Yes, they have a league !! Football is very popular in Greenland. Villages of 2000 inhabitants sometimes have up to 5 clubs in league, and smaller towns sometimes run empty when the only team is playing an away game... Despite the geographical difficulties for travels, the Greenland FA runs a league in a good way and football is widely played and supported in the country. Anyone else who is fascinated by the country and the league ? As I said several times yet, I have a lifelong arctic obsession. When I started following football fanatically I have emailed the Greenlandic FA several times, and now have a list of all participating clubs + their contacts My favourites ? Not hard to guess... The northernmost team in the league AND northernmost competitive team in the world: Qanaaq !! Those are my favourites... The fact that such an isolated community that is so far north, still manages to rule a football club, that proves just how popular soccer is in Greenland.
Wow. I never knew that. Sounds kinda wierd. Well Iceland has their own league, so it doesn't that wierd.
It's not that hard to believe Iceland has a league. It's not all ice! How do you pronounce that?! Any internet links?
ill take a stab. Kah-naak. could be wrong though. likely am. wonder if i could play for a club in greenland. thatd be fun.
In my mind I'm picturing them using polarbears as goalkeepers and walrus's as ref's. Hilarious mental image! Btw, would you dig up some match-pics for us please? if there are any..
bro you can see the results and stats in www.rsssf.com ...here there's unbelieveble this c'ship! but it's unoficial Federation in FIFA&UEFA (togheter at: Gibiltar,man islands,Monoco,Vatican city,northern cyprus,zanzibar in africa etc...).
A few years back I saw a picture of one of the fields they use in Greenland. It was mostly stones and dirt from what I remember. http://www.wbur.org/special/dispatches/greenland/media/tasiilaq/images/14.jpg http://www.wbur.org/special/dispatches/greenland/media/tasiilaq/images/12.jpg http://www.greenland-discoverer.com/fotoalbum/algl/images/Greenland02.jpg http://www.mortbay.com/images/holidays/1998/Greenland/Photos/08.03.RogerB03.jpg The stadium in Nuuk (the capital) http://www.worldstadiums.com/stadium_pictures/north_america/greenland/nuuk_football.shtml
Greenland also participated in the 2005 Islands Games at the Shetland Islands which wrapped up a few days ago. Here are their results... Greenland 0 Ynys Mons 0 Greenland 2 Orkney Islands 1 Western Islands 4 Greenland 4 Guernsey 6 Greenland 0 7th Place Aland 3 Greenland 2 Their roster can be found here http://www.shetlandresults2005.com/Competitor.aspx?RegID=6077
I thought Tromsø IL was the northernmost club. They are 500 km above the polar circle. RoPS of Rovaniemi can't be that far behind.
Tromso's the furthest north in a FIFA-recognised country's top league. In Norway itself some third- and fourth-divisionists are further north than Tromso, and Qanaaq is the northernmost club in the world. just check how far north it is (it's next to the Thule base, and the town district of Siorapaluk claims to be the northernmost town in the world) How I got interested in Greenlandic football ? As I stated a few times before on this forum, I am deeply obsessed with the Arctic since I was a little kid. The fascination has not tempted yet, and I still dream of settling down above the polar circle one day (in Greenland for example ; though unlike Iceland and Norway, it is extremely hard to find a job in Greenland when you're not local. I would still love to move to Greenland though) And those pitches you posted on pictures may be not good quality, but the sceneries form the most idyllic decor a football ground can ever have. And they have some better stadiums as well, with artificial grass.
Why don´t Greenland have a national team and participate in UEFA competitions? After all, Faroe Islands does, so why shouldn´t Greenland?
They will be allowed in by FIFA as soon as their stadium meets regulations, and the FA is working on it. They must enlarge the stands, and the artificial grass used to be an issue, but FIFA seems to become tolerant when it comes to artificial grass. So once the stadium's enlarged, Greenland will join FIFA. It's just a matter of time, but they will definitely join.
I can't wait for the Greenland - Monserrat WCQ matchup! Should be an interesting cultural exchange anyway.
Yes, but I have hard imagining them not to be in UEFA, all their political and administrative ties are with countries in UEFA.
Since greenland is officially a colony of Denmark, it makes sense they'd be in UEFA. That's too bad though. It would be nice to play against them in CONCACAF. They could sell scarves woven from polar bear hair and beat their game drums with walrus tusks in the supporters section.
Yeah well, political and administrative ties aren't everything. Their cultural and linguistic ties are closer to CONCACAF (Canada)! Plus, CONCACAF has some countries they could probably even beat, espeically at home.
There are a significanr dannish minority with much closer ties to Denmark. But over to the sporting part of it, correct me if I am wrong but the lowest ranking teams in CONCAF only plays two games (home-away) in a qualifying tournament? and are out if they don't win? All UEFA team plays in groups of 5-7 teams and thus play at least 10games in each qualifying tournamet, 5-7games/years since it is either WC or EC each even year. And it exist European team they have a chabse against, Andorra, San Marino,Lichtenstein etc
Did you know that the Danish NT winger Jesper Grønkjær was born in Greenland ?... Ther are probably also quite many who live in Denmark, having a Danish mother or father and play soccer perhaps at 2nd or 3rd level. They could reinforce the Greenland NT to be fairly good quite fast, just as I belive it happened with the Greenland Team Handball NT's... Then they would surely have no trouble beating teams from Andorra, San Marino, Lichtenstein or competing with the Faroe Islands.. .
I did lot of research on the arctic given my lifelong dream of setteling down above the polar circle, and I can confirm Greenland is semi-sovereign. They have their own language, parliament and for local cases they are self-governing. They're not even in the EU anymore, even though Greenland is..