Winter break

Once again, the football winter break is here.  Football league games, at least at the level I watch, start up again in mid-March, but that doesn't mean my blog will go quiet.  I plan on going to a few hockey games outside of Prostějov.  Football winter training friendlies start up in mid-January, and I do plan on taking in a few of the games.

Nov 24, 2012 - BK Prostějov 106 Jindřichův Hradec 92

November 24, 2012
NBL - 1st division
BK Prostějov 106 Jindřichův Hradec 92
Admission - 50kc
Attendance - 200 away support of around 8

Basketball... basketball.... I had no other option over the weekend, so I had to go to my first BK Prostějov game in over 5 years.  I was not able to get out of town, so I had to settle for what was available.  Let me put it this way...

1. Football
2. Prostějov hockey
3. Plumlov hockey
4. Futsal
5. Handball
6. Basketball
7. Volleyball

BK Prostějov currently has severe financial problems, and the rumours are that they could be heading to Brno over the next few months.  How quickly things can change?  Only a few years ago BK made the final 16 of a European competition, and were drawing crowds of 1500+.  For the game against Jindřichův Hradec, who were promoted from the 2nd division last year, only 200 people showed up.  That is the face of basketball in Prostějov at the moment, a sport with no immediate future.

Nov 11, 2012 - Okresní Přebor Prostějov - SK Prostějov 1 Přemyslovice 2

November 11th, 2012
Okresní Přebor Prostějov - 8th tier
SK Prostějov  1 Přemyslovice 2
Attendance - 25

More than likely the last football game of the year for me.  The hosts lost to Přemyslovice in a rather surprising result.  SK are still in first, but the loss will make things much more interesting heading into the Spring half of the season.

November 4th, 2012 - IV třída - Doloplazy 1 Protivanov B 3

Waiting for the bus to the train station

The train station in Prostějov.  

After a 15 minute train ride, arriving in Doloplazy a village of 500 people

The centre of the village

Cooking some sausages at the ground

A very uneven playing surface

Dirt path leading to the pitch

What remains of the railings

A look at the pitch

The main and only stand, 10 minutes before kickoff

Attendance of 11

The visitors bench

The away team gives up a goal

November 4th, 2012
Doloplazy 1 Protivanov B 3 - 10th tier
Attendance - 11

Life at the bottom of the Czech football pyramid can be quite basic and simple.   Every year I make at least one trip to Doloplazy to watch football at this level.  It is easy for me to reach from Prostějov and the connections are good.  On this day, not even the local population was bothered to come out to watch some football.

Oct 28, 2012 - Haná Prostějov B 1 SK Prostějov B 6

Oct 28, 2012
Okresní Přebor Prostějov - 8th tier
Haná Prostějov B 1 SK Prostějov B 6
Attendance - 80

Both sides played last year in the 9th tier.  Apparently, it was the first time since the early 1940's that a Haná side played a team from SK, A or B team.  After both won promotion last season, they were meeting in the highest regional league.  Most people who follow football in this city knew that this game could end badly for Haná, and it most certainly did.  Haná were old, while most of the SK players recently played U19.  The captain for SK B played a number of years ago for LeRK Prostějov in the 2nd division.

The hosts opened up the scoring with a well placed header, but after that, the fitness and skill for SK B took over.  They scored six straight goals on their way to picking up the 3pts.