KF Fjardabyggd – KV (07-08-2021)

Knattspyrnufélag Fjarðabyggðar (KFF) is an Icelandic football club from the town of Fjarðabyggð, located on the east coast of Iceland. The club was founded in 2001 with a merger of three local clubs and KFF plays in the 2. Deilid Karla (Second Division Men), which is really the third tier of Icelandic football.

 

The town that the game is played in, according to the official website of Icelandic football, is Eskifirdi, but my car’s GPS doesn’t recognize it. Fortunately, I put have an address of a restaurant in the neighborhood, and as I drive there, I see a football pitch with players practicing on it. After a quick snack, I go back and see two dozen people on the small stand. I ask a couple of guys whether this is the game I’m looking for (by pointing to my trip agenda as I cannot pronounce the names), which they confirm, so I pay ISK 1,500 (ca. $12) to get in – unfortunately, no ticket again.

 

So, it turns out that KFF plays its games in the town/village Eskifjördur, at a pitch that barely deserves the name stadium, as there are only a few seats on an uncovered “stand”. Still, thye 'stadium', Eskifjarðarvöllur does have one of the most remarkable backgrounds. 

 

The opponent is Knattspyrnufélag Vesturbæjar (KV), which comes from the Vesturbæjar district of Reykjavik. I wonder how this works logistically, as the game is played on Saturday at 14:00 and the drive from Reykjavik is some 8 hours. I assume they don’t play directly after an 8-hour bus ride, which would mean they left on Friday and will be home Saturday night/Sunday morning.

 

As the game is about 15 minutes in, I hand count 68 spectators. However, at least 15 come in later and at least 5 people watch from their cars, which you can park straight up to the gate. It is raining miserably, which together with a temperature of 12 C, makes it feel like a shitty October day in the Netherlands. To be honest, I’m a bit surprised that spectators go to their car, as this is Icelandic summer. I cannot imagine it being much better during the rest of the season.

 

Another surprise, the team from the small town from East Iceland has two Black players. That’s more than I have seen in any of the Reykjavik teams. KFF players also often shout in English to each other, including to the non-Black players, indicating that there are various foreigners in the team.

 

In the 14^th minute the away team scores from a corner and I count one away supporter. Four minutes later KFF has its first chance, a shot in a turn goes well over the goal. In the 29^th minute a KV cross finds a player at 5 meters from the goal, but he tries to control it rather than volley it (he can’t). With one half chance for each team we are at half time: 0-1

 

Like others, I spend half-time in my car to shelter from the rain and type some notes. In the 54^th minutes, as I get my umbrella from my car, KV scores again: 0-2. In the 68^th minute a KFF defender shoots the ball straight at a KV attacker at the side of the box but he shoots it low at the goalkeeper.

 

In the 84^th minute various KV players fail to shoot at goal from inside the box until one shoots at the goalie, who saves with one fist. Four minutes later KFF has a (very weak) header at goal. One of the first balls at the KV goal in the second half. In the 89^th minute KV has a last very good attack: a cross is pulled back and a player storms into the box and shoots it wide. Should have been a goal. Final score: 0-2.

 

You don’t need to come here for the football but the setting of Eskifjarðarvöllur is absolutely unique.