– It went faster than we thought – VG

– It amazes me how big the difference is. We didn’t do that well last year but we have retained a lot of talented players and brought in a lot of experienced players, says Rosenborg cap Emilie Bragstad.

After eleven matches from Rosenborg’s first women’s season, they are at the top of the table and still have the benefit of losing a match.

On Saturday, they took the biggest scalp of the season with a 1-0 win over LSK Women, after Elin Sørum scored the only goal of the match in the LSK room. Only Vålerenga (27, one more game) has more points than Rosenborgs 23.

– It has given us even more motivation, more blood in our teeth, to see that a men’s team is betting on a women’s team, something he has dreamed of since he was little. Rosenborg is a name that is known for doing well and we think we need to deliver now, says Bragstad.

The right-back midfielder not only stopped everything that was presented to her on Saturday against LSK Women. She is also the daughter of former Rosenborg giant Bjørn Otto Bragstad.

– Of course it means a bit more, playing at Rosenborg when there’s something Dad has done, and being one of the first women to experience it is incredibly cool, says Bragstad.

VG’s review of the last ten seasons shows that the Trondheim team has gone from 1.27 average points per game to 2.1 points average per game this season.

Better than expected

Those who arrived ahead of the season include Lisa-Maria Karlseng Utland (national team forward), Julie Blakstad (2019 Advancement of the Year) and Kristine Minde (national team defender). The latter would have played the Champions League final with Wolfsburg recently had it not announced a transfer to Rosenborg.

– It went much better than expected. I had faith in the project, and that with time we would go well, but that it would turn out so well, I did not expect it, says the veteran.

She says her peers say it has had a “very big effect,” especially considering the pressure from the media and the attention surrounding her.

– They notice that pressure much more. It means a lot to Trondheim that they have become RBK women.

Paradigm shift

Coach Steinar Lein has also been involved on both sides of the name change and says that, first and foremost, it has given him more professionalism in the day-to-day life of Trondheim’s hard-working team, which has European Cup games as an ambition in the future.

– It has raised all the professionalism. We have the opportunity to pay the players a little more, not violent elevators, but enough that they can buy a guard here, a few hours there. They are a little more rested for training and games, and we have also started training during the day. So we get more quality in everyday life, says Lein.

He also doesn’t want to underestimate how much the name change has had to say about how the Rosenborg players feel now.

– It is something that many have dreamed of. I think they are proud to wear the Rosenborg suit. The Rosenborg brand increases interest and, as long as it goes well, it also gives a bit of self-confidence. We are also becoming more financially attractive.

Ten years ago, it was Saturday’s opponent, LSK Women, who took over Team Strømmen and formed the basis for what would become a violent dominance on the female side in the 2010s. Especially in recent years, They have been inaccessible and have taken eleven of the last twelve Norwegian football titles.

Lein believes that there may now be a very small paradigm shift in the path of Norwegian football.

– Yes, there is a change on the way. And the good thing is that more teams are betting and doing well. It’s us, Vålerenga and Avaldsnes.

P.S! Vålerenga beat Sandviken 2-0 on Saturday afternoon and has a four-point lead at the top of the Toppserien. They have also played one more game than their rivals.