Young Boys

Formation and beginnings (1918–1920)

Silkeborg KFUM was formed in Silkeborg by the local YMCA in May 1918, a year after the foundation of the major club in the city, Silkeborg IF. The establishment of Silkeborg KFUM was announced in the May 1918 monthly with the following words:

In regards to sporting events at Færgebakken, all guests and members of HA and UA can participate if a fee is paid to the cashier of KFUM's sport department, assembler Jepsen, who will also administrate registrations. Football will be played on the 1st, 3rd and 4th Sunday of the month, early enough in the morning for us all to make it to Sunday service. Regarding a specific time for playing: this is due for further notice, while we will gather every Wednesday evening between 7:30 and 9 p.m. in the excavation site for evening prayers.

Thus, Færgebakken ("The Ferry Hill") was the site of the club's first home ground. The first matches occurred with some curiosities. Before games could be started, sheep flocks had to be led away from the pitch, and the changing clothes was done in an open field. The teams were diverse and consisted of both children, adolescents and seniors alike. In this varied bunch, some players rose above others in terms of talent. A key player early on was Johannes Rosenløwe, who was a versatile playmaker known for both his strong offensive as well as defensive abilities. He would later become priest in Smidstrup Parish. Another noteworthy player of the early days was Aage Ewald Sørensen, who was club captain and is remembered as an inspirational figure on – but also off – the pitch, where he would continue his career as a sexton in Silkeborg.

Inauguration of KFUM Parken and first success (1920–1945)

Throughout the 1920s, however, it became clear that conditions at Færgebakken did not meet the demands of the increasingly popular sports club. After short detours to temporary home grounds, Sandgraven and Søholt, a large area was acquired on Sølystvej, where the new home ground, KFUM Parken, was inaugurated in the summer 1930. The stadium was the brainchild of Andreas Andersen, who had been elected to the board in 1925, and had raised money for the construction of the new ground together with other members of the club board. KFUM Parken was to become the main physical framework for the club's activities and social life in the coming decades. The club also participated in the countrywide YMCA tournaments, where they competed against other YMCA teams. In this period, Silkeborg KFUM reached some of its early successes. In 1927, the team won the Northern Jutland championship, but in the final matchup for the Jutland championship, they eventually lost to Esbjerg KFUM, who won the final 4–2. The following year, the club reached the same result, losing to Kolding KFUM. Finally, in 1932 they could celebrate winning the YMCA Jutland championship, when Esbjerg KFUM was beaten 4–3 at Silkeborg Stadium. This was the club's first trophy, and the feat was repeated the following year, in 1933, where the YMCA Jutland championship trophy was regained.

In 1933, the club also chose to follow the example of neighbouring clubs by becoming affiliated to the regional football association, DBU Jutland, which meant that Silkeborg KFUM could compete in the official tournaments under the Danish Football Union. This proved an instant success, as the club already in its first season won B-række, the third regional tier. The first place meant promotion to A-rækken, the second regional tier, where the team quickly established themselves as a solid mid-table side. After consolidating this position for a handful of years, KFUM's first team succeeded in winning the A-række in 1940 after an emphatic 5–1 victory over Alhedens Idrætsforening in the finals. The team of 1940 is considered to be one of the strongest sides in club history. In a 2–3–5 pyramid formation, the players were: Wagner Petersen, Henry Nielsen, Estrup Nielsen, Hans Frederik Christensen, Axel Søeborg, Hjalmar Hansen, Svend Holm, Harald Lohse, Henning Bølcho, Lorentz Sørensen and Poul Madsen.

Two years before, in 1931, Silkeborg KFUM became the first club in the city to host an international match, where a combined side beat Icelandic club Valur in a match that ended 2–1. A second and third international game followed in 1935 and 1936, respectively, against YMCA clubs from Plaistow and Dartford in England.

Renovating KFUM Parken and the KFUM spirit (1945–1970)

At the end of World War II, in 1945, KFUM Parken lay fallow after having been used as a training ground by the occupying forces. On the basis of a fundraising, the ground was immediately restored to its former glory. New association football, handball and tennis courts were constructed, an entrance hall was built, as well as a modern clubhouse. In 1951, after six years of work, the renovated KFUM Parken was reopened, again becoming a gathering place for members of Silkeborg KFUM.

On the pitch, the club's first team did not achieve any noteworthy success in the post-war years. In 1953, the team almost became regional A-række champions again, which would have repeated the triumph of 1940, but Brædstrup IF stood in the way. When the Series structure was introduced by the Danish Football Union in 1965, the team spent most years between Series 3 and Series 4, the eight and ninth tier of the Danish league system, respectively.

It was also in this period that a particular club spirit, KFUM-ånden ("the YMCA spirit") emerged. Several former players from the club became increasingly active in and around the club, becoming coaches in the youth department or members of the board. A key figure was Vagn Ove Jorn, who explained his and others' commitment in the club:

The lending hand which I, as well as the other people in the club, would give, for me, would continue for a longer time than I had initially expected. Why? Because I have never met as many brilliant friends as the ones I met in the football department of KFUM. There was an atmosphere at that old ground, an intimacy, something undefined.