The world’s shortest football season, in Greenland’s Arctic Circle, lasts just seven days, amid the icebergs and whales
THIS has to be one of the world’s most bizarre football tournaments.
Every year since 1971, Greenland’s best footballers come together to play in the Grønlandsbanken Final 6 – a week-long competition (the shortest in the world game) played in the Arctic Circle.
Matches can take place on an ancient volcanic island, where icebergs are visible in the distance and whales can be seen coming up for air in the waters.
Incredibly, 10 per cent of Greenland’s population participate in the league.
However, the brutal and unforgiving plastic pitches, rock-hard because of the climate, see many of its stars suffering terrible injuries, including broken legs.
FOOTBALL IN THE ARCTIC CIRLCE
Greenland is as big a country as Germany, France, Spain and Italy.
But, unlike those football-obsessed nations, only 20 per cent of Greenland’s land is actually habitable. The rest is ice sheet.
There are very few grassy areas and for around nine months of the year it’s impossible to play football because the pitches are suffocated by 79 inches of snow.
Because of the challenging weather conditions, travelling is also often difficult – even in the summer – so organising games is a nightmare.
However, the people of Greenland won’t let logistics get in the way of enjoying their football.
The beautiful game is thriving here, and is still the country’s most popular sport.
There are roughly 5,000 players in Greenland, which is a remarkable 10 per cent of the population.
DISKO ISLAND
Qeqertarsuaq on Disko Island is a favoured spot for the Grønlandsbanken Final 6 – where teams including B-67 or G-44 will compete for the trophy.
In recent years, the volcanic island was recipient of an artificial pitch that has red flattop mountains the locals call The Grand Canyon on one side of it and a black sand beach on the other.
To get there teams have to sail to the island with their players.
There are eight sides that compete in the week-long tournament from all over the country.
They got there by winning regional qualifying matches that happen during July.
Qeqertarsuaq’s artificial pitch, though, is certainly an upgrade on what Greenland’s footballers had before.
LEG-BREAKER
Injuries are part-and-parcel of any sport.
But, the sort that Greenland’s footballers suffered – broken legs, kneecaps, noses, and arms would be more akin to the UFC and can be partly blamed by the conditions and the facilities.
Before 2016, the championship was played on pitches of sand and rock.
It kept the physios busy and the players expecting to get hurt.
“It was just basically a hard sand pitch,” B-67 captain Johannes Groth told CNN Sport.
“Sometimes there were big rocks so when you played hard it would hurt very much.”
Goalkeepers had it worse.
“In order to be a goalkeeper on those pitches you really had to give your full self,” ex-G-44 captain Johan Frederik Zeeb said.
“You had to have several layers of clothing to be a goalkeeper on dirt ground. You got a lot of scratches all over your body.”
THE TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGIN’
This year, plans are afoot to ensure Greenland gets Fifa status.
The Danish FA are aiding their plight, and the construction of more artificial pitches is ongoing.
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“We have an agreement between the Danish Football Association and the Greenland Ball Games Union to develop football in Greenland,” Danish FA boss Jesper Møller revealed.
“It was our plan to build six full sized artificial pitches by 2021 but there are already 11 or 12. It has been a great success.
“It’s a long journey but we’ve started it. The future of Greenland football is bright.”