My next post takes me back to December 2016, when I looked back on a year that saw me travel to the so-called ‘Land of fire and ice’ along with many other footballing escapades and adventures. Visiting Iceland remains to this day one of the best trips I’ve been on and I’d love to return in the future!
2016 was a good year for me, it was a year of fulfilment and achievement, travelling and gaining a vast range of experiences. I was fortunate to combine all of this with my studies and lead towards the desired outcomes after the completion of my degree.
In terms of football, 42 ‘new grounds’ were visited in 4 different countries and my 150th football ground visited milestone had been reached. In that time I’d worked or volunteered for 5 football clubs from Grassroots to professional and 92 football matches had been watched.
I want to share my favourite experience of the year…
If you’re looking for a great travelling experience with stunning scenery then you really can’t be Iceland!
Spending 5 days based in the capital of Reykjavik led to exploring many of the popular tourist destinations such as the ‘Golden circle’, Jökulsárlón and the ‘Blue lagoon’, however visiting in late May also presented the opportunity to watch some football whilst we were there, with their league matches taking place during the summer.
We had planned to watch 1 game during our visit, in the form of a capital derby match between Valur and Þróttur (Throttur). Like the majority of grounds in Iceland, all of the supporters were housed in one big stand which also had a bar, club shop and barbecue. This proved to be an exciting game on a warm and light Sunday evening with the hosts deservedly winning 4-1. The away fans didn’t stop singing all night and overall it was an excellent choice for my landmark 100th match of the 2015-16 season.
After spending the next days out on excursions and exploring the city, we discovered some midweek Icelandic cup fixtures (literally last minute) and a chance to watch a game at the Icelandic national stadium arose, which we simply couldn’t miss!
The game in question was Fram vs HK who both play in the second tier, making it an interesting tie for our visit to the ‘Laugardalsvöllur’ which has definitely got to be my all-time favourite ground. It’s got large seated stands running along each side of the pitch, with both ends of the ground left open. This allows for some lovely scenery and even though there’s a running track, it’s still a wonderful place to watch a football match.
Only the main stand was open on the night, which housed the 200 or so people in attendance, which felt minuscule compared to the 10,000 capacity. Fram ended up winning the game 2-0 in a game was that considerably affected by the strong winds sweeping across the pitch.
The time spent in Iceland was fantastic, from the people, the culture, the breathtaking natural wonders and of course the football. I loved every minute of my adventure and a journey there should be on everyone’s ‘bucket list’.
Chris
🙂
The Travelling Therapist 