DJ’S JOTTINGS – NUMBER 31 (Aland)

Matchday images (8) https://picasaweb.google.com/footballgroundsinfocus/AlandIslandGames2009

The 2009 International Island Games are some way past now, but with the 2011 event in the Isle of Wight fast approaching it seems appropriate enough to reflect on the last tournament.

Aland is located between Sweden and Finland and has connections to both countries. It is an autonomous Swedish region although belonging to Finland ! The language is Swedish, but currency, time and government are Finnish !! It is made up of 65,000 islands, although only 1% are inhabited. The principal island of Fasta is roughly 45km x 50km in size and out of a total population of 27,000, roughly 40% live in the capital, Mariehamn. This is Aland’s 2^nd hosting of the games, having previously staged them in 1991.

Our travel route takes us from Stansted to Stockholm Skavsta with Ryanair where we pick up a hire car and drive 200km north to the small port of Kapellskar. From there it’s a 2 hour ferry crossing to Mariehamn. As Viking Line are one of the main sponsors of the Island Games the ferry is free aside from a small charge for taking a car and entertainment is laid on in the form of a magician and musical duo.

Accommodation for the week is in a holiday cottage about 10km from the capital. It is basically a log cabin, but in an idyllic woodland hilltop setting with a large lake frequented by swans, terns and herons down below. Facilities include use of a dartboard, mini-football pitch and rowing boat. The latter is used to re-create the pattern of the Olympic rings until a 10-year old local boy shows us how it should be done.

Spend the first evening in Mariehamn where there is a lively atmosphere with competitors from the 24 islands and several well-known football travellers mingling with the locals. A special area known as ‘Games Street’ has been set up with live music, food and drink stalls and various other entertainments. Try the local delicacy of Aland Pancake (more like a cake, served with raspberry or prune puree and cream).

The football tournament begins on the Sunday with the men’s competition having 4 groups with 4 teams in each. An early start sees a 10am kick-off for the hosts against Greenland at the Wiklof holding Arena in Mariehamn. Being used for the football finals and athletics events, it is the main stadium in Aland and serves as home to IFK Mariehamn who compete in the Finnish top division. It has a capacity of 4,000 with one main stand containing 1,650 seats and flat hard-standing round the rest, although there are pallets laid out to provide a slightly elevated view from the rear of the standing areas. Apart from the main games brochure, there is a programme for the overall football competition and a 4-page team sheet is available at every game. No charge is made to watch any of the football matches or other sporting events. Aland defeat Greenland 4-2 in a fine match to start the tournament.

Watch a bit of tennis, being played on courts to the rear of the main stand and then indulge in a little tourism at Kastellholm, Aland’s only mediaeval castle, plus the open-air and prison museums, before our 2^nd game. The Sportkila Sportsplat is in Sund, about 20km from Mariehamn. In a lovely rural setting, a wooden railed fence surrounds most of the ground that has an area of open wooden bench seating for about 200 set into a bank on one side and a wooden pavilion with patio area out front from where refreshments are available. Club team SIF play here, but in the lower divisions of Swedish football as opposed to a Finnish competition. ‘Bad boys’ Rhodes take on Isle of Wight and are soon up to their old tricks. Diving, play-acting and time wasting are a large part of their game, which is a shame because they can actually play decent football. When they have a player sent off they claim that the referee is English, but he is in fact from Finland. Rhodes still win 2-0 against organised but fairly toothless opponents.

Our final match for the opening day is at Solvallen in Eckero on the western side of the island where one road connects a narrow strip of land to the main part of the island. A tree fringed ground has a single block of open seating for about 50 spectators and a few park bench type seats dotted about. A neat and tidy pavilion at one end includes a tea-bar hatch. Falkland, who have a very limited number of players to choose from (penguins not being eligible) face Isle of Man who had triumphed 9-0 in each of their 2 previous Island Games encounters. The 2-1 defeat for Falkland seems like a moral victory under the circumstances.

On the Monday, stroll from the cottage to the Kungso Battery, built by the Russians in 1916 as part of the coastal defences against the Germans. After the war Aland became part of an independent Finland and all military installations were destroyed, but some of the remnants can still be seen.

Three more games to fit in today, starting with Jersey v Rhodes at Rangsby in Saltvik. At a fairly basic venue there is still some open seating, a tea bar and a highly unusual automatic scoreboard in one corner. In a decent game, Rhodes behave themselves and are a bit unlucky to lose 1-0. Both sides hit the post and Rhodes have an effort cleared off the line in the last 10 minutes.

On to the Vikingavallen at Jomala, just north of Mariehamn. A decent sized stand contains 4 rows of steeply raked seats and the clubhouse in one corner has a decked area and some overhang cover.

Club side JIK play here at the 5^th level of Finnish football. There is also a large indoor sports hall where the badminton is being staged and a 3-G football pitch within the complex. Guernsey are on top throughout the game with Ynys Mon (Anglesey), but 3 fine saves, including a penalty keep the Channel Islanders at bay for a long time. The pressure eventually tells and Guernsey win 2-0.

Markusbole at Finstrom in the centre of the island is the final venue for the day. Covered, seated stand on the far side with open seating opposite and an elevated tea bar with patio area in one corner make for a very pleasant ground. Previously home to I.F. Finstroms Kamraterna in Division III West of the Finnish League, but it is believed that they had moved to Sund. Isle of Man put on an impressive display, capitalising on some major defensive errors as they defeat Western Isles 5-0. A fellow ‘groundhopper’ very kindly sets me up for an interview with a reporter for the local paper and much is made of my crowd-counting quirk. Another visitor is followed by a camera crew for Jersey TV. On the subject of crowds, most of the attendances are between 50 and 100, although around 900 watched the opening game.

Tuesday commences with a visit to the Stallhagen Brewery and its adjacent bar for a chance to sample the local ales before we head off for three more matches, today seeing the final round of group games. Hammarvallen in Hammarland is another pleasant rural location. A covered stand has three rows of seats and all of the buildings are neatly painted in the yellow and blue colours of club side Hammarlands IK. A very tasty dish of smoked salmon with potato salad is available from the refreshment kiosk.

With only the group winners progressing to the semi-finals it is crunch time. Gibraltar are the defending champions and seeking to join UEFA. With less than 15 minutes to go they take the lead against Ynys Mon through Al Green (not a vicar as far as I am aware). With Guernsey 7-0 up against Froya in the other match, Gibraltar and Guernsey would have finished joint top with identical records, but the Anglesey side launch a stirring comeback to win 3-1 and Gibraltar have their goalkeeper and a coach dismissed as they become increasingly frustrated. Elsewhere, Guernsey run out 8-0 victors to go through.

Return to Markusbole for two more games, commencing with Aland against Menorca, attracting a crowd of 466. The game has a controversial start with a Balearic sending off and penalty converted by the hosts after just 5 minutes. Menorca equalise, also from the spot, but the game then becomes something of a stalemate. The resultant 1-1 draw is enough for Aland to progress and the Menorcan coaching staff have to protect the referee from their own players at the final whistle.

The final group match sees one of the best games of the tournament, Isle of Man defeating Gotland 4-2 with fine goals from both sides.

Wednesday is a rest day in the men’s competition, so indulge in some more sightseeing. Hop over to a couple of the smaller islands and visit Bomarsund Fortress where the British and French attacked the Russians at the time of the Crimean War. Indeed, the first two recipients of the Victoria Cross were British seamen at Bomarsund in 1854. Also catch up on some alternative sport at the Baltichalle, which has 2 volleyball courts set up and 2 temporary stands for spectators. Saaremaa play Hitra in a women’s match and Aland face Faroes in a men’s contest that attracts a very noisy enthusiastic crowd of about 500. At Games Street, I have another go at the basketball and spin the wheel competitions but only win an inedible sweet. Many of the younger attendees at the Games try to collect badges of all the competing nations and end up with lanyards weighing several kilos. One of our group only has Prince Edward Island missing and they promise to send one on when they get home in about a month’s time !

In the evening attend our first women’s match at Bengtsbole Idrottsplan in Lemland, which is south east of the capital, on the way to the splendidly named Lumparland. There are 2 blocks of open seating on the near side at a ground that is normally home to Aland United ladies, who at the time of our visit were top of the Finnish women’s premier league with a 100% record. Today we see hosts Aland take on Gotland, in what is expected to be a dress rehearsal for the final, watched by a head counted attendance of 572. Aland rest some players, including Annica Sjolund, who is a full-time professional with AIK Solna, but still found time in her voluntary Games Co-ordinator capacity to arrange our accommodation and travel for the trip. The host island is still good enough to win 2-0.

Have a very early start on the Thursday with a 9am kick-off for Froya v Falkland in the 15^th / 16^th place play-off match, which is played on the 3G pitch at Vikingavallen. Not a particularly meaningful game you might think, but they are playing for the ‘Small Islands Trophy’. Falkland take the lead but later have a man dismissed and Froya come back to win a reasonable game 3-1.

Watch some of the athletics with Cayman and Bermudan sprinters logging impressive times over 100 metres and tour the waterfront area in Mariehamn before returning to Vikingavallen for the men’s football semi-final between Aland and Isle of Man. A crowd of about 1,000 see the hosts come from behind to win 2-1 in extra time, while Jersey are defeating Guernsey 2-0 in the mini-Muratti match elsewhere. Later, see Gotland women triumph 4-1 against Greenland at Bengtsbole to reach the semi-finals, play adventure golf and encounter a couple of officials from the football organisation of countries that are non-FIFA members.

The men’s competition concludes on the Friday. We see Rhodes v Ynys Mon (4-0) in the 5^th/6^th place match, Guernsey v Isle of Man (5-0) for the bronze medal and then the final where Jersey deservedly defeat Aland 2-1 in front of a crowd estimated at 3,500. Also see the women’s semi-final in which Gotland triumph 4-1 against the Isle of Man, proving that two legs are better than three !

In between games, find time to watch some basketball at the Eckerohallen, where Aland United Ladies football team played their first league match of the season indoors and see “Graceland – home to Aland’s Elvis”.

Return to Sweden early on the Saturday in order to attend the Allsvenskan match between Brommapojkarna and G.A.I.S., thus missing the women’s final that is won by Aland.

It had been an excellent trip, greatly aided by some fine weather and although I have already visited most of the grounds being used for the Isle of Wight games in 2011, the competition is so enjoyable I am likely to try to get over for a couple of days in order to experience some of it.

contributed on 08/03/11