August 27th, 2011 - Okres Prostějov - III Třída - Haná Prostějov B 4 Zdětín B 0

August 27th, 2011

Okres Prostějov - III Třída )9th level)

Haná Prostějov B 4 Zdětín B 0 (in Smržice)

Attendance: 20

Beer: Bernard

Finally, a new ground. It has been a long time, but things have come up recently and I haven't had as much time to travel around Moravia. On the weekend, I made the short trip to Smržice to watch Haná Prostějov B play Zdětín B. The village is only located 4km from Prostějov, but the lack of weekend buses meant that I had to take a train to nearby Čelechovice na Hané. The walk only took about 10 minutes to the football pitch, so it wasn't a big problem.

The match was originally scheduled for Prostějov, but scheduling conflicts for the pitch meant that the match had to be moved. This occurred because of the late addition of FK Pro$tějov into Divize E (4th level).

Walking up to the ground, I was surprised to see that the grass was in such great condition. However, upon closer inspection, the grass was nice, but it was not level. Little slopes were on the pitch, which made it not a level playing surface. Hardly ideal for any level of football. The facilities were basic, as should be expected for this level of football. About 20 benches lined the pitch, with a pub located 50m from it, for less than perfect viewing.

Since the match was moved to a small village, and not really publicized in the local papers, a smaller than normal crowd showed up. Most people there were friends or families of the players. The play wasn't anything spectacular, however Haná were deserving of the three points

October 2000 - A Canadian's experience - Bohemians Prague 1905 2 Sigma Olomouc 2

11 years ago this autumn, I was living in Olomouc as a student, and since I watched as much football as I could in Canada, I decided to go to a Sigma Olomouc away game in Prague. Needless to say, it was an eye opener for at the time I was kind of a clueless Canadian 'soccer' supporter. I really didn't know what I was getting myself into.

I arrived at Doličku a few hours before the game, and of course I was wearing a Sigma jersey. I was used to going to away games in Canada with no problems, and at the time I didn't think much of wearing a Sigma jersey in Prague. Apparently, it wasn't a good idea, but I didn't really have any problems. I remember being a little scared, as I didn't speak any of the language, and wasn't sure how to get tickets. Luckily, two boys stopped me on the street, and sold me a ticket on the spot. I actually paid the face value, so I think they were just selling tickets to supporters on the street. I walked into the stadium, and saw old style metal cage surrounding the away support with a few cement steps. The toilets were a disgrace, as no one at the club probably bothered to clean them, and the walls were filled with graffiti.

Across the street from the away entrance there was a pub, and I remember hearing glass breaking, and other noises. I took a look around and saw a pile of Sigma hooligans (or ultras) pile out of the pub. Police were in riot gear trying to control the situation. The Sigma supporters pushed their way into the away supporters section without any tickets. It wasn't long after that the police followed, as they frequently entered stadiums at the time. It was then that a few Sigma supporters asked me if they could have my ticket to show proof they paid. I just shook my head, and hoped for the best. I was standing in the furthest corner of the away section, trying to stay away from the trouble. Eventually, the situation cooled down.

On the way home, I zipped up my jacket over my Sigma jersey. Lesson learned.

July 29th, 2011 - 1 SK Prostějov 1 Al Salmiya (Kuwait) 1

July 29th, 2011 - Friendly

SK Prostějov 1 Al Salmiya (Kuwait) 1

Attendance: 125

This friendly is about as random as they get. Apparently, Al Salmiya, who play in the Kuwait first division, were holding a training camp in the Prostějov area, which is how this game came about. What makes it even stranger is that SK Prostějov were in the midst of preparing for Divize E (4th division), as the club was hoping to buy the license from Vítkovice. So, they brought in a number of players who were out on loan, signed some new players, and brought in some of those who played for the 10th division club last year. From what I understand, nothing has been resolved with the purchase of the 4th division license, because of legal issues. The whole thing is still up in the air, despite the 4th division starting this weekend.

Anyway, back to the game. It took place at 10am on a Friday morning, so I was surprised that more than a handful of people showed up. I suspect they were curious to see what SK would look like, and get a chance to watch an international club.

I had no idea what to expect from this game, as Al Salmiya are a fully professional club with a few international players. The team that SK put on the field, didn't even have a league to play in, and the players had only been training together for a short period of time. It was clear that Al Salmiya were stronger, had better touch, and were faster, but they were frustrated throughout the game by the strong play of SK. Overall, a draw was probably a fair result, and both managers had to go ahead happy.