Hammerfest IF Stein — Tromsø IL 2 (18-06-2023)

Hammerfest, a town in Norway, is the most northern settlement with more than 10,000 people. It is also, allegedly, the most northern place in the world where official football games are being played. So, I decided to drive there from Stockholm, approximately 1,600 km (or 1,000 miles), by way of games in Umeå and Luleå.

I arrive in Hammerfest more than 1.5 hour early for the 4 PM kick-off, so I decide to make a quick visit to the old stadium, the Breidabikk Stadion in Rypefjord, just outside of Hammerfest. And “stadium” is a big word here.

Since 2022 Hammerfest plays its home games in the brand new Vår Energi Arena, an indoor Astroturf ground that has place for just 500 people on just one side of the pitch. Although it is indoors, it is also remarkably cold… in fact, colder than outside!

I pay 100 NOK (or $9.50) to get in and get sort of a ticket. I go back to my car to get my jacket and take a seat on one of the ca. 25 plastic seats — the rest is just wooden bench.

It’s pretty busy at the game, particularly given that it is nice weather by local standards (14 C and sunny). The audience is quite young, mostly men, but a few larger groups of girls too (some might play for the girls team). Although I saw a lot of non-white people downtown, there are few in the stands and none on the pitch (one non-white player comes in for Hammerfest in the 79th minute). A significant people wear club gear that indicates they play for the team at some level — few have fan gear.

The game is in the Norsk Tipping Ligaen, Afd 6 (Sixth Division). Hammerfest IF Stein) is a merger of two local teams, founded in 1991. They play the second team of Tromsø IL, whose first team plays in the Eliteserien (First Division).

The first half decent chance occurs in the 12th minute, when a a hard shot by the hosts goes wide and high. A few minutes later, a Hammerfest corner should have been headed in but is weak and wide and the ensuing shot is wild and wide. Two minutes later a long H free kick is headed back and hit weak from close range and then saved by defender.

It is a game between hard work and strong physique (Hammerfest) and high pace and good passing but no final pass (Tromsø). Tromsø 2 looks like the under-21 team of the club: young, fast, technical, but missing the height and strength of lower league Norwegian football. Still, in the 31st minute, the guests have a well-executed counter attack that is finished from close range: 0-1. This is also the half time score.

The second half continues with physical work by Hammerfest and fast counters by Tromsø with a lot of fouls and very few chances. In the 58th minute the ball drops in front of a Tromsø player inside of the box who hits the crossbar. Two minutes later a quick counter through the middle leads to a surprising win in a sprint for the fairly heavy Hammerfest striker, who then shoots a bit weak at the goal, which is saved by the gaolie.

In the 70th and 78th minute a Tromsø goal is disallowed for offside; in both cases the correct decision but particularly the second one was a beautiful attack. After that, there is no more goals and 0-1 is the final score.

Indoor football, rather than futsal, remains really weird, but it does make perfect sense in Hammerfest. Was it worth the drive? Well, yes, because it is the most northern place to play official football. But in terms of stadium, football, or ambiance, it was less remarkable.