing time and no league tables up to age twelve.

ages 6-12

Romsås, Grorud

The football section of Romsås sports club, with teams in the children's and youth classes and a base at Romsås. The club was founded in 1972, has over 650 members and is known for keeping the barrier low - several of its offerings are free. Football in one of the city's most diverse neighbourhoods.

ages 5-18

Røa, Vestre Aker

Children's football at Røa, in an alliance sports club founded on 11 November 1900 that also runs children's and all-round sport, bandy, athletics, cross-country skiing, cycling and keep-fit. Røa additionally has its own adapted football programme, which few clubs in the city offer, and the women's team Dynamite Girls has played in the top flight since 2000 - role models the youngest girls can actually go and watch. Equal playing time and no tables up to age twelve.

ages 6-12

Voldsløkka, Sagene

A broad children's football programme at Voldsløkka with teams in every year group from age six, and separate girls' and boys' teams where numbers allow. The grounds are large, so there is plenty of room to train outdoors year round.

ages 6-12

Slemdal, Vestre Aker

Children's football from age six at the large multi-sport club Heming at Slemdal, with nearly 6,000 members across eight sports. As in all Norwegian children's football there is equal playing time and no league tables up to age twelve, and many of the children combine football in summer with skiing in winter.

ages 6-12

Tøyen Arena, Gamle Oslo

Football for children and young people. Tøyen Sportsklubb is a neighbourhood club in Gamle Oslo where membership costs 100 kroner for the whole calendar year, and that covers everything the club runs for your age group. Activities take place at Tøyen Arena and Gamle Munch, and the club also runs free holiday activities during school breaks.

ages 6-18

Lambertseter idrettspark, Nordstrand

The football section of Lambertseter IF, the club's largest alongside athletics, with teams from children's football up to junior level. The club is certified as a Kvalitetsklubb by the Norwegian Football Federation, has its own sporting plan and a coaches' forum, and runs referee training for those who want to start officiating. The pitches are in the sports park at Lambertseter. Approved for the Oslo leisure card.

ages 6-18

Frogner stadion, Frogner

Football for girls and boys at any level from age six, played at Frogner stadion and Tørteberg. Frigg also runs bandy, so many of the children here play football in summer and bandy in winter.

ages 6-12

Grorudveien 7, Grorud

The district's large sports club, founded in 1918, with sections for football, handball and tennis. Football is the biggest, with teams in all children's and youth classes and a home ground at Grorud sports facility. A classic neighbourhood club that has been a gathering point in the Groruddalen valley for over a hundred years.

ages 5-18

Oppsal Arena, Østensjø

Children's football from age six for children in Trasop, Godlia, Oppsal, Hellerud and Østensjø, with teams in every year group. The club is certified as a quality club by the Norwegian Football Federation and is based in Vetlandsveien by Oppsal Arena.

ages 6-12

Idrettens Hus Nordbyen, Stovner

Children's football at Høybråten og Stovner IL, with teams in every year group for girls and boys alike. As in all Norwegian children's football there is equal playing time and no league tables up to age twelve.

ages 6-18