The second and final game of this trip was at Vita, a small village that’s a forty-minute drive north of Lulea. I’d been tempted by a game a further hour on, in a town that bordered Finland, on the basis that at this time of year it’s light virtually around the clock and if I went later in the year it might not be such an easy drive.
In the end, I opted for the closer fixture at the Vita IP. I arrived a good twenty minutes before kick-off, parked my car pitch side and wandered over to the bloke manning the burger counter. He was curious about why I was there and how I even knew the game was being played. I showed him the Futbology App which mildly amused him. When I ordered a burger from him he directed me to a hatch where I could pay for it and also for admission to the game.
It turned out that payment for the game was voluntary. As I didn’t have the preferred Swish App I handed over a one hundred Krona note. The fella inside thought that was excessive and gave me fifty back. He also handed me a bag from their sponsor which contained a cap, water bottle and some sweets. I may have got the best of that transaction.
The players were still warming up as I took my burger to a small three row wooden stand. It had an announcer in a box at the back of it, which I thought a little over the top for a sixth-tier Division 4 Norrbotten Norra fixture.
The playing surface was more appropriate for the level though. It wasn’t particularly flat and had areas without grass. On the other side of the pitch to me were the dugouts, and behind them the main road. Every now and then a lorry would pass with a trailer full of lumber.
The stand filled up as the game kicked off, with the overall attendance peaking at around forty people and three dogs. Midway through the first half I was greeted by a fellow groundhopper who had been alerted to my presence via the Futbology App and who then identified me with the help of the burger man.
Leif is in his mid-sixties but still reffing at the level above this game and running the line at tiers three and four. He pointed out that the ref in this fixture, who was also in his sixties, had once been Sweden’s top match official.
He filled me in on some of the details of the league and the players. It’s rolling subs at this level and it worked well with nothing like the delays that you get with regular subs. We chatted a little about the new eight second goalie rule and how, as a ref, he felt that it would work.
I rarely speak to people at games for long but would be happy to bump into Leif again.
It was one way traffic on the pitch with Skogsa three up at the break and five in front as we reached ninety minutes. Vita nabbed a consolation in added time in what ended up as a five-one away win.
Trail of the Lion King 