For this instalment in this series of International Football Bigfooty talks to Sölvi Fannar, the General Manager of Andspyrnusamband Íslands – soon to be known as AFL Iceland.
Australian football arrived on the shores of Iceland in May 2009, when an advertisement appeared in the local newspaper advertising for a bit of a kick followed by a BBQ. A few people turned up and the seeds were sown for the world’s northern-most football league.
Solvir is a recent convert to the game becoming involved just last year in Iceland.
His town in Iceland’s north didn’t have a team. He got in touch with a guy in Rejkavik who had played in Denmark, and they began to organise some basic kick to kick and eventually some training sessions.
Iceland did have three teams, but now has two, including Solvir’s team, Akureyri, and another based in the nation’s capital Rejkavik.
The clubs play nine-a-side games on soccer fields, with an oval type shape marked out on the rectangle using fire hoses.
It’s not quite the same as an oval, but it does the job.
There are about 40 Australian Rules players in Iceland, including a number of women from a local university, one of whom was part of the European Crusaders women’s team that won the EU Cup in 2013.
Solvir says he’s working to get the women involved in a mixed mens/women’s competition, but so far that hasn’t eventuated.
Teams will play a couple of games a year, whenever they can be organised, but Solvi says that the most games they play is during the EU Cup.
Amongst the challenges are preventing the loss of players to rugby union, and getting the sport recognised by the Iceland Government.
Solvir tells me he is about to embark on a recruiting mission to universities and colleges in Rejkavik to try and get some more people interested in the game.
Training and matches can be done in all sorts of weather. Solvir tells me that the coldest he’s played in September last year and it was colder than it was when the interview was conducted (at -12).
He says they’ve trained in -15 with ice and snow, and it can hurt like hell if you catch the ball the wrong way.
The national side is the Ravens, who have competed at every EU Cup since 2009, finishing eighth in 2013. They have formerly played friendly games against other countries, but now these games are generally restricted to tournaments like the EU Cup and European Championships.
Like most countries, Iceland has considered coming to the International Cup, but lack the finance and the time to come down.
For the most part however AFL Iceland is focused on growing the game even more in Iceland.
If you’d like to know more about the game – and speak Icelandic – please visit the website.
clipper
Guest
Storm Boy - it's good that at least some league fans accept the reality that most league fans are from out west and AFL and Rugby fans are from the north and east - that's how it is in Sydney.
Storm Boy
Guest
The Swans don't pull fans from Sydney's west. The SCG is a local to Swans fans. Same reason the SFS has such poor crowds overall. All the fans of NRL are out west. The Waratahs have been hopeless but can pull big SFS crowds from fans in the east and north when going well.
The_Wookie
Roar Guru
Im doing these as people respond to my requests, but yes I intend to.
duecer
Guest
Storm Boy - the SFS is almost exactly the same distance from 'Sydney's suburban reaches' that the SCG is, yet the Swans have managed to top the average attendance there for a number of years. There are plenty of nearby pubs (I can't think of an area that would have more in the surrounding area) and public transport is pretty good, even if there is a ten minute walk for people who won't wait for regular buses.
Bill C.
Guest
Enjoying the series Wookie, btw, are you going to do an article on Nauru? Australian Football is their national sport.
Stan McCan
Guest
Loving your work Wookie
TW
Guest
If he goes ok watch the other clubs get involved rather quickly - Ooops should have said the financially "able to clubs".
Avon River
Guest
Don't mention Docklands as that's not Govt funded. Ironically in the end when AFL owned it will have been AFL funded over 25 yrs. Best not mention the MCG as Govt has only put a dribble into thatwhereas the AFL over a 45 yr lease are largely paying for a perma e tly oval stadium. And in Melb the only 100% Govt funded stadium is recangular and fair to say the only of the three that will never host all of footy, RL, RU, soccer AND cricket. Is that good use of public funds? In Sydney like it or not the RAS had some say and along with the AFL both had financial input into the upgraded stadium. When we see the NRL or FFA putting multi millions into public infastructure then Stormboy might have a case but even then - the AFL invests in public infrastructure that does NOT prohibit the use of the other codes due to dimnsions. Not ideal but not prohibitive. Now had Canterbury Bulldogs wanted to engage with the RAS on a rectangular main arena then good luck to them.
Australian Rules
Guest
Storm Boy, In 2012, the Sydney Football Stadium (which happens to be a "well situated rectangular stadium in Sydney with public transport & nearby pubs") hosted a total of 5...that's five... sporting events with an attendance of over 22.5k (which is *half* the stadium's capacity). The breakdown was 2 NRL games, 2 ALeague games and 1 Super rugby game...which half-filled the stadium. And you think the city needs to build another, bigger, stadium? Good luck explaining that to the Sydney tax-payers.
Avon River
Guest
If JT relies on Daily Telegraph, ch 9 Today show, Craig Foster or Roy Masters for his info then perhaps in his mind he is spot on. Best eg of misled NSW folk was around NSW Govt funds to the Blacktown Int Sportspark when DT claimed falsely that general funds for parks and gardens were being redirected to the AFL. This was false. A little basic googling reveals Bob Carr had announced a couple of years earlier the specific fundings but this didn't stop SMH's Masters refering to 'reported' facts which was actually the DT's false reports. Ah poor easily misled NSW/Sydney folk.
Storm Boy
Guest
Thankfully Ian you are not running the NSW government's planning and transport departments. The SFS is a long way from Sydney's suburban reaches and those that do go there have to put up with Sydney's traffic &/or poor transport. There is plenty of open space to the western side of Parramatta Stadium and lots of greenfield sites in Blacktown's area, the south west & north west.
Storm Boy
Guest
Well Wookie if the NSW government ever builds a new stadium in Sydney and makes it oval to include AFL, then the rectangle codes are going to treat it with the same contempt as ANZ. They might as well not build it.
The_Wookie
Roar Guru
Actually my argument would be as it is below. id prefer that the Government build one multipurpose stadium in the city, rather than several. In fact, id rather the Government didnt build sports stadia at all. Im on the record on The Roar as saying that in January 2012. http://www.theroar.com.au/2012/01/07/are-we-spending-too-much-on-stadiums/
Ian Whitchurch
Guest
For the record, Carna Bunnies, and Craig Coleman deserves a statue to him, for staying loyal while those scum from News Corporation tried to kill the great game of rugby league. The fact that the cheating scum from Melbourne were allowed to keep the core of their team after rorting the cap was a disgrace. The job News Corporation have done promoting the great game of rugby league in Melbourne has also been a disgrace - where is the work on the second tier ?
Ian Whitchurch
Guest
Storm Boy, In my universe, the Sydney Football Stadium exists. What happened to it in your universe ? Im also amused by your idea you can put a new stadium anywhere in Sydney with good public transport links.
andyincanberra
Guest
Please. For my sake, try and dumb it down for me. I was specifically questioning the statement 'They should be representing New Zealand in an international sport rather then playing for some club in Australia'. Hawthorn has given these guys the best chance to make a living playing sport, but there are commentors that don't believe that these kids should be taking the opportunity. I would really love to know why they think that these kids should do themselves out of what could be a potentially very good and lucrative living.
Storm Boy
Guest
Both of you would say different if you supported any of the other three football codes. You only tossup cricket & concerns about non use in summer as having an oval stadium also suits AFL. :-) The three dominant codes in the northern states deserve high class rectangular stadia. If AFL & cricket miss out tough luck, there is already the SCG, Skoda, ANZ & Gabba.
Ian Whitchurch
Guest
I see your issue. When you say 'multi-purpose', you mean 'for the exclusive use of sports that use a rectangular field'.
The_Wookie
Roar Guru
As long as the stadium gets used all year around. Nothing more galling than a stadium thats empty for half a year. As long as soccer remains in the summer, and rugby codes the winter, I dont have any issues with rectangular stadiums built to accommodate.
Storm Boy
Guest
They obviously don't play cricket in a rectangular stadium. As in the case of Suncorp, sometimes the AFL and cricket have to miss out. Why should fans of the rectangular footy codes always be treated 2nd class just so AFL, often using cricket as an excuse, can get an optimum stadium? Yes yes yes the rectangle codes can be played in an oval stadium like MCG, ANZ, SCG, Gabba etc but the experience is nothing compared to Suncorp.