Matchdays

Introduction to Freiburger FC

Founded in 1897, this team was for many decades the dominant club in the city. Their early successes included a South German title in their second season and a national championship in 1907. They were also semi-finalists of the Torneo Internazionale Stampa Sportiva, one of the very first international football competitions in the world, in 1908. Those wins would prove to be the apex of their achievement, for while they continued to field respectable sides, they have not since won any significant honours. In 1916, the club managed to win the Südkreis-Liga but the competition was heavily affected by the war and very localised.

The club belonged to, at first, the tier-one Kreisliga Südwest and then the Bezirksliga Baden throughout its existence from 1923 to 1933.

They played mid-table in the Gauliga Baden through the 30's, and after World War II, in the 2nd Oberliga Süd. With the formation of the Bundesliga, Germany's professional football league, in 1963, Freiburg found themselves seeded in the tier II Regionalliga Süd, while their soon to be up-and-coming cousins, SC Freiburg, were playing Amateurliga Südbaden (III). The FFC slipped to that level for three seasons in 1974-77 before playing their way back to 2.Bundesliga. However the team could not draw support and suffered from poor attendance throughout the following five year period spent in the 2nd division. When they were relegated to Amateur Oberliga Baden-Württemberg in 1982, only a saving campaign by fans kept the club out of bankruptcy. In the meantime SC Freiburg was playing exciting football and was solidly entrenched in the 2.Bundesliga on their way to the top flight. Since 1994, the FFC plays in the Verbandsliga Südbaden, interrupted by the 1999-2000 season, when the club dropped to the Landesliga for a year.

Continued financial problems forced Freiburger FC to sell its Mösle-Stadion (capacity 18,000) and enter into a sharing arrangement with Blau-Weiß Wiehre: their former stadium was taken up by SC Freiburg as a youth facility.

The city of Freiburg is in the Baden-Württemberg area of Germany, which is in the Breisgau region on the western edge of the Black Forest. It straddles the Dreisam river, on the foothills of the Schlossberg. The city is bordered by the Black Forest mountains Rosskopf and Bromberg to the east and Schönberg, Tuniberg to the south. The Kaiserstuhl hill region lies to the west.

Freiburg has been twinned with Guildford since 1979 during which time there has been many cultural exchanges between the two city's.

Editors note: Some extra information about FFC can be found here http://www.abseits-soccer.com/clubs/freiburgfc.html

With thanks to Wikipedia

Havnar Bóltfelag
Nickname: HB
Location: Tórshavn, Faroe Islands
League: Faroe Islands premier league
Website: http://www.hb.fo/

Introduction to Havnar Bóltfelag

HB Tórshavn is one of the oldest Faroes football teams, founded in 1904. It plays in the capital, Tórshavn and is in the Faroe Islands Premier League Football.

HB stands for Havnar Bóltfelag, or Harbour Football Club, Havn coming from the name of the town of Tórshavn.

HB’s homeground is Gundadalur (cap. 5,000) built in 1911 as a grass pitch, but it was soon changed to a sand pitch like all other pitches in those days. Gundadalur football pitch was the first one to be covered with artificial grass in 1986. The introduction of artificial grass is regarded as one of the greatest benefits to football in this country. In the summer of 1998 the old surface was replaced with a new one. Another new UEFA approved surface was planned in the summer of 2007. Gundadalur Stadium is owned by the Tórshavn City Council and is also the home ground of neighbours and big rivals B36.

The city itself has a population of 19,000 (2008). The city was founded in the 10th century and may well be the oldest capital in Northern Europe.

The Vikings established their parliament on the Tingenes peninsula in Tórshavn 825 AD, thus Tórshavn was made capital of Faroe Islands and has remained so ever since. All through the Middle Ages the narrow peninsula jutting out into the sea made up the main part of Tórshavn. Sources do not mention a built-up area in Tórshavn until after the Protestant reformation in 1539. Early on Tórshavn became the centre of the monopoly trade, therefore being the only legal place for the islanders to sell and buy goods. In 1856 the trade monopoly was abolished and the islands were left open to free trade. The town has grown rapidly ever since the turn of the 20th century into the undisputed administrative, economic and cultural centre of the Faroes.

With thanks to Havnar's website and Wikipedia