Hello and welcome to Early Doors Football! It feels like it has been ages since I have posted or written an article, so it is lovely to be back. For those of you that have kept up with all of the recent transfer news, you will know that this window has already been a bit of a whirlwind, but that is not what I am here to discuss today. I will discuss the important moves soon enough, as there have been a handful that have caught my eye, however, that is for another day.
Thanks to the University of Texas at Austin and my family, I was able to spend a month in Copenhagen for a study abroad trip. This was a truly special experience on every single level, but as a football fan, there was so much to take in. This is not a travel blog, so I need not bore you with the tourist-y things I did or the places I ate (as lovely as they were), but there is a plethora of sights and material to discuss from a football perspective. After a month there, I learned so much about how the country treats football at various levels, and just how ingrained it is in their society. Of course, this is all from the view of an individual that has only lived in America where the other football reigns supreme, so just about anything would be an improvement on the way football and the United States interact. As this is a more personal article, I am going to allow it to be more unstructured than usual. There is a lot of content from different areas that I wish to discuss, so it should flow more naturally with less structure. With all of that said, let’s jump into this love letter to Denmark and its football.
What is it like at a European football match?
June is not exactly the peak of the footballing calendar, so going into this trip, I expected to see very few matches. I had done some digging prior, and most leagues were finished (as I presumed they would be), but very quickly, more opportunities appeared. Whether they were planned a month in advance, or the day before kickoff, I was able to see the following matches Belgium vs Netherlands - Brussels, Belgium
B 93 vs Hillerod - Copenhagen, Denmark
Denmark vs Austria - Copenhagen, Denmark Denmark U21 vs Turkey U21 - Vejle, Denmark Malmo FF vs Trelleborg - Malmo, Sweden Denmark Women vs Brazil Women - Copenhagen, Denmark Six games in 3 countries IN JUNE was absolutely more than I bargained for, but I could not be more thankful with the wide variety of matches I was able to see. It was a fantastic sampling of football: each game was unique in its own special way, so I feel like a clear picture of European football was painted for me. Most of the discussion will be centered around the Danish games, but I need to start off with the Belgium vs Netherlands match for some context. If you would have told me 6 months ago that I would be seeing Virgil Van Dijk and Kevin De Bruyne play in person, I would have told you that you are insane. Somehow, I managed to get tickets for the Belgium vs Netherlands Nations League match in Brussels, so on my day off from class, I flew to Belgium for the match. I will get to my point quickly here, as I want to focus on Denmark’s football specifically. It was absolutely incredible to see some of the players that were on display; men who I have watched on TV for years now stood before me, so it was undoubtedly surreal. As amazing as that was, I was left disappointed by the atmosphere (or lack thereof) at this match. Given the players on show, I would think that everyone would have been buzzing for kickoff, but it seemed like the majority of fans there were only mildly interested in what was taking place on the field. Evidently, the Belgium players had a similar mentality, as they were played off the park by the Dutchmen. After the final whistle had blown, Belgium had been thrashed 4-1, after a blasé display from Martinez’s team. I presumed that this is simply what the atmosphere at a Nations League match was like, but I was in for a surprise at the Denmark vs Austria match. A couple of days before the match, I knew this match was going to have an exponentially better atmosphere than the match in Belgium. Outside of the ground in a nearby park/complex, there was a large watch party set up from the previous match. This was already a huge improvement and definitely illustrated what was in store. Along with a few of my fellow students, I went to the area surrounding the stadium hours before the match, as I knew the area would be a fantastic place to get ready for the game. Sure enough, it was a complete party atmosphere. Everywhere you looked, there was red and white. I genuinely could not fathom that people would be this excited for a Nations League match, given that I was under the assumption that they are glorified friendlies, but nonetheless, the entire city seemed to be ready for kickoff. Inside the stadium was something I had never seen before, but it is exactly what I had hoped for. I struggle to find the right way to describe it, but it was simply unreal. The best comparison I can make is to imagine the fan groups of Austin FC or LAFC filling an entire stadium. Everyone was singing, everyone was decked out in national team gear, everyone was just excited to see football. Thankfully, the match ended 2-0 in favor of Denmark, so the party atmosphere continued the entirety of the match. When the pair of goals went in, pandemonium ensued. It was an incredible thing to be a part of. Yet again, something I had only seen on TV was now something I was experiencing in real life. With an atmosphere like that, you cannot help but feel as if you are Danish in all honesty. After the wonderful experience in that match (and the country as a whole), I will absolutely be a major Denmark fan when the World Cup rolls around in November. While this match was by far and away the most exciting and enthralling, the other two Danish national team games provided an equally unique experience. The next day, my friend and I took a train to Vejle to watch the Danish U21 national team play. He only found the game two days earlier (Thanks Jack!), so it was a last-minute choice to go. Following a scenic train ride, we arrived ready for the match. The stadium was quaint, but the fans that attended were lively. The level of play was surprisingly high from both teams, so it was an enthralling game to watch. Denmark won the match 3 - 2, thanks to a pair of really dynamic goals in the second half. The atmosphere was lively for the entire match, but interestingly enough, it seemed as if the majority of the attendees were school children. Perhaps the Danish FA had given tickets to the surrounding schools, which would be a fantastic gesture. It was great to see these rising talents, but we had one last piece of the footballing puzzle to see before we departed: women’s football! The match that I attended was against Brazil at Parken, the largest stadium in Denmark. This is where I also watched the Men’s team play, but the venue was far more important on this occasion. For the first time in their history, the women’s national team were playing in this iconic stadium, so it was a particularly special moment to see. My entire class attended the match, thanks to our study abroad coordinators, so it was a great opportunity to experience a historic match with friends. The stadium was very filled and had a party atmosphere reminiscent of the men's game I attended. Each seat was given a flag, so before kickoff the stadium was swallowed by a red and white sea. The atmosphere was matched by the quality of the game, as we witnessed a cracking match. An outrageous strike from Thomsen got things rolling early in the game, before Brazil answered back in the 87th minute. We were disappointed that the match looked to be headed towards a draw, as it seemed like Denmark deserved more out of the game. Our prayers were answered, as a stoppage time goal won the match for Denmark. Having the opportunity to see three different Danish national teams was something I did not expect going into the trip, so it was an absolute privilege to be able to do so. Each match had its own quirks, but I loved them all. I have never seen a group so passionate about their nation firsthand; I could not help but feel part of the group myself. I loved Denmark in every way, but getting to experience their international football might be what I will cherish the most.
Danish Football from a Grassroots Perspective
Apart from watching football, I played far more than I anticipated as well. After only a few days in Copenhagen, their love of football was evident. There were pitches seemingly on every corner, which overjoyed me, as the fields in the US that are available to the public are few and far between. Even if they are available to the public, the quality of the field usually makes it a waste of time to play on, but that was not the case here. Whether the field was grass, turf, or a court, the surface was top quality, as were the goals on the field. I did not come across a single rickety plastic goal in my entire time there; every goal was metal and had a fully intact net, another rarity of public pitches in the United States, in my experience. These fields were often occupied, even late into the night. It was beautiful to see so many people playing football in such a casual manner, it definitely made me feel nostalgic towards my childhood when I would play in my neighborhood. Outside of this casual play, my class got the opportunity to visit and speak to a handful of sport clubs from the surrounding area, which was an incredibly eye opening experience. The Danish youth sports philosophy is entirely different from what I was used to, so many of their ideas felt unheard of. While the club systems in the United States and Denmark both have their positives and pitfalls, the difference between the two cannot be understated. Central to every club was the idea that anyone and everyone should play, and that they should enjoy doing it. Enjoyment and inclusion were priorities before development and success, which seems foreign to all American club soccer experiences that I had. I am genuinely unaware of any club that truly pushes these ideologies, but perhaps they are escaping my vision. Recreational football might be the only place that remains a priority, but with the narrative that we must play at the highest level and win the most games (even at a young age), recreational sports quickly fall by the wayside for all age groups, especially as they get older. Critics would say that this focus on enjoyment can limit development, and while I would not disagree to an extent, one must ask if that is a problem when we are talking about young players. Additionally, not everyone may want to develop into an elite athlete, so this emphasis on playing the game because you love it is perfect. Clubs with a developmental focus exist as well of course, so it seems like they have a more holistic view on sport, as they recognize its positive impact on those who take part in it. Something I also found extremely interesting was the fact that they have age groups all the way to over 65 (years old) leagues. Once again, they are demonstrating that they deeply understand the importance of sports, or exercise on a more basic level, by not limiting themselves to children and teenagers. The United States does have men’s football leagues, so perhaps this idea is not entirely lost here, but it seems to be far more central in their approach to a healthy society. It truly makes me laugh to think what it would be like if some of the clubs I have played on in my past had adults playing on a field adjacent to us, but it is a lovely implementation nonetheless. Finally, I want to remind everyone how football is undoubtedly the world’s language. I was thousands of miles away from home, yet football allowed me to meet new people and make new friends. After a single trip to a nearby pitch, a friend and I already became friends with someone from Italy, simply because we were shooting on the same goal. Each trip we met and chatted with more people from Denmark, Iceland, and even Libya, all because of football. If you are ever lonely, just go out to a pitch with a football and you will be talking with someone in no time. Away from the field, I had one of my favorite interactions, simply because I chose to don a Chelsea jersey that day. After class, I went to get lunch at a nearby pasta shop. In broken English, the Italian chef, who is an Inter Milan fan, lightly heckled me about the recent Lukaku debacle. We laughed about the fact Chelsea had just loaned the Belgian back to Inter Milan, only a season after we spent $100 million on him. He was happy to have “Big Rom” back in Italy, while I lamented the woefully failed transfer. I was then served the best pasta I’ve had in my life, but I was still left thinking about that interaction. Across the world, where language may be imperfect, football will still enable you to have a conversation.
Well, I think that is a worthy place to leave things. I know this was a bit of an unusual article, but Denmark and its football deserved an article. A more typical article will come in the next week or so, so I hope you all keep an eye out for the next one. Thank you for reading as always, and have a lovely day.
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