Olympiafältet

Ground: Olympiafältet (plan 10)

Visits: 1

Date: 12th September 2015

Match: HIF Akademi - Högaborg 3-1 (Division 2 Västra Götaland)

Attendance: 250

HIF Akademi (when named Ramlösa Södra) used to play at Hedens IP in Helsingborg

In 2012 I visited for Ramlösa Södra vs Assyriska in the Swedish Cup. Ramlösa Södra were based at Hedens IP in southern Helsingborg and had a partnership with Helsingborgs IF. Two years ago Ramlösa Södra were renamed Helsingborgs IF Akademi (HIF Akademi) and the club stopped playing at Hedens IP. Instead the club played at Olympia but last year Olympiafältet were used for HIF Akademi´s home games. There are plenty of pitches at Olympiafältet but plan (pitch) 10 is the one used for HIF Akademi games. In the winter months Helsingborgs IF play their friendly as well as home cup games at this pitch as well. The former south stand has been relocated from Olympia to pitch 10 at Olympiafältet meaning pitch 10 nowadays looks like a football ground. HIF Akademi don´t attract big crowds but the derby against Högaborg was an interesting enough game for me. Kick-off was 14.00 and around noon I arrived in Helsingborg. There were rail works this weekend meaning I had to go by a bus from Hässleholm to Helsingborg. Going to the end station I could use the direct bus though and I actually think that meant the journey time was less than it would have been using the train. Anyway, I had something to eat and drink before making my way up to Olympia. On the way I passed Kärnan, a medieval tower, and the area around the tower was more busy than usual, Helsingborg Marathon was taking place today.

Once at Olympia I found an open gate and sneaked in. I haven´t been to a match at Olympia since 2006 and with the construction works going on I thought I could take a few new pictures. Once completed, in 2017, the ground will look quite nice and I look forward to coming back for a game. I was at pitch 10 at Olympiafältet 12.50 and there was a youth game going on. That match finished ten minutes later and everyone left the ground. 50 minutes before kick-off I was the only person at pitch 10 and I was starting to wonder if the game had been moved. Five minutes later the manager of HIF Akademi, Erik Edman, arrived and I could relax. Högaborg is of course the club where Henrik Larsson started his career and with Henrik nowadays being manager of Helsingborgs IF I expected him to show up at Olympiafältet as well this afternoon. Five minutes before kick-off he arrived and in total around 250 attended this derby. Högaborg started the better team and deservedly made it 0-1 in the 8th minute. Högaborg were the better team in the first half but in the 44th minute HIF Akademi equalized, 1-1 at half-time. In the second half Högaborg seem to run out of steam and in the 54th minute it was 2-1. Ten minutes later a cracking goal meant it was 3-1 to HIF Akademi. After this goal the game was over and in frustration Högaborg´s manager, Jörgen Pettersson (formerly of Malmö FF and Borussia Mönchengladbach), was sent from the dug-out area. He had to stand behind the fence to watch the final 15 minutes of this game. The game finished 3-1 and after the final whistle I hurried back to the bus/train station where I just about made the 16.07 bus taking me back home.

helsingborg, vy