Sokol Drahany

Drahany is a small village of around 530 people located 20km from Prostějov. It is located in the Drahanská vrchovina (Drahany highlands), which means the village is located at an elevation of 630m. In 1940, the people of the village fell victim to the "Vyškov shooting" by the Germans. People were forcibly evicted from their homes at gun point, and many of the homes were destroyed. This would explain the lack of older buildings in the village. The village was also destroyed during the 30 years war between 1618 and 1648. I ended up in the village yesterday, so I decided to take some pictures of the football pitch.

The club currently plays at the 10th and bottom tier of Czech football. They have spent the last 7 years at this level (Olomoucký Kraj - Prostějov - 4 třída, skupina A), as far as I can tell. They usually finish in the bottom half of the table, but this year they are struggling more than usual. After the autumn half of the season, they have 2 draws and 7 losses. It is a rather small village, so the fact they have a team year after year is something to be admired.

The pitch and facilities were basic. On one side there were wooden benches, and across the pitch there was a run-down wooden stand. It has obviously seen better days, and a number of the benches were falling apart.

FC Dynamo Javorník

I didn't actually go to a game in Jarvoník ve Slezsku, but I remember going to the town in February 2009 because I felt like going on a trip. As it was winter, I had to make due without any football. So, I decided to make the 320km round-trip, 7 hours on a train, trip to the northern-most town in Moravia. It is tucked up in the corner on a narrow strip of land.

Javorník is a town of around 3,000 people. It is located only a few kilometres from Poland. During the summer, the biggest draw is a beautiful chateau on a hill over-looking the town. During the winter, well, there wasn't much to see. I walked around a little, and eventually stumbled upon the football stadium.

The football club, which was formed in 1946, currently plays in the Olomoucký Kraj - 1 B třída, skupina C, which is the 7th tier of football in the country. Their "b" team plays in the Olomoucký Kraj - Okresní Přebor - Jeseníky which is the 8th tier of football. The stadium was quite basic with some covered seats, and an area for standing. The first team currently sits in 10th place after the autumn half of the season. The second half will resume when they play away to Vidnava.