Stockholm’s Football Clubs
If you’re a big football player or avid fan, Sweden is a great place to live. The Swedes love football and surprisingly it’s even more popular than ice hockey. Almost 500,000 people are registered for association run football teams. OK, it’s true that Swedes generally don’t yell, scream or go entirely nuts when they’re watching or playing games, but if you’re looking for that kind of environment in Stockholm, there are more than a few places you can find it.
Stockholm is home to three English speaking male football clubs made-up of expats from all around the world. The newest of them all; The Albion (FC), currently has twelve different nationalities represented on their team. These division seven teammates play by the motto “in pugna” meaning, still in the fight. The two main goals of this club are to win and have fun doing it. As you may have read in last week’s article Inside View into Stockholm’s Football Culture, The Albion (FC) is sponsored by O’Connells Irish pub. Located in Gamla Stan, O’Connells boasts its widescreen TV’s featuring live sport that are the source for heaps of friendly debate between fans and staff alike. At O’Connells they say: “There are no strangers here – only friends who have not yet met!”
Another international football club in Stockholm that has been kicking around for much longer than The Albion (FC) is the Tudor Arms (FC). They have their roots in the oldest British pub in Stockholm, and the club was formed in the 1970’s. As last season’s champions, this year they move up from division seven to take on the sixth division. As you may have guessed, The Tudor Arms in Östermalm is where the club is based out of. Almost anyone would agree that after 41 years The Tudor Arms is still the best British pub in Stockholm.
The third English speaking footy club in the city is also regarded as an exceptionally international team. The Långholmen (FC) is a division five team who pride themselves on being a second-home to roving footballers living in Stockholm. Their club follows three basic principles: “Respect your fellow players. Love football. Enjoy the beautiful game.” The Långholmen (FC) is linked to the Southside Cavern, also known as the “Southsider” in Zinkensdamm. The Southsider is a brilliant place to have a pint and watch the game as it is equipped with three big screen TVs and has some of the most impressive live sport coverage in Stockholm.
So if you’re a football enthusiast looking for an excellent way to stay fit and meet others from the dynamic international community in Stockholm, then joining one of these football clubs may be the answer for you. For more information about each team or questions regarding recruitment you can check out their websites or send an email to:
www.laget.se/TUDORARMSFC
Långholmen:
You can also register to try out in a couple of training sessions then decide whether you’d like to become a member. Membership prices vary from team to team, but are approximately between 500-2000 SEK for a season.
Information provided by Simon Brazier
Article by Rachel Dee
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