Fremad Amager v Brabrand IF, Danish division 2

 

Sundby Idrætspark

Fremad Amager 1-0 Brabrand IF
Saturday 21 March 2026, 14:00 kick-off
Danish division 2 (3rd tier)
Sundby Idrætspark
Attendance: 1024

Fremad Amager play on the island of Amager (pronounced Amar) on the south side of Copenhagen. You get there by metro line M1 to Sundby or bus 33 from the city centre. Today's game was a big one for both sides as they are fighting to avoid relegation with Fremad in greater need of points. Fremad Amager (fremad means forward) are a proud working class club with a loyal following but a fairly turbulent history. They hold the national record of three bankruptcies, the latest in 2008 when they had to start again from the very bottom of the Copenhagen local leagues. Founded back in 1910 they have spent most of their time in the second and third tiers but had a brief visit to the top league in 1994 and an appearance in the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1972 after being runners up in the previous year's Danish Cup (lost in the first round to Besa of Albania). Two famous players who started their careers with Fremad are Frank Arnesen and Søren Lerby, stars of the magnificent Danish national team of the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Fremad play in blue and white with the shirt reminding me of Sheffield Wednesday back in the seventies (blue with white sleeves).

Today's visitors were Brabrand, a western suburb of Aarhus. They have spent most of their almost 100 year history in the lower leagues apart from a short visit to division 1 (2nd tier) in 2009. They are also a blue and white team though today they played in a striking orange and white combination.

The ground

Fremad march in to the sound of Kim Larsen's 70s hit Vi er dem (everyone in Denmark knows it)

The beer queue ignores the statue's advice

Once again a large main stand and low terracing opposite as well as a limited running track with only three lanes. I doubt if there are any athletics events here now. The official capacity is 6,000 though the record crowd was 10,000 against rivals Kastrup in 1976. One end has a scaffolding stand and the other end has the barbeque tent and other kiosks. There are some nice details around the ground in the form of athletic statues that seem rather out of place among all the modern advertising and catering.

The terracing side of the ground is known as the sunny side for the simple reason that if the sun is out it shines on that side (today's amazing fact). The main stand is in perpetual shade. The sunny side is where most fans gather amid impressive collections of plastic beer mugs. The atmosphere is very friendly and no signs of masked ultras or fireworks. 

Food and drink

If you've read my last three posts you'll know that the catering at all Danish matches is virtaully the same - sausages, popcorn and a lot of beer. I had a beer this time but had already eaten elsewhere before the match. One kiosk broke the mold by solling crepes with a selection of fillings. Next time I might save myself for one of those.

Not sure what animal the mascot is supposed to be - long-eared wolf, dog, bear ...

The match

Three desperately needed points to the home team and the cheer of relief was very clear at the end. Fremad had the edge and should have scored more than just one goal but their finishing was not as clinical as they might have wished. Symptomatic of teams at the bottom really. Kenneth Zohore missed a couple of sitters but was one of Fremad's best players working hard up front and always looked dangerous.

The only goal of the game came after 23 minutes. An shot/cross from the left found Andreas Bredahl on the far side who shot home. Brabrand had some dangerous attacks and had several chances to equalise but in the end Fremad deserved the win. Not a classic but relegation battles seldom are. The crowd enjoyed their afternoon in the spring sunshine.

Celebrations after the goal

More than football

Amager is not really a tourist hotspot. In the old days it was mostly a working class area with a lot of allotments where city dwellers could cultivate flowers and vegetables and enjoy the summer in the fresh air. Today's Amager features Copenhagen's international airport, Kastrup, and many flashy business districts, expensive apartment blocks, shopping malls and leafy residential areas. The Øresund tunnel-bridge over to Sweden and the new metro lines have also contributed to the complete transformation of the island since the eighties.

Another Danish double weekend, FC Roskilde v FC Helsingør

FC Roskilde 0-1 FC Helsingør
Friday 20 March 2026, 19:00 kick-off
Danish division 2 (3rd tier)
Roskilde Idrætspark
Attendance: 681

With the Swedish league season still a couple of weeks away I decided on another weekend over in Denmark with one new ground, Roskilde, and a return visit to Fremad Amager the follwoing day. 

Roskilde is a beautiful historical city about 30 km west of Copenhagen and famous for its 11th century cathedral and the incredible viking ship museum, more of that below. The football club, now called simply FC Roskilde, was formed in 2004 with a merger of three local clubs.They were relegated from Division 1 last season and are hoping to bounce back up again. They play in sky blue and white with the Eagles as their nickname and a mascot known as Ørnen Jørgen (Jørgen the Eagle) who I saw but did not capture on film. They have done well so far and are sitting in third place so this match against FC Helsingør, currently firmly aty the bottom of the league, would surely be a formality for the hosts. I've seen Helsingør a few times and the two clubs have several similarities  both sky blue home shirts and rather similar grounds. They are also inhabitants of the same leagues, moving up and down between divisions 1 and 2, but I can imagine that they will not relish the prospect of falling down to the lowest league of the Danish senior set-up.

Fans gathering before kick-off. Usual barbeque tent does very good business

The ground

The totem pole of fame

Like so many other lower league grounds in Denmark, Roskilde Idrætspark has a main stand on one side, low terracing on the other side and just fencing at the ends. The main stand is modern and offers clear views for all. On the top level is the clubhouse and members' lounge and bar. You pay a standard entry fee (I paid 50 DKK concession) and you can sit in the stand or join the hardy souls on the terracing. The atmosphere is friendly and most people seem to know each other. There's a good mix of young and old, men and women. Very Danish really, even if that description doesn't mean so much if you don't know the place so well.

One curiosity was a sort of totem pole with an eagle on top and metal plaques with the names of the players of the year.

Food and drink

Same as at every ground round here. Open-air barbeques with big sausages, popcorn, beer in abundance, coffee etc. The evening was distinctly chilly (verging on freezing) so I didn't really fancy a cold beer. As usual, there was no tea on offer so I settled on a hot chocolate and that did the trick. Since going veggie I always eat before a match so I can't comment on the food but I remember Danish sausages as being very tasty (in stark contrast to the tasteless things they serve in Sweden).

The match

Top versus bottom but you couldn't have guessed that. Roskilde dominated most of the match but most attacks fizzled out or were well dealt with by the Helsingør defence who played very well and deserved their clean sheet. The first half had very few chances and the hosts couldn't seem to outwit the guests dogged defenders. Then just before half time, against the run of play, the guests had a short period of pressure and won a corner on the left. It was headed back from the near post and was nodded home by Sebastian Slettegaard Petersen.

Everyone hoped a rousing half-time talk from the manager would fire up the hosts in the second half. They created more chances and one effort was cleared off the line. The guests defended resolutely soaking up the pressure until the 94th minute when Freitag shot home what seemed to be the equaliser. But to general consternation the referee signalled for a free kick to Helsingør and that was that. 

Did Roskilde underestimate their opponents or was it a case of Helsingør going all out in a last ditch survival attempt. A bit of both probably. Anyway, I headed briskly back to my hotel well chilled but glad to have another ground ticked off!

If you can read Danish or use a translation tool there's a match report on the club site.

Helsingør defence deals with another home attack near the end.

Mug shot

More than football

The city of Roskilde is one of Denmark's most popular tourist destinations. I have been here several times over the years but there are always new things to see. I wandered around in warm spring sunshine and admired the snowdrops, crocuses and even dafodils in full bloom. Spring hasn't come this far at home in Sweden yet. The magnificent 13th century cathedral is a UNESCO heritage site and houses the graves of 40 Danish kings and queens.Close by is the bishop's residence and the convent, both still in use and not open to the public. 

The other big attraction is the Viking Ship Museum. In the 1950s five viking ships were discovered buried in the mud in Roskilde fjord and were recovered after years of painstaking archaeological work. The ships are now displayed in the museum hall. Some are relatively complete whilst others only have about 30% or their original timbers. There is a real longship built for warfare and able to travel over the stormy seas of the north Atlantic and there are several wider cargo ships as well as a fishing boat. Outside are replica versions of the five that have been built using the same type of tools as the vikings used. These boats have been successfully sailed as far as Scotland and Ireland.

Danish double 2: Brønshøj BK v Sundby BK

 

Fans gathering outside the clubhouse

Thumbs up from the Brønshøj wasp

Brønshøj BK 4-2 Sundby BK
Saturday 7 March, 2026. 14:00 kick-off
Danish Division 3 (4th tier)
Tingbjerg Idrætspark, training ground
Attendance: Rough guess of about 250

I took the train from Køge back into Copenhagen and then a city bus to the western suburb of Brønshøj and the park area of Tingbjerg. Like most clubs in Denmark's lower leagues Brønshøj have a solid local support and a real community feeling. Fans gather at the social club and today many were sitting outside in the early spring sunshine (see above). Brønshøj have fallen on hard times of late and languish in the 4th level of the Danish league set-up. They are a proud working-class club with loyal and colourful fans decked out in the yellow and black colours befitting their nickname, the Wasps (Hvepsene). They were up in the top league when I first got interested in Danish football back in the 1980s and their last Danish international, Kent Nielsen, was a regular in the great Danish side of the mid-eighties. Read more about the club here.

Tioday's guests, Sundby, come from the island of Amager to the south-east of the city and are currently propping up division 3 and look like heading towards a non-league life next season. They groundshare with the more famous local club Fremad Amager.

The ground

Tingbjerg stadium is a fairly typical smaller Danish stadium with a main covered stand and then limited space for standing around the rest of the ground.Sadly for me the pitch was waterlogged and unfit for play - it was covered in snow only a few days earlier so it wasn't so surprising.  So this match was played on the training ground that had no spectator facilities.

Tingbjerg stadium waiting for drier weather

Fans had to gather on one touchline or behind the fencing around the ground. Volunteers had set up tables and a barbeque at the entrance and it was a blessing that the weather was clear - it would have been very miserable in the rain with no cover at all.

The big question is if whether I can count this ground as officially "ticked off" since the game was played next door.

Food and drink
The open air makeshift barbeque beside the fence did a roaring trade in the usual big Danish sausages and a lot of beer, sold in cans (unusual for a football match these days). The club house bar was also very well stocked but one quirky item on the bar menu was a special of coffee and Baileys for 50 DKK. Not an offer you normally see at football matches! I didn't see any fans taking their Baileys into the ground though. 

The match

The wasp mascot welcomes the rest of the swarm

I enjoyed this one. Plenty goals and chances for more and some good moves especially for the Wasps who could easily have scored two or three more goals.An unfortunate own goal after 13 minutes put the hosts in the lead and a second goal fired in from the back post followed soon afterwards. The game looked all over after a lovely solo goal by Stojanovic early in the second half. he got a perfect through ball , beat the defender and raced in on goal slotting the ball neatly past the keeper. But as often happens in football you can't relax even with a solid 3-0 lead. Sundby scored two goals in the space of six minutes and it was game on again. Things were getting nervous until Brønshøj got a penalty in the74th minute and that was that. Sundby fought hard and may surprise a few teams and pick up a few points in their fight to avoid relegation. If you want to read more about the match you can go to the club's website (if you can read Danish of course).

I thoroughly enjoyed the match and my only regret was that I didn't see Brønshøj in their natural surroundings. I may have to go back!

Danish double 1, HB Køge v Esbjerg fB

HB Køge 0-1 Esbjerg fB
Friday 6 March 2026, 18:30 kick-off.
Danish Division 1 (2nd tier)
Capelli Sport Stadium
Attendance: Cannot find any official figure but I guess 1,500 - 2,000.

I have decided to revive this blog after a couple of years' break. During this time I have of course visited many grounds in several countries and could have built up an impressive number of posts by now. Anyway, it's time to try again and I hope now to cover a wide range of football grounds from my home region of south-east Sweden as well as the nearby countries that I often visit, namely Denmark, Poland and Norway. If you want to see where I've been it's all on a Google map where I feature photos on most of the pinned grounds. It's actually a lifetime map so some of the grounds were visited way back in the 1970s back home in Scotland.

I often take the train from my base in Kalmar, Sweden to Copenhagen to watch my favourite Danish team Brøndby and to visit other grounds in the Copenhagen region. This time I decided to head south of the city to the historical coastal town of Køge to see a match between HB Køge and Esbjerg fB from the west coast. The home team are second bottom and fighting to avoid relegation whilst Esbjerg are in the promotion hunt in fourth place, only 3 points behind current leaders Lyngby from a northern suburb of Copenhagen. This was my second encounter with Esbjerg this season having watched them soundly beating fellow promotion hopefuls Hvidovre at the end of November so I knew they would fancy a win here in Køge.

The large stand behing the goal was
well-filled

The ground

The ground has been largely been rebuilt and is almost complete. There is still some building work in progress and finding the entrance wasn't so simple, having to walk round fenced off areas and getting my shoes a bit muddy. The crowd was restricted to the west and east stands and they were well filled and vocal. The south end is the solid wall of a sports centre and the main east stand is not quite finished. The changing rooms are already in the new stand but the dugouts are on the opposite side so the subs and trainers have to traipse across the pitch at the start and end of each half. It will be a compact and very tidy ground once it's all ready and maybe some day the club will return to the top league where they last appeared in 2012.

One curiosity was the absence of a PA system or if there was one I couldn't hear it. It felt very retro when the teams just casually ran out on to the pitch at the start without the usual hysterical speaker and the tones of ACDC or  "Eye of a tiger" and suchlike. I liked it but that's because I'm getting old. Disdavantage was that you didn't know who had scored or what the attendance was. I so miss programmes!

The new east stand

Food and drink

Typical Danish fare: big grilled sausages with bread and condiments washed down with plenty beer. Also popcorn. Excellent if that's what you like but if you don't, you're struggling. I'm sure I'm not the only vegetarian who watches football and it wouldn't hurt to offer a bit of choice on the menu. At least a bag of fries or toasties. I see plenty of UK grounds that offer an amazing selection of food for all tastes but over here in Scandinavia it's sausages or nothing.

The match
Esbjerg deserved their win with a beautiful free kick by Strandby in the 79th minute, curling over the wall and in off the top left post. They always looked more dangerous up front whilst Køge, typically for a side near the bottom, played some nice football but just couldn't make that final touch up front. They battled hard to equalise but despite pressure and several corners the guests held them off. Esbjerg are now 4th in a very tight promotion struggle with four teams seperated by only two points. Køge have a fight on their hands to avoid the drop - bottom team Middelfart looked doomed whilst Køge and Hobro fight to avoid the second relegation spot. I wish them well. With a nice new stadium it would be sad to fall down to division 2.

Køge (blue and black) defending in the first half

More than football ...
Køge is a very historical town and well worth visiting. The town centre features a beautiful church from the early 17th century and many other buildings from that period. It was very pleasant strolling around the streets in the early spring sunshine and there are many wonderful cafes and bakeries to stop at. Denmark is deservedly famous for its fantastic baking - more than just Danish pastres!

A few kilometres outsuide town is the site of a viking ring fortress, Borgring, built by King Harald Bluetooth (Harald Blåtand). He converted Denmark to Christianity and built five ring fortresses at strategic points around the country to demonstrate the new faith. The actual fortress is a circular mound and there isn't so much to see since it was mostly made of wood but the new visitors centre is excellent and explains the history and legends of the site. And yes the mobile technology Bluetooth was named after the king!

See more on Google maps.