Brothers

02 Thursday Aug 2018

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Thursday 7th June 2018 ko 19.00

Division 5 Sydöstra Skåne

ÖJA FF 3 (Alfred Andersson 7 Axel Andersson 8 Sebastian Andersson 24)

BLENTARPS BK 1 (Malmborg 61)

Att 97

Entry FREE

With the four of us opting to split our time in Sweden between Stockholm and the annual Swedish hop, once again based in Trelleborg, the vexed question was how we were going to travel the 650km between the two cities? I rather fancied taking the train from Stockholms Södra to Lund, then changing for Trelleborg Centrum. I suspect the journey isn’t in any Bradshaw’s Guide, but it looked fun and Trelleborg station is only around 200 metres from the hop’s current base at the Best Western Hotel Magazinet on Trelleborg’s waterfront. As ever the solution came from Swedish Hop organiser Kim Kedwall. Continue reading →

Kim’s Stockholm

30 Monday Jul 2018

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Wednesday 6th June 2018 ko 15.00

Division One Norra

AKROPOLIS I.F. 1 (Alemayehu 43)

SOLLENTUNA FK 1 (Ramsell 28)

Att c250

Entry & Programme 100 sek

Our last day in Stockholm was the day where Swedish Groundhop organiser Kim Hedwall showed his mettle. The Swedish hop was the first non-UK hop and has run every year since 2007. The reason it started was Kim and without him it couldn’t run- he and the event are indivisible. So when he asked the 4 of us to meet him earlier in the day at Fridhemsplan metro station our notoriously individualistic selves didn’t need to ask questions, we just planned our route!

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Alternatives

26 Thursday Jul 2018

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Tuesday 5th June 2018 ko 19.00

Division 6F Stockholm

NACKDALA A.I.S. 5 (Karlsson 20 Löwenhamn 28 72 Cansu 35 Lehtinen 44)

PAPPAS POJKAR 4 (Rasoli 18 88 Eriksson 70 Bui 90)

Att 25

Based as we were in the Stockholm suburb of Årstadal the Pendeltåg, or commuter train was handy for us. Two stops north saw us in the centre of Stockholm but with our SL Access cards allowing access south-west to Södertälje and beyond we opted to make for a town I barely associated with Sweden’s capital, but Tumba still managed to shock me.  Continue reading →

The Red Line

26 Thursday Jul 2018

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Monday 4th June 2018 ko 19.30

Division 5 Stockholm

IK HEPHATA 1 ( Radhe 17)

SKOGÅS/ TRÅNGSUND A.I.K. 0

Att 19 at Mälarhöjdens IP

Free Entry

The metro train trundled south-west on the red line heading towards its terminus at Fruängen. Robyn was looking at the route map above the door,

“So it’s all the way to Fruängen then catch the 163 bus to the ground?” she half-asked, half told.

She was absolutely correct, but the time she’d spent interrogating the map she missed the train stopping at Hägerstensåsens. That was where’d watched Hägersten SK, her first Swedish football match. I pondered all that had changed since then.

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Mileposts

23 Monday Jul 2018

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Sunday 3rd June 2018 ko 19.00

Division 6C Stockholm

IFK LIDINGÖ BK 6 ( I Gustafsson 9 49 Broström 27 Undhammar 66 Sjöwall 70 Engdahl 77)

TORSTENS LÅJUNGAR BK 0

Att 43

Entry – FREE

One of the many reasons I love Sweden in general, and Stockholm in particular is that it manages to signpost significant points in my life. My first foreign football trip was to Nyköpings BIS in 2007 and my photos since then tell so many stories, from the start of the collapse of just about everything that meant something to me on the 2010 Swedish Hop to the newly separated man trying unsuccessfully to laugh his way around the hop a year later in front of “Offside Magazine”. Then two years ago something I thought would never happen did, Robyn arrived in my life, and actually wanted to join me on my regular little odysseys round Sweden. But unlike all the other times, this Swedish milepost I decided to be in full control of.  Continue reading →

Friendship

20 Friday Jul 2018

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Saturday 2nd June 2018 ko 19.45

International Friendly

SWEDEN 0

DENMARK 0

Att 41,558 at Friends Arena, Solna

Entry 100 sek (approx £8.62)

Programme 20 sek*

When I was putting this year’s trip to Sweden together this fixture was an obvious one to consider. The time of arrival for Robyn, Sim, Adrian and I had been set in stone, and once Swedish Groundhop organiser Kim Hedwall offered to hire a car and collect us from the airport and drive us from there to Kristinebergs IP then to our hotel, and finally to Solna the cards rather fell into place.  Continue reading →

The Palace

19 Thursday Jul 2018

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Saturday 2nd June 2018 ko 14.00

Division 3 Södra Svealand

FC STOCKHOLM INTERNAZIONALE 5 (Culeu 42p 49 Tourang 67 82 Aloui 90og)

TYRESÖ FF 0

Att 78

Entry 50sek (£4.31)

The idea behind this years trip to Sweden had long been to visit Stockholm before travelling south for the annual Swedish hop, based once again in Trelleborg. It meant spending two weekends in Scandanavia with the week between linking them. It gave me a couple of decisions to make. Continue reading →

The Clansmen

18 Wednesday Jul 2018

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Tuesday 29th May 2018 ko 18.30

North Bucks & District League- Premier Division

STEWKLEY 1 (Howe 19)

POTTERSPURY 8 (Cole 6 A Kelly 14 75 Hall 25 74 90 Ord 66 Whittome 86)

Att 69

Free Entry

I suspect that the pretty Buckinghamshire village of Stewkley is more famous for cricket than football. Former England captain Alistair Cook was married at the local church here, and fast bowler Darren Gough had a playing stint at Stewkley CC whilst living here. Away from sport “Pub Landlord” Al Murray was born here, but why did an off-pyramid game at the far side of the cricket pitch attract quite so many groundhoppers? Continue reading →

Abertawe

15 Sunday Jul 2018

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Saturday 26th May 2018 ko 14.30

Welsh League Division 2

WEST END 1 (Hughes 46)

AFC PORTH 1 (Adshead 51)

Att 28

Entry & Programme £6

It was the day that I decided to finish off Swansea, well in Welsh League terms anyway. When the Welsh Spring Hop diverted to Swansea City’s training ground at Landore it made the fact I’d never visited West End’s home at Pri Deri Park seem rather glaring. To make things worse, when Robyn and I visited the Liberty Stadium we ended up parking near to Pri Deri Park, in the Mayhill district of Swansea. Continue reading →

Serenity

13 Friday Jul 2018

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Tuesday 22nd May 2018 ko 18.30

Coventry Alliance Division 2

CRICK ATHLETIC 3 (Pritchard 39 54 Hull 40)

AMBLESIDE SPORTS RESERVES 2 (Vaughan 4 Morris 35)

Att 15

FREE Entry

When I read about some hoppers self-imposed rules and regulations I usually allow myself a wry smile. There’s the one who won’t go to a game unless its on the Groundhopper App and then there’s the ones who won’t go to a game below the 6th step of non-league “Because its all fields.” Each to their own of course, but for me the beauty of the hobby is digging up the little gems, and you’ll never be able to do that with an App- you are inevitably using someone else’s research. To find a little gem like Crick you have to dig that little known seam of football that is (nominally) Step 11. Continue reading →