Stord/Moster It was initiated by
football agent Terje Simonsen (from
Moster) and professional footballer
Kjetil Løvvik. They invested in a new club, with Simonsen owning 51% and Løvvik 49%. The merger between the senior teams of
Stord IL (Third Division) and
Moster IL (Fourth Division) was a five-year plan to relegate to
1. divisjon, and farm out players to other clubs. Stord was to be designated the league playing team, and Moster the reserve team to play at the Moster home field. The goal had a failed conceptual predecessor with Stord IL,
IL Trott and
IL Solid. Simonsen was criticized for focusing too much on profit. In November 2002 the extraordinary annual convention of Stord's football section approved the plans, The club was founded on 18 December 2002. The chairman of the board was Kristian Innvær, and the head coach was Magnar Aaland. He resigned in pre-season in February 2003. Assistants Eivind Egeland and Øystein Djuve were the replacements. Egeland soon resigned to pursue a non-football career in
Hommersåk. Soon after the
Icelander Kristinn Atlason was hired as head coach. When both Djuve, the physical coach Tore Hammer and the two junior team coaches
Jørgen Hammersland and Tore Atle Sørheim resigned in April, Simonsen himself took over as junior team coach. On the other hand, Kjetil Løvvik ceased his professional career to play for Stord/Moster. He lived in Oslo, but flew to Stord to play matches and became a prolific goalscorer. Stord/Moster won the league, but lost to
Norheimsund IL in the
playoff to the Second Division. In the
2003 Norwegian Football Cup they were defeated in the first preliminary round by
SK Nord. Financially, the club witnessed a deficit in 2003 (while the club Stord IL actually profited from losing its senior team). Kristinn Atlason wanted to continue as coach, but was replaced by
Vegard Hansen. The former Bristol City and Strømsgodset defender also played matches. The 2004 season went well in that Stord/Moster won the league again, despite that 2003's top goalscorer Kjetil Løvvik played less. This was a revenge after Nest-Sotra eliminated Stord/Moster in the first preliminary round of the
2004 Norwegian Football Cup. The new goal of the club, according to majority owner Simonsen, was to reach the upper echelon of the Second Division within 2007. The club's reserves team also won promotion, to the Third Division. The running expenses showed a deficit of NOK 477,000 in 2003 and NOK 819,000 in 2004. In 2005, the new chairman Geir Ove Sele pondered that the club's goals for 2005, among others an average attendance of 1000 on home matches, as well as the perceived willingness of sponsors to support the team, might be unrealistic. Ahead of the 2005 season Kjetil Løvvik had retired. The biggest signing was
Jonas Jonsson from
SK Brann. Tips for the
2005 league outcome came from newspapers such as
Fædrelandsvennen and
Bergens Tidende.
Fædrelandsvennen tipped a fourteenth place (and relegation) for Stord/Moster, and
Bergens Tidende tipped a thirteenth place. The first match ended with 1–1 against
Klepp IL, the goal scored by 2004's top goalscorer Alfred Berge. In the
2005 Norwegian Football Cup Stord/Moster advanced from the first round on the expense of
Askøy FK, but was stopped in the second round by
Løv-Ham. The second-tier team won 1–0
after extra time. After the spring season Stord/Moster was placed sixth on the table, but lost Alfred Berge to
Flora Tallinn.
Christian Brink moved away from Stord, but was not given a contract with any new club and commuted to play Stord/Moster matches. The financial situation also started becoming acute, with prospects that Simonsen and Løvvik's entire investment would be lost. In the summer the club stopped paying wages to six or seven players with contracts, and compensations to the rest of the players. When the club could not longer pay Vegard Hansen, he resigned as coach. Jonas Jonsson became acting coach. Despite all the setbacks, the club finished eighth and survived in its first Second Division season. However, the turbulence continued. In October the players publicly demanded wages and a vacation. On 2 January 2006 the team collectively skipped the training session. Jonas Jonsson had not been paid at all for coaching the team. He went to
Mandalskameratene. In January 2006 the sporting directors of Stord/Moster FK confronted the club owners with the hopeless economy. Right after this Simonsen's company ceased its commitments to the club. More coaching problems also ensued. Bengt Førland from
Haugesund had been hired as head coach from New Years'.
Stord Sunnhordland At the same time, the club got new owners and changed its name from Stord/Moster to Stord Sunnhordland on 15 March 2006. The club was also supported by a new
limited company named Sunnhordland Toppfotball AS. The new chairman of the board was Tjerand Espeland. A new coach, Morten Tislevoll, was soon hired. Ahead of the 2006 season the squad was strengthened with two players including
Kevin De Serpa, but they lost five players, including
Christian Brink to
Sogndal. Tips for the 2006 season outcome came from newspapers such as
Stavanger Aftenblad,
Fædrelandsvennen and
Bergens Tidende.
Fædrelandsvennen tipped a tenth place for Stord Sunnhordland,
Stavanger Aftenblad tipped a thirteenth place (and relegation), and
Bergens Tidende also tipped a thirteenth place. Stord Sunnhordland was eliminated by
Fyllingen in the first round of the
2006 Norwegian Football Cup, In the
2006 Norwegian Second Division, Stord Sunnhordland struggled, and was even deducted two points for fielding players that were judged as non-eligible. After a loss to
Flekkerøy in October the relegation was clear. A thirteenth place became the result. A new head coach Petter Fossmark was hired before, in December 2006, it was decided to discontinue the club. Its spot in the league system and its squad was transferred back to Stord IL. The chairman of the new limited company Sunnhordland Toppfotball, which now supported the club, said that Stord Sunnhordland had "been a club without soul". ==League and cup statistics==