Mergers could solve Copenhagen clubs’ struggles with a lack of fans, while one historic team are trying to cling on to their traditional support.
FC Nordsjaelland
FC Nordsjaelland (FCN) are something rare: a football club younger than most of their supporters. Although children and families do make up some of their fanbase, the club, based in Farum on the northern edge of Copenhagen, will only turn 14 this summer.
For FCN’s first game after the winter break on February 17, a crowd of 2,688 at the Right to Dream Park (named after a coaching academy) saw a 1-0 defeat in a local derby against Lyngby Boldklub. The attendance was slightly better than the team’s season average and it highlighted what has been a constant issue for FCN throughout their existence – it is difficult to get the locals interested in top-flight football. That’s not because they haven’t been treated to success; FCN’s results have been remarkable. The amateur club which the professional FCN is built on, Farum Boldklub, were themselves not formed until 1991, starting in the seventh tier. They were promoted to the Superliga for the first time in 2002, the year before being named after the local region (North Zealand).
The club’s rise owed a lot to the former mayor, Peter Brixtofte, who helped to find financing for the renovation of the stadium. He was immensely popular and declared the club to be his life’s work. In 2002, however, a newspaper revealed that Brixtofte had used public funds to wine and dine expensively and it was later discovered that he had made secret loans to the club and other illegal financial deals.
この記事は When Saturday Comes の May 2017 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は When Saturday Comes の May 2017 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
Pirate Transmission
Broadcasters around the world are paying huge sums to screen football, but they will not be willing to invest if they cannot be protected.
Scandi Drama
Years before it was screened live in the UK, England’s Football League was building a cult following abroad thanks to a visionary broadcaster.
Pot Of Gold
A rare meeting between two local rivals brought FA Cup fever – and a useful financial boost – to one corner of Hertfordshire
Digital Divide
From earnest post-match punditry to being used in actual players’ matchday preparations, the virtual game is becoming increasingly blurred with reality.
Haringey Ladder
The decision to walk off in the face of abuse has shone a national spotlight on a community club with a progressive approach
Bournemouth 0 Norwich City 0
Dean Court may have received a Premier League facelift but against today’s visitors the home team fail to live up to their status, although the low-quality draw they play out is still somehow reassuring.
Knowledge Sharing
England’s recent success at youth level has come off the back of the FA’s different approach to coaching, shunning star names and appointing low-key but experienced coaches from the lower-leagues.
Practice Imperfect
Being paid to play football all day might sound like a great job to most of us, but for many players training sessions are seen as an unbearable chore.
Scotland 2 England 2
The original international fixture has diminished in stature over the years and this time – just two days after a general election and amid heightened security – there is little bile between rivals at Hampden as the hosts try to salvage their hopes of, finally, reaching another World Cup.
Focus On Mick channon
Raised in a rural village on Salisbury Plain, football became an outlet for a young Mick Channon after his elder brother died in a tractor accident.
