Hardy(T)'s World Soccer Diary

20/6/96, Bodø, Norway

If you thought that away match at Grimsby or Scunthorpe was cold, spare a thought for the hardy souls of Bodø who have to watch their home matches some 100km inside the Arctic Circle.

I visited the Aspmyra Stadium on midsummer's Eve and snow still capped the mountains that form the impressive backdrop for this quaint little stadium.

FK Bodø-Glimt share the Aspmyra with the local athletics club. However, the main grandstand faces the athletics track rather than the football pitch. The only witnesses to the footballing activity have the choice of standing on one of four grass banks or a bit of asphalt terracing. The 'facilities', ie, club shop, toilets, dressing rooms, etc, are all housed in portacabins on the touchline. Cracking view though...

It's hard to believe that FK Bodø-Glimt won the 1993 Norwegian Cup and were runners-up in the League the same year. You half expect Hansel and Gretel or some Norwegian trolls to emerge from these club offices at any time. However, I'll always have fond memories of this homely northern outpost of European soccer.

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