23 Thursday Jun 2016
Posted in S
Stockholm 1st to 2rd June 2016
This year’s visit was different, for the first time I convinced a significant other to come with me. On one hand it wasn’t too difficult to convince Robyn, all I had to do was show her the photos I took last year but this year we were a little short of time so my task was to condense the best of Sweden’s capital into a little over a 48 hours. Continue reading
22 Wednesday Jun 2016
Tags
BK, Enköping, Fanna, Kim Hedwall, Råbergsvallen, Rosersberg, Rosersbergs, Sweden, Swedish hop
Sunday 5th June 2016 ko 16.00
Division 5 Södra Uppland
ROSERSBERGS IK 1 (Lyngbrant 34p)
FANNA BK 1 (Abbas 88) Smedlof sent off 68 (2nd booking)
Att 121
We left the countryside and narrow-gauge railway and headed back to the Swedish Hop’s eventual terminus at Arlanda Airport. The planes flying over the top of Råbergsvallen seemed to me a horrible reminder of what was shortly going to finish. My girlfriend Robyn was half-asleep, half gazing in wonder at the scenery so whatever occurred at our final game I knew that at least from her perspective, her first trip to Sweden had been a success. The last sign back to Kårsta disappeared as we reached the E4 motorway and we headed north. Continue reading
20 Monday Jun 2016
Posted in K
Tags
FK, GoIF, Kare, Kårevallen, Kårsta, Kim Hedwall, Staffen Hassius, Stockholm, Sweden, Unik
Sunday 6th June 2016 ko 13.00
Division 5 Södra Uppland
GoIF KÅRE 1 (Zachrison 64)
UNIK FK 0 Holm sent off 81 (violent conduct)
Att 126
Sweden’s countryside is so friendly, even the bus shelters talk to you (If you push the button on them)! Following Swedish hop tradition it seemed, we followed the Roslagsbanan narrow gauge railway, but this time to its terminus at Kårsta, although there are plans to reinstate the line right through to the heritage lines further north-east to Rimbo. We were at the furthest outpost of Stockholms Lan (Stockholm County) and our coach bumped down a track at the edge of the village but what we were to find at the end blew us all away. Continue reading
16 Thursday Jun 2016
Saturday 4th June 2016 ko 18.00
Superettan
IK SIRIUS FK 2 (Björkbaum 67 Bergman 78)
TRELLEBORGS FF 1 (Jovanovic 29)
Att 1,170
Entry 140sek (but included in hop price)
Programme 20 sek (but included in hop price)
If the Swedish Hop isn’t about one thing it was this. We’ve put on games at Allsvenskan and Superettan grounds before and the result is always the same. Organiser Kim Hedwall gets the clamour to include them but when we do, we don’t get the extra hoppers that would justify doing it more often. Now whilst Kim and I would love to see more hoppers come to Sweden each year, we are reasonably comfortable with the 20-or-so we get each year. There was though a couple of compelling reasons to head north to Uppsala. Continue reading
13 Monday Jun 2016
Posted in D
Tags
Danderyds, Danderydsvallen, FF, Husby, Kim Hedwall, Princess Sophia, SK, Slitz, Sweden, Swedish hop
Saturday 4th June 2016 ko 12.00
Division 4 Norra Stockholm
DANDERYDS SK 2 (Issa 20 Pharmasson 90)
HUSBY FF 3 (Hien 8 47 Tsegai 75)
Att 63
It was one of those morning starts that was dictated more by when the hotel stopped serving breakfasts than what time our coach needed to leave Ulriksdal. You even could see a road sign for Danderyds sjukhus (hospital) from our hotel. It meant a relaxed breakfast with the inevitable crispy bacon, grilled frankfurteresque sausages, and for the more adventurous- pickled herrings! Continue reading
11 Saturday Jun 2016
Posted in I
Tags
Brunn, Fotboll, groundhopping, Hallonbergens, IF, Ingarö, Ingarö IP, Slussen, Stockholm, Sweden
Thursday 2nd June 2016 ko 19.15
Division 4 Mellersta Stockholm
INGARÖ IF 2 (Asplund 41 Eriksson 76)
HALLONBERGENS IF 1 (Yebio 76)
Att 53
Entry FREE
No Programme
For a city as beautiful as Stockholm the bus station at Slussen T-Bana (metro) station is an unlovely place, a place of stained concrete and tired yellow lights. However, the buses to the far-flung parts of the Stockholm archipelago are included on the SL “Access” card, and are punctual and regular from there, so a group of 6 British people stood in a bus battling the rush hour traffic heading for a rather deserted looking island to the east of Sweden’s capital. Continue reading
09 Thursday Jun 2016
Posted in H
Tags
Division 4 Sodra, Hagersten, IF, Meatballs for the people, Segeltorps, SK, Sodermalm, Stockholm, Sweden, T-Bana
Wednesday 1st June 2016 ko 20.00
Division 4 Södra Stockholm
HÄGERSTEN SK 0
SEGELTORPS 2 (Dalakis 33 Borsen 47)
Att 56 at Hägerstensåsens BP
Entry FREE
No Programme
I’ve long since admitted to a love affair with Sweden, 15 trips in 10 years is proof positive of that, but I’m coming to the the conclusion that there’s something of the missionary in me too. When the car travelling to Gatwick Airport contained regular travel companion Sim, his brother Adrian, and my girlfriend Robyn I suspected my influence had been greater than I’d thought! Continue reading
21 Friday Aug 2015
Posted in A
Tags
AIK, DIF, Djurgarden, Djurgårdens, Solna, Stockholm, Stockholm Derby, Sweden, Tvillingderbyt
Monday 10th August 2015 ko 19.07
Allsvenskan
A.I.K. 1 (Bangura 54) Sundberg sent off 32 (DOGSO)
DJURGÅRDEN 0 Arvidsson sent off 74 (2nd booking)
Att 39,387
Entry- Complimentary
Programme 20sek
Picture the scene; I’m pottering around on a Sunday morning, and a message pops up on my mobile phone. “Would I like a free ticket to the Stockholm derby in 2 weeks’ time?” The answer of course was yes, but there was the not unsubstantial issue of how I was going to get there, and at what cost? Continue reading
21 Sunday Jun 2015
Tags
Alfred Nobel, City Hall, Djurgarden, Gamla Stan, Gruna Lund, Kaknastournet, Sergels Torg, Slussen, Stockholm, Sweden
Stockholm June 2015
One of the fringe benefits of watching obscure football matches all over the world, is that you inevitably end up seeing a country and its people as they are, not as the tourist guides try to present it. Over the last 9 years Stockholm has signposted many significant times in my life; I jump on plane and 2 hours later there it is, welcoming me back. But until now I’d failed to take the short-cut and visit all the touristy bits. Continue reading
17 Wednesday Jun 2015
Posted in M
Tags
arlanda airport, Asunda, Division 6 Vastra Uppland, Harith Mahmood, Kim Hedwall, Morgongava, Ramsjovallen, Sweden, Swedish hop, Wedding Present
Sunday 7th June 2015 ko 16.00
Division 6 Västra Uppland
MORGONGÅVA SK 2 (Magnusson 2 Folkesson 17)
ÅSUNDA IF 1 (Holmberg 76) Mahmood sent off 90 (2nd booking)
Att 94
NB The Swedish hop’s cost of £280 included all entry fees, programmes, two nights bed and breakfast, and coach travel between the games and Arlanda airport.
Entry FREE
Teamsheets FREE
The final game in this year’s Swedish hop took the party back towards Uppsala, and the pretty agricultural district of Heby. In so many ways Ramsjövallen was exactly the kind of ground we like to feature. Its isolated, pretty, and if it wasn’t for Kim Hedwall organising this annual event the coach party would never of even heard of it, let alone paid it a visit. A closer look also shows the other side of organising a groundhop too, the benefit to the club. Continue reading
Football: Wherever it may be 