Bollklubben Häcken, better known as BK Häcken, was first established in August 1940 by a group of teenagers who wished to play in the national league system. Based in the city of Gothenburg, the team have gradually established themselves, having now completed over ten seasons in the top flight of Swedish football. Their main rivals are the other main teams from the city: GAIS, Örgryte IS and IFK Göteborg, with IFK Göteborg considered their fiercest rivals. Secondary rivalries exist with the main clubs from Stockholm: AIK, Djurgårdens IF and Hammarby.
In the 1982 season, Häcken finished in second place, gaining entry into the promotion playoffs as a result. There, they beat IFK Norrköping 3-1 on aggregate to reach the top tier for the first time. Their initial Allsvenskan stay was short-lived however, with the side relegated at the end of the season.
Major trophies have been out of the club's reach so far, although in 1989-90 they reached the final of the Svenska Cupen. Unfortunately, they were beaten 3-0 by Djurgårdens IF. The team returned to Sweden's top flight in the 1990s and have subsequently bounced between the divisions several times. In 2012, Häcken put in their best ever domestic league performance and finished as Allsvenskan runners up. Since 2007, the club have reached UEFA Europa League qualifying rounds on several occasions and in 2007-08, made it out of the qualifiers and into the first round, before being eliminated by Spartak Moscow.
Amongst the most notable players to play for the club are Danish international, Stig Tøfting; Ghanaian striker, Abdul Majeed Waris; and the Swedish international midfielders, Kim Källström and Martin Ericsson.
Häcken play their home matches at Rambergsvallen, which opened its doors back in 1935. The stadium is currently able to hold a maximum of 7,000 spectators for the club's matches.
