The Nordic countries (Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Finland) have long been a viable football destination for Aussie footballers. 2020 saw ten Aussies making their mark on the Nordic leagues and similar numbers are expected for 2021 – some are returning players from last year and some are new faces. 

Covid-19 has had a varied impact in the Nordic countries, and this is reflected in the starting dates for the leagues. One of them – Denmark – is committed to finishing off the 2020 season before commencing the 2021 season.

Beyond 90 will once again publish Nordic Football Wraps this year, beginning the week after May 4th, when three of the four leagues containing Aussies are up and running.

 

League start date: May 22
How to watch: see Beyond 90’s 2020 Toppserien Season Preview

Originally slated to commence in March, the Covid situation has forced a delay and the Toppserien will now commence on May 22. This has had the effect of pushing the final Norwegian pre-season transfer window to 7 May – 20 May. We may well see more Aussies joining the competition as we get closer to the start of the campaign. 

Right now, we know that LSK Kvinner‘s Karly Roestbakken will be returning, having signed a two-year contract extension at the end of last season.

LSK Kvinner’s 2021 squad, with Karly Roestbakken second from left in the middle row. Photo: lsk-kvinner.no

LSK Kvinner has three training games scheduled: against Rosenborg (1 May), 2020 Toppserien champion Vålerenga (8 May, viewable on Direktesport – subscription required), and finally Kolbotn (15 May). Their season commences with a game against Kolbotn.

Nikola Orgill played for Western Sydney Wanderers in Season 13 of the W-League and also backs up for her second season in the Toppserien. Previously at Kolbotn, Orgill has signed on for Klepp in 2021. Klepp’s first game this season is against Arna-Bjørnar.

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Nikola Orgill (@nikolaorgill)

Tameka Yallop – who has several seasons with Klepp under her belt since 2017 – will seemingly also be returning to the Toppserien.

There is no word yet as to whether Teagan Micah will be reprising her 2020 season with Arna-Bjornar.

The season will run through to 13 November and the Cup final is scheduled for October 31. With the season starting nine weeks later than planned, there will be no playoffs/Grand Final in 2021 (i.e. the same as in 2020). Playoffs and a Grand Final remain in the league’s future plans.

 

League start date: April 17
How to watch: www.sportbladetplay.se (VPN required)

In 2020 Norway was the favoured Nordic footballing destination for Aussie women. While the Norwegian pre-season transfer window is not yet complete, it seems as if the Swedish Damallsvenskan will be taking the mantle of most popular destination in 2021. 

Emily Gielnik may not quite have been Vittsjö GIK‘s leading goalscorer in season 2020 – she was hot on the heels of Clara Markstedt for that honour – but there is no doubting the impact she had upon her club once she joined them in the early rounds. 

Gielnik has started as she left off, becoming the team’s first goal scorer for the 2021 season.

This year Gielnik will have fellow Matilda Clare Polkinghorne alongside her to help sing the victory song.

  

 

An outstanding W-League season at Adelaide United by captain Dylan Holmes found her making her Matildas debut recently against the Netherlands, and also attracting the attention of the 2020 Damallsvenskan Champions. What happened to that side during the off-season is a tale of its own, but suffice to say they won their first title as Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC in 2020, then folded (with 50 years of history behind them), then two days later decided to continue but as the women’s arm of BK Häcken, a club also based in Gothenburg.


Charli Grant also had a wonderful W-League season with Adelaide United and the Young Matilda will be squaring up against several fellow Aussies in Sweden this year as part of the well regarded FC Rosengård club. Rosengård finished the 2020 league in second place and was only recently knocked out of the UEFA Women’s Champions League by Bayern Munich.


Last but not least, Matilda Elise Kellond-Knight – who played early in the 2020 Damallsvenskan for Kristianstads before her ACL injury – has signed on for newly promoted Hammarby IF. Hammarby have been bouncing in and out of the league for the last ten years or so.


Round 1 of the season commenced April 17th and the season will run through to 6 November. Kellond-Knight’s Hammarby will also be contesting the Svenska Cup Final on May 30th 2021 against Holmes’ BK Häcken.

The 2021 season will be the last with 12 teams before the league expands to 14 teams in 2022. As a consequence, only the last placed team at the end of the 2021 season will be relegated.

 

Úrvalsdeild karla (

League start date: May 4

While two Aussies participated in the 2020 edition of the Úrvalsdeild Kvenna – Canberra United’s Laura Hughes and Melbourne Victory’s Angie Beard – the 2021 edition so far has one Aussie signed up, Matilda Emma Checker (UMF Selfoss).

 
The official site lists the season conclusion date as September 12th.

 

League start date: after the 2020 Championship and Relegation round-robins, which are from 3 April 2021 to 5 June 2021.
How to watch: Highlights via FNX Network Sports (Fortuna Hjørring). Youtube searches on ‘Elitedivisionen’ or ‘Gjensidige Kvindeligaen’ can also be fruitful.

Indiah-Paige Riley has resumed her stint with Fortuna Hjørring in 2021, having enjoyed European Champions League action in March and her first run with the Matildas more recently (see Fortuna’s coverage of Indi’s Matildas selection, Google translate recommended).

Hannah Bacon also continues her time at AGF Aarhus in 2021.

Indi Riley in the green of Fortuna Hjørring. Photo: Jess M. Madsen

The Gjensidige Kvindeligaen decided in late 2020 to commence 2021 football by completing the 2020 Champions and Promotion/Relegation series, before kicking off the 2021 season proper. This also ensures that Champions League participants for later in the year are resolved.

As of writing, the round-robin of ten games in the Champions series is nearly halfway through, with Fortuna Hjørring in third place by some margin. With only the top two teams selected for the Champions League, it will be a difficult task for Fortuna to break into the top two.

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Hannah Bacon (@hannah_bacon)


After three games in the Promotion/Relegation round-robin of ten games, AGF Aarhus sit atop the table and are well-positioned to contest the Elitedivisionen in 2021.   


Follow all our coverage of Aussies and Ferns Abroad here, and Aussies in Nordic football here.

Steffen Moebus
Steffen Moebus
Steffen is a life-long Canberra resident and enjoys covering football in and around his home town, as well as Aussies participating in the Nordic leagues (Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Denmark).
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