World Footy News

Norway will soon see its third club take the field, with the newly-created Ås Battlers set to take on the Oslo Trolls on August 23.

After a slow start to the season in the Oslo area, the match will be Norway's first domestic inter-club clash. The team in Ås, a small town just outside the Norwegian capital, started training earlier this year under the leadership of Adam O'Toole.

As O'Toole explains, "I decided to start Norway's second side, the Ås Battlers in an attempt to take us to the next level of playing domestic games. We train every Thursday at the university ground at Ås, and so far we have recruited 2 Norwegians and 2 Germans and a few others who turn up now and again. Matt Baranski (another Aussie) and I run the trainings and are starting right at the beginning in learning the new comers the rules and skills of the game."

The immediate goal for the Trolls and Battlers is to consolidate their respective squads before founding further sides in the area, although O'Toole hopes to organise a match for September against either Gothenburg or Karlstad from Western Sweden. He has also heard interest from Tromsø in playing against Oslo, but the huge distance involved means this may still be a way off.

Regarding a Norwegian side at the EU Cup, O'Toole believes it might be too difficult to get a team to the event this year, saying "We do not have a Norwegian organising body, just a loose contact network so I can't speak for Norway, but from what I know I think it is highly unlikely that we send a team this year, given that we have only a few Norwegians playing the game and that games and trainings have got off to a slow start. We need to continue to build on recruiting locals in order to establish a local talent base in the hope of sending a team in future years."

"Simon Berger is now the contact for the Oslo Trolls and he organises the trainings at Frogner Park every Wednesday. Both Simon and I have contacted our old teams back home and they are sending us over some jumpers to use. That will be a bonus."

"Another interest point is that I will be experimenting with some silver birch tree trunks as the goal posts this year to add a local flavour to the game."

"The Australian Association will be putting on a bbq for the 23rd of August and this will hopefully bring some people down to watch and create a good atmosphere."

The Ås Battlers can be contacted via their Facebook page, or via the event page for the match.