The Nordic countries (Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Finland) have long been a viable football destination for Aussie footballers, and 2021 looks to be no different with around eleven players choosing the Nordic countries as their football playground.
Read on for how our Aussies fared in the Nordic leagues this past week – there was some silverware involved!
The Toppserien kicks off on May 22nd.
Lillestrøm based club LSK Kvinner played their second practice game last weekend, drawing 1-1 with current champions Vålerenga in a promising display. Their match this weekend against Kolbotn finalises LSK’s preparation for the season, which commences with their Round 1 game against Lyn.
The LSK season may be starting without Karly Roestbakken – recovering from minor surgery – but she featured in the LSK Digital kickoff (see from 33:30 in the video below).
LSK Kvinner – Digital kickoff (Facebook)
Nikola Orgill has arrived in Norway for her season with Klepp.
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Klepp also played their second practice game – sans Orgill – and were defeated 3-0 by Avaldsnes. A final practice game this weekend will be against second-tier Amazon Grimstad, before Klepp’s opening game of the Toppserien season against Arna-Bjornar.
2020 Toppserien goalkeeper of the year Teagan Micah – having announced her signing with IL Sandviken last week – recorded a video for Sandviken fans saying she is about to commence her 30 hour trip to Bergen in Norway.
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It’s a long trip but she looks to be joining a team that’s in good shape after Sandviken clobbered Arna-Bjørnar 6-0 on the weekend in a practice game.
Sandviken’s first game of the Toppserien season will be against Kolbotn.
Round 4 of the Swedish Damallsvenskan was played on the weekend.
Charli Grant came on in the last ten minutes for FC Rosengård as they overcame Djurgården 3-0 at home to sit top of the table.
Emily Gielnik received a yellow card near the final whistle but both she and Clare Polkinghorne played 90 minutes for Vittsjö GIK in their 1-0 away loss to Kristianstads.
Dylan Holmes had an enormous week with BK Häcken. She not only played her first full games for the club, but the second of those was for silverware, as the team won the Svenska Cup Final 3-0 midweek against Eskilstuna United!
Tack för en magisk torsdag! 💛🖤 pic.twitter.com/QSulShQtdK
— BK Häcken (@bkhackenofcl) May 13, 2021
Round 4 results
Round 5 games
Ladder
The second round of the Úrvalsdeild Kvenna was played on the weekend.
Emma Checker played 90 minutes for UMF Selfoss as they registered their second win, on the road to Þór/KA (Thor). Selfoss tops the ladder in these early stages.
Round 2 results & Round 3 games
Ladder
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. At the end of the Champions series, the top two teams are eligible for Champions League action later in the year, and at the end of the Promotion/Relegation series, the top two teams are eligible to compete in the 2021 Elitedivisionen.
It was a busy week in Denmark with two rounds of each ten-game series played.
In the Champions series, Indiah-Paige Riley‘s Fortuna Hjørring had a 1-3 away win against Nordsjaelland – Indi played 74 minutes – followed by a 1-1 away draw with HB Køge, where Indi played an hour. Fortuna still sits third on the ladder and will need things to go their way in the final four games to break into the top two.
In the Promotion/Relegation series, Hannah Bacon was in neither matchday squad as her AGF Aarhus triumphed 4-1 at home over Odense Q, then won 4-0 away at ASA Aarhus. Bacon’s team is top of that table after six of ten rounds.
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Round 5 & 6 Championship series results
Round 5 & 6 Promotion/Relegation series results
Round 7 games
Champions Round-robin table
Promotion/relegation Round-robin table
Follow all our coverage of Aussies and Ferns Abroad here, and Aussies in Nordic football here.
