This post takes me back to May 2017 with a first trip to Sweden and Norway.
The 2016-17 season saw me watch 94 games across 5 countries and after the previous year’s trip to Iceland where I watched 2 games, I somehow needed to match it.
My journey began in the Swedish capital of Stockholm, spending a few days sight-seeing, exploring and trying some local ciders in the days before the final weekend of may, where we had 2 possibilities to watch a game at the wonderful Tele 2 Arena, with Djurgården and Hammarby both having home games over the weekend. We opted to see the former who played league newcomers AFC Eskilstuna on the Saturday, meaning we could spend all day on Sunday in the Djurgården area of the city!
The Tele 2 Arena boasts a capacity of over 30,000 in a modern arena equipped with padded seats, large concourse, 3G pitch and free wifi. The home side had a few well known players including Kim Källström, Andreas Isaksson and Jonas Olsson who collectively inspired a spirited performance to run out 4-1 winners with goals from Kevin Walker (2), Kerim Mrabti and Othman El Kabir.
I was impressed by the style of play and tempo of the game, which I would compare to Championship level, with both teams using the 3G pitch to good effect. It proved to be an enjoyable visit overall, with a fantastic atmosphere created by the ultras that didn’t stop chanting throughout, including singing “You’ll never walk alone” pre-match and protesting against AFC Eskilstuna with banners and leaflets saying “Money can’t buy me love”. I was also able to get my first programme entirely in a different language!
2 days later it was time to explore a new country, with a train ride from Stockholm to Oslo in Norway and another football match in the evening. After arriving in Oslo we caught a local train to Drammen, home of Strømgodset IF who played Viking Stavanger at their home, the “Marienlyst Stadion”, in the evening.
The club allowed us to reserve tickets for us to collect at the game, which we were grateful for since we couldn’t purchase them online from the UK. I bought myself a club scarf from the merchandise hut and I was able to get a team-sheet when the lovely steward realised how far we’d travelled to be at the game.
The atmosphere was fantastic throughout the game and I even joined in with their pre-match song “Godset fra Drammen” (there’s a music video on YouTube). Strømgodset controlled the first hour of the game, taking a comfortable 4-0 lead, before Viking reduced the deficit to 2 and made the final 10 minutes interesting. This game was also played on a 3G pitch and I’d say at a lower football league standard but remained a competitive and interesting battle, with a few of the home players impressing me in particular.
Overall it was a very enjoyable trip and 2 more grounds and countries ticked off.
Chris
🙂
The Travelling Therapist 