After the trips to Finland and Denmark, it was time to move on to Sweden, this time for work rather than the dubious pleasure of watching Duran Duran. The project I’m involved in is in a small town in the north of Sweden, just a hundred kilometres or so from the Arctic Circle.
It’s a region that doesn’t have any top tier clubs, but that suits me fine and for the first game of the trip I selected a fourth-tier fixture in the Division 2 Norrland league.
The Jiabvallen ground was a few minute’s drive away on the outskirts of Lulea. The roads leading to it all seemed to be bordered by forests, although it’s not just the roads, everywhere is bordered by forests. Flying in, the views below me were all either trees or lakes. I’m hoping to get the time to have a decent look around the region when I make my monthly visits.
It was eighty crowns to get in, which is about six quid. That included a free programme too. The game was between mid-table Bergnasets and Boden City who were bottom of the seven-team division.
There was a three-row wooden stand that ran most of the length of one side of the pitch. Around a hundred or so people had turned up. The ones near me were mainly players who hadn’t been selected and their friends. A couple of youngsters were sat at the front, eating salad that they’d brought from home in Pyrex dishes.
The standard was good, particularly the home side. I’m not sure at what level in Sweden the players drop to part-time, but they all looked to be ‘proper’ footballers. Bergnasets had the best of a cagey first half, but neither side managed to break the deadlock before half-time.
At the break I got myself a burger. Just as it had been earlier at the gate, I was given the choice of payment in cash or via an App called Swish as they couldn’t take payment by card. I don’t have the Swish App as you need a Swedish bank account to open it, but fortunately I had sufficient Swedish cash with me.
After the restart, Bergnasets picked up where they had left off. They had most of the decent chances, including hitting the bar from what might well have been a cross rather than a shot. The Boden City defence held out though and the game finished goalless.
Trail of the Lion King 
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