‘As a Bergensian you’re obliged to support SK Brann. It’s the only option’
Erlend Vagane was born and raised in the west coast city of Bergen, the second biggest city in Norway. Having been taken to Brann Stadion by his father for the first time at the age of six, he instantly fell in love with the club. “By the time I was 14 I started joined in the singing. I looked up to the older supporters and tried to understand what it meant being a true Brann supporter.”
Erlend was lucky enough to experience Brann at their very best in the mid 1990s, when the club went on a memorable Cup Winners’ Cup run in the 1996-97 season. “Geir Hasund is the greatest cult hero of the club’s history. He looked a bit clumsy, but was easy to underestimate and performed when it mattered. His goal against PSV Eindhoven helped us get to the quarter-finals, and he also scored against Liverpool but couldn’t prevent us from bowing out of the competition on aggregate. How could anyone not love such a player?”
Brann were relegated from the Norwegian top flight two seasons ago and had to play in the second tier for the first time since 1986. Having won promotion at the first attempt, they finished second on their Tippeligaen return exceeding all expectations. “After long periods of cynical, result-orientated football we played some great stuff this year. The goal for the season was not to get relegated again, and that was achieved fairly early on. This is the biggest climb from one season to the next by any Norwegian top flight team since Brann came from nowhere to win the league back in 1961/62 season.”
The successful return to Tippeligaen football this season, means the atmosphere at Brann Stadion has improved vastly from the last couple of seasons. ‘Being at the stadium is very much a social gathering. It’s where I see most of my friends on a regular basis. The atmosphere in the stands is always reflected by what is happening on the pitch. It has been too quiet in recent years, but at its very loudest the atmosphere is the best in Norway. Organised singing is at the very heart of everything, as it is at most other Nordic football clubs. I remember a crowd of 18,000 fans singing when Brann played Everton in the 2008 Uefa Cup. An Everton supporter watching it on TV was amazed that there were only 18,000 people inside the stadium. He thought it was double that at least.’
With the club’s economy not the best, Erlend is confident the current board have the situation under control. “We’re still in the Norwegian FA’s ‘red zone’ but a lot has been done to decrease players’ wages, and there’s a clear plan to achieve a more healthy economy at the club. I think Brann have become more down to earth, more open and socially responsible in recent years. The club is owned by supporters, which I think is very important. The democratic structure helps rebuild the neglected relationship between fans and the club. It also prevents short term owners fuelling the economy unhealthily, something we’ve seen happen at many other clubs both domestically and internationally.”
Norwegian domestic football is still paying the price for overspending in the early 2000s, and the state of the game is one of recovery. ‘In the 2000s the interest in the Tippeligaen was enormous in Norway, only the Premier League created more revenue per inhabitant. But the spending was not sustainable and a lot of clubs were close to insolvency. Clubs have been forced to be more critical about which players to buy and sell, with the emergence of more sporting directors and scouts. The future of Norwegian football is not too dark, but the hard work needs to continue.
And what about the future of his beloved Brann? ‘Even though we are the second biggest club in the country in terms of attendance and revenue, we’ve only won the league three times ( 1962, 1963 and 2007) and the cup six times in our 108 year long history. The clichéd picture of the Bergensian is of a very demanding and overtly optimistic person. In reality I think we’re quite patient. But of course we dream of winning something again one day.’
‘We have a tradition of singing “Always look on the bright side of GAIS” late in games when it’s clear we’re going to lose’
Nic Townsend was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia but, after meeting his Swedish partner, he settled down in Gothenburg nearly ten years ago. He soon developed an an interest in Swedish football. ‘When I first moved to Gothenburg, I only knew of one team, and that was IFK Göteborg. Without giving the matter much thought I bought a blue and white scarf and a ticket to their next match. But the second match I went to was against their smaller, poorer local rivals GAIS. Their fans made an immediate impression. Despite being outnumbered by their opposition and getting completely outplayed on the pitch, they managed to outsing their IFK counterparts for the full 90 minutes. I arrived at Nya Ullevi that day an IFK man, but I left a “Gaisare” and I have been one ever since.’
Founded back in 1894 GAIS are one of the oldest clubs in Sweden, and one of the founding members of the Swedish top flight the Allsvenskan. While they have always lived in the shadows of their more successful neighbours IFK Göteborg, Nic explains that the supporters try to create as much of an atmosphere in the stands as possible. ‘At times it can be quite flat at Gamla Ullevi. The stadium holds 18,000 but our average attendances are around 2,500. Fans are confined to one section of the ground where we are tightly packed in. The best games are the local derbies against IFK and Örgryte. These are usually intense sell-outs.’
After finishing fifth in the 2011 Allsvenskan, narrowly missing out on European football, GAIS are once again struggling in the second tier. ‘We were relegated to Superettan the following season and have narrowly avoided relegation down to the third tier in more recent years. Having just finished eighth in the division, an imminent return to the Swedish top flight looks a long way away. There is little to get excited about at the moment.’ The club’s finances are also tight after revelations of overspending back in 2011. ‘ The club broke the bank in the hope of European football which never happened. But administration has been kept at bay and the GAIS support is one of the highest in the second division.’
So what does the future hold for the Swedish domestic leagues and the national team? ‘The Allsvenskan has been a very open and unpredictable league. Seven different clubs have won it since 2005. The Swedish national team will need rebuilding after Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s retirement, and a team of fairly young players might miss out on the next World Cup in Russia. But having only been part of Euro 2016 because of the expanded competition, this might not be bad thing. The national team needs time to take shape.’
‘The Ultras choreograph a smoky welcome for the teams with a few dozen flares’
Billy Leahy was born on Dublin’s south side and grew up on Shelbourne Road in the shadow of the old Lansdowne Road stadium. ‘Growing up Shelbourne FC, co-founded by my great, great grandfather, was naturally my favourite team. I started going to games around 1986, when I was eight and the club was in the second tier of the League of Ireland. They played in a greyhound stadium in front of about 125 spectators. I would moonlight as a ball boy, covering the grassy expanse behind the goal.’ Shelbourne became a dominant force in the League of Ireland in the 1990s, but sadly the club’s finances were not as great as the on pitch performances and they are now languishing back in the second tier.
Billy moved to Sweden in 2007 and started casually going to Malmö FF games with a group of supporters and music nerds that hung around a local record store, Rundgång. ‘Both the record store and the team fit into a support-your-local ethos and I quickly became a season ticket holder on the terrace behind the goal. I’m definitely not the first one to learn the words to any new songs, but they come eventually and now I belt out the team anthem, sung before every game.’
I could never have predicted such an amazing season last year, though I did optimistically hashtag this pic #smguld2014. MFF ended the season as the first team to retain the Swedish title since 2003 and the first Swedish team to make the Champions League group stages since 2001. More again this year hopefully. Photograph: Billy Leahy/GuardianWitness
Billy argues that the atmosphere at Swedbank Stadion is the best in Sweden. ‘It gets intense in the standing section, where singing is expected at all times. The noise is always ratcheted up against the Stockholm teams and our main rivals IFK Gothenburg and Helsingborg. The Ultras choreograph a smoky welcome for the teams with a few dozen, not always appreciated, flares.’ With three titles in the last six seasons Malmö FF are enjoying their most successful period since Roy Hodgson was manager in the late 1980s. ‘Hodgson is still revered here and part of the stadium is dubbed “Roy’s Corner.” He’d always be welcomed back, but perhaps not in the dugout.’
Having witnessed Shelbourne FC’s demise from the Irish top flight, Billy is hoping Malmö are in better shape financially. ‘We’re in a solid position following two consecutive appearances in the Champions League group stages. But with increasing ambition comes an increasing wage bill. While I was happy for Sweden’s own Leicester City Norrköping to take the title in 2015, Malmö’s fifth place finish for didn’t cut it at all. Having just won the Allsvenskan again this year, we’re back on track for future success and another crack at Europe next season.’
Billy is impressed by how effectively the Swedish domestic league is run, and has other thoughts on what he’d like to see to improve football in the country. ‘Facilities at the football grounds tend to be excellent, especially for a financially limited league. Attendances are also healthy. And while no repeat of Malmö’s European Cup final appearance of 1979 is likely anytime soon, hopefully the Champions League group stages will remain in reach for Swedish teams for the years to come. It would also be fantastic to see the women’s game get more credit and better financial support in Sweden. FC Rosengård with Brazilian striker Marta have consistently shown the men’s teams how it should be done, regularly reached the Champions League quarter-finals.’
‘We were just hoping that other teams battling relegation would mess up even more’
Jaakko Ranta was born in Orimattila, a small town in southern Finland. He started playing for his local club Orimattilan Pedot at ten-years old. ‘Between 2002 and 2012 I played 10 seasons for the first team in the Finnish third and fourth divisions. I will always love the club and still do voluntary work for them whenever I have the chance.’ Jaakko started going to HIFK matches, when he moved to Helsinki to study. ‘I like the traditions and history of the club and the passionate atmosphere at the matches. In 2015 the club gained a promotion to Veikkausliiga, the Finnish top division, for the first time since 1972.’
Jaakko describes the atmosphere at Sonera Stadium as decent, despite the stadium’s many shortcomings. ‘Sonera is owned by the City of Helsinki and managed by a company owned by the city’s bigger team HJK. It’s in a bad shape in every way imaginable. Architecturally it’s too open, with sound and atmosphere disappearing through the gaps. Even though the stadium opened in 2000 it is already outdated.’
HIFK found the going tough in the top tier this season, battling against relegation. ‘The football this season was horrific. Early on there was no clear game plan whatsoever. We were just hoping that other teams battling relegation would mess up even more. But with a managerial change midway, we somehow managed to survive. The definite highlight of the season was the derby win over HJK in late September. It was our first derby win since 1972 and it helped HIFK stay in the league. It was also one of the key matches that took the title away from HJK.’
Jaakko argues that HIFK has a huge potential as a football club. ‘What is frustrating at the moment is the management of the club isn’t working either on or off the pitch. All this comes down to the fact that the club has no money and I guess there are lot of old debts to be paid for. The main challenges for the future are widening the club support in Helsinki and strengthening the youth academy. At the moment there are no players in the first team who would have come through the youth ranks.’
And what about football in Finland as a whole? ‘It’s becoming more and more popular. Especially positive is the growing interest in our own Veikkausliiga. This season is particular was full of thrills until the last minute. In the final round three teams had the possibility of winning the title and in the end the title went to IFK Mariehamn of the small island of Åland. We still hope that one day it could be as popular as the football leagues in our Nordic neighbours Sweden, Denmark and Norway. We can always dream.’
Jaakko doesn’t think any growing popularity is down to the Finnish Football Association. ‘The Finnish FA is badly and inefficiently run, taking very little interest in both grassroots and top-level football. A good example of this is the sorry state of the Finnish national football team. Three catastrophic manager appointments in a row, and we are currently coached by a semi-retired Swede, who only took up his position after completing television work in Sweden. We were never really close to qualifying for major tournaments when we had players like Jari Litmanen, Sami Hyypiä, Mikael Forssell and Jussi Jääskeläinen in their prime, so I can’t imagine how would we make with the current crop of players. Unless FIFA and UEFA both continue expanding the tournaments of course.’
‘I find frustration just a natural part of supporting a football team’
Soren Plovgaard was born in Haarby on the island of Funen in Denmark. He has supported Odense Boldklub since the 1970s. “I was heavily influenced by other locals in my town, who also supported OB. I go to as many games as I can with my son, daughter and girlfriend. That usually means all the home games and seven or eight away games during the season.”
Odense play at Trefor Park. Soren explains that the atmosphere in the stands often mirrors whatever is happening on the pitch. “It can be anything from enthusiastic to dull depending on how the team is playing. I have a regular place at the Fyens Stiftstidende stand, which is where the most engaged supporters are.” The club have won the Danish Superligaen on three occasions, but the last success was back in 1989. “We haven’t done too well in the last four seasons, and before that Odense were Superligaen runners-up three seasons in a row.”
So at the midway point in this year’s Superliga season, how have Odense performed so far? “It’s been a total disaster. No more or less. We’re currently second from bottom with 10 point after 16 games. This season a new structure for the Superliga was introduced. This means that the top six clubs after 26 games will play it out for the championship, whereas the remaining eight clubs play to avoid two relegation places. It’s all rather new and complicated, and I for one am not convinced that we won’t be suffering our first relegation since 1998.”
With Danish tycoon and billionaire Niels Thorborg in charge, Odense are among the healthiest clubs in Denmark financially. But it wasn’t always so rosy financially. “Odense have only just recovered from years of overspending and poor management. But I am never really too frustrated whenever things go wrong at the club. Actually, I find frustration just a natural part of supporting a football team.”
Soren believes the Danish Superliga is well on par with other European leagues, but still has fears for the national team. “I would say our domestic league is at the same level as domestic competitions in Austria, Belgium and perhaps Switzerland. But the national side is different. It’s almost 25 years ago since Denmark won Euro 92 in Sweden. The last four or five years have not been too good under Morten Olsen. I think we’ll do better under new Norwegian manager Age Hareide, but I don’t really expect top performances from the national team in the near future. I won’t mind us not qualifying for the next World Cup though. I don’t really fancy a trip to Russia.”