Protivanov - 2018

To continue my obsession with finding the football club which plays at the highest level, I made my way to Protivanov.  It is 21km from Prostejov, and has an elevation of 685m.  With a population of 1,001 it is not exactly a small village, but it definitely has a rural feeling.  I still have no been able to get to a match in Protivanov, because I usually travel by bus which have bad connections to Protivanov on the weekends.

The biggest success for Protivanov was playing in the 4th tier a few years back, and making it to the Czech Cup 3rd round in 2010 vs first tier Sigma Olomouc.  A fantastic accomplishment for a football club in the 'hills'.  They are now playing in the 7th tier.

January 2018 - Malé Hradisko

Just outside of the clubhouse

I am a little obsessed to find which club in the Czech Republic plays at the highest altitude.  In the past I found a club in Bohemia which plays at over 700m.  The village of 365 sits at an elevation of 585m.  It is only 25km from Prostějov, but can take around 30-40 minutes by bus.

The local football club folder after the 2005/06 season while playing in the 10th tier.  They reformed in 2010 at the same level, but folded again in 2013 because of lack of players.  This might prove to be difficult, as the population has been on a steady decline since the 1960's when over 700 people called the village home.

December 30, 2017 - Moravský Beroun

Not a football trip this time, but a hiking trip.  Moravský Beroun is a town of 3,000 about 35km north of Olomouc.  On the weekends it is possible to reach by train, and to get to the actual town it is about a 1.5 walk up a path.  The local football club plays in the 6th tier and for the past 25 years they have bounced around the 6th-8th tiers.

For pictures from an actual match, I highly recommend checking out Los Misenas who were at a match in 2016 between Moravský Beroun B and Drahanovice.

October 7, 2000 - WCQ - Switzerland 5 Faroe Islands 1

Oct 7, 2000 - WCQ
Switzerland 5 Faroe Islands 1
Att - 9500 (Hardturm Stadium in Zurich)

At this point in 2000, I was studying in Olomouc, and at the time I was kind of obsessed with the Faroe Islands.  I went to Zurich by train from Olomouc, which was incredibly long.  From Olomouc to Prague, Prague to Munich and finally Munich to Zurich. 

Hardturm in Zurich was built in 1929, and closed in 2007.  I feel lucky to have been able to watch a match in such stadium.  I recall that the Faroe Islands took shock lead in the 4th minute but ended up giving up 5 straight goals.  There were also around 100 Faroese supporters at the match.

1999 - IF vs HB - Faroe Islands Premier League

In 1999 I spent two weeks on the Faroe Islands.  Getting to the Faroe Islands proved to be a little difficult.  I remember flying from Toronto to London, London to Aberdeen and Aberdeen to the Faroe Islands.  Unfortunately, my flight from Aberdeen was delayed for a day because of fog.  During my stay I had an opportunity to watch the Faroe Islands vs Scotland and the Faroe Islands vs Bosnia & Herzegovina.  Unfortunately, I do not remember exactly, but I think I also watched 3 league matches.

IF is based in the small town of Fuglafjorour which is located in the north of the Faroe Islands.  I do not remember much from the match, but I also stayed after to watch IF II vs HB II in the 4th tier.  Of course, like most football pitches in the Faroe Islands, the views are spectacular.

4th tier - IF II vs HB II