Football holds No1 spot in Norway

By Eivind Aarre

Most foreigners tend to regard Norway as a country where skiing and ice skating are the main national sports. They are wrong.

Football rules
Football is by far the most popular sport in Norway, both in terms of spectators and players, and part of that is down to the Norwegian Football Federation (NFF). The NFF aims to increase its number of registered players by five per cent each year, and ensure that football really is for everyone.

Satisfying statistics
The statistics for 2004 made happy reading. The number of teams registered in that year showed a ten per cent increase on the previous one, with 23,410 teams in total. Of those, more than 14,000 were made up of players aged between six and 12. "In fact, over 300,000 children between six and 19 years are now playing club football in Norway," said NFF vice-president Mette Hammersland. "Those are phenomenal figures considering that we are a country with just over four million inhabitants.

Participation counts
"Our aim is that everyone should have the chance to play football, regardless of background and age," added Hammersland. "Whether you are seven years old, disabled, from abroad or not very good at the game, we feel that all should be given the chance to kick a ball."

Changing culture
In this regard, Hammersland has sensed a change in the culture of coaching at youth level in Norway in recent years. "They are more concerned with the children experiencing the joy of football than getting results," said Hammersland. "This way, more players keep on playing for longer. In the past things tended to get serious when the players reached 15 or 16 years, but we don't see that big a drop in the amount of players in this age group now."

Weather worries
In a country where the weather dips well below freezing for several months of the year, having indoor venues is essential. The NFF has done its bit to encourage the building of such arenas, but they are now moving their attention to a different form of all-weather facility.

Artificial turf
"We now only support the building of artificial pitches," said Hammersland. "These pitches can be used all day, every day and more people are able to enjoy the game. The quality of the artificial pitches is now so high that UEFA has even given its approval for them to be used in competitions."

'Ballbinger' boom
The NFF has also been active in encouraging the proliferation of mini-pitches - or 'ballbinger' as they are called in Norway. These small pitches, with artificial surfaces and raised sides to offer some protection from the elements, are seen as a major factor in encouraging young players.

Youthful enthusiasm
They have proved to be extraordinarily popular in Norway, with thousands springing up all around the country in recent years. Almost every school in Norway has a ballbinger nearby, and more often than not, it is full of children learning to enjoy their football together.

Top-level boost
Such grassroots success is increasingly being reflected by attendances in the Eliteserien, Norway's top division. In the 2004 season, average crowds of 7,800 attended matches, but that has risen to 9,000 since the start of this campaign.

Big ambitions
"Some years ago, people laughed when we said that our goal was an average of 10,000 people at Eliteserien games," said NFF president Sondre Kåfjord. "Now, this seems like a possibility." The Norwegian example proves that associations should not be afraid of aiming high.