More Than Haaland: The Enduring Love Affair Between Leeds and Norway

The historical relationship between a club and a country

The connection between Leeds and Norwegian supporters has been apparent for as long as most Leeds United supporters can remember. At every match, Norwegian flags can be seen, and Norwegian fans can be heard, and it is not just because Erling Haaland was born in the city…

Leeds United is not the only club to have a very connected fanbase from Scandinavia; in fact, there is a history of Norwegian fans having a strong allegiance to a wide range of English football clubs. Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Nottingham Forest etc. all have loyal Norwegian fans who follow their teams as strongly as the most passionate English supporters; some visit multiple matches a season or even hold a season ticket!

The media coverage of English football is extensive, with Viaplay holding the exclusive rights to show Premier League games. They gained these rights in 2022, after 12 years of TV2 being the sole broadcaster of English Football, who recorded a massive dip in profits over the first season of these new rights being in place.

So we can see how popular and financially beneficial the Premier League is in Norway, but what makes Leeds United such a popular club over there alongside the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal and even being more popular than some of the other ‘Big Six‘ clubs?

Well, that could be that Leeds has had a history of buying, scoring, and thriving with Norwegian players: Gunnar Halle, Eirik Bakke, and Alf-Inge “Alfie” Haaland (father and agent of THAT Haaland) all being a part of a very successful David O’Leary side of the late 90s and early 2000s. If you expand that bracket out to include the other Scandinavian nations you can add Thomas Brolin, Pontus Jansson, and Casper Ankergren (who achieved promotion with Leeds from League One in 2010) to that list.

Another popular theory to have emerged in the last few years links back to Don Revie‘s great team from over half a century ago when broadcasting became a bit more widespread. It was around the late 1960s when international television was becoming more and more common across Europe, especially in Western Europe and Scandinavia. This just so happens to coincide with the likes of Charlton, Bremner, Gray, Lorimer and the rest of Don Revie’s golden generation of footballers who won the First Division twice, the League Cup, FA Cup, and saw success in Europe, winning the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1968, and 1971.

In an interview with the Yorkshire Evening Post in 2021, Norwegian Leeds fan Are Mathisen said:

“We saw English football on the telly from the late 1960s and the stronghold that was built up there is still very much alive in the general population – especially with the great Revie era coming together at the same time as the televised games in Norway.”

https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/sport/football/leeds-united/norwegian-leeds-united-superfan-explains-why-whites-have-a-massive-scandinavian-following-3137413

It is incredible to believe that a team from fifty years ago can still influence the children, grandchildren, or even great-grandchildren of the Norwegian fans who first started following Leeds United in the 1960s. However, by following the club through its ups and downs, the wins and the losses, and through the trophies and relegations, these Norwegian fans have become as dedicated as the most loyal of Leeds fans and have probably shed just as many tears!

In more recent times the Leeds United Supporters Club of Scandinavia (LUSCOS) has a full website dedicated to looking after Norwegian, Danish, and Swedish Leeds fans with features such as translated football news articles, organised trips to Leeds matches, and the chance to play in matches against other English football supporters groups in Scandinavia. LUSCOS even offers a joint grant with the club to allow young Scandinavian talent to travel to Leeds and train within the club, Eirik Schulze is one such player who went on to have a successful career in the Norwegian top division with Viking Stavanger and Strommen.

As the world grows closer than ever through transformations such as social media and easy to book international travel, the Scandinavian, and in particular the Norwegian contingency of Leeds fans is only likely to grow. So regardless of whether you’re from Trondheim or Beeston, and support Leeds because of Revie, Bakke, or because you heard Haaland was born in the city remember what Are said – “It’s not about the location, it’s a matter of the heart”.