I was back in Sweden for a few days and so checked out the nearby fixtures. There was a fourth-tier game at Bodens and Lulea were the visitors. I’d read that it was a derby, but in an eight-team league centred in the north of Sweden, I’d imagine that you could make that claim for just about any game.
Nevertheless, the visit of their local rivals was enough for Bodens to drop any admission charges and welcome everyone in for free. Running costs were met by sponsors who were rewarded with a visit to the VIP Lounge behind one of the goals.
I did the twenty-five minute drive from Lulea with a couple of fellas from work. Parking was easy enough at the stadium and we found seats in one of the covered stands along the side. The attendance wasn’t great, despite free admission and I’d estimate that the 5,200 capacity Energi Arena was no more than ten percent full.
Our view was obscured for a while by mascots handing out sweets, but once Super Mario and a T-Rex had moved on we had a clear view of the action.
There weren’t many chances in the first half. Lulea were probably on top but couldn’t make anything count. At half-time we headed inside and had the option of homemade cake, hot dogs or burgers. I went for a burger and it was edible.
Fortunately, we were able to pay in cash, rather than being penalized for not having a Swish card. More stadiums need to be flexible if they want tourists like us to pop along.
We watched the start of the second half through the netting erected behind the goal, then moved along to the main stand opposite the one we’d sat in for the first forty-five minutes. Bodens were the better team after the break and spurned a few close-range chances.
The home side eventually broke the deadlock with three minutes remaining when a headed chance from a yard out was converted. It was too close to miss despite the striker failing to make clean contact. Still, they all count and Bodens took the points.
Tags: Home made cake, Super Mario
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