Rubber stands and Danish bacon

It would be rude not to take up an opportunity to see a local game – you see I have gone a bit continental this year and am now spending 2 or 3 days a week in the city known as “Wonderful Copenhagen”. Now any city where the three main exports are Beer, Bacon and Tall Blonde’s can’t be a bad place – as long as they keep some of the three back for themselves.

After being over there since Christmas I had so far managed to avoid getting to a game – quiet an achievement considering my track record of sniffing out a game wherever I go. But I had a plan…The longer I abstained, the more my bosses would feel that my visits were not based around football – and I knew that the one match I couldn’t miss was the Copenhagen derby between Brondby and Copenhagen…..Traditionally, Brondby are seen as the middle class team, where as FCK are from the lower class northern suburbs…In reality they are both clubs created for the convenience of the city – Brondby were formed in 1964 and financed by the local city council for years to try and get a football team with a European track record….It failed so in 1991 they turned their attention to the underused national stadium and created a new “super club” – FC Copenhagen to compete with Brondby….In the 15 years since their formation, the championship has been won by either team on all but one occasion – and who says money doesn’t buy success!!

This season has been a nightmare for the blue half of the city…Currently lying in 6th place and with not a hope of European football, Brondby’s season will best be remembered for having 3 coaches in the season….Copenhagen on the other hand have led the way since day one, and needed just 3 points to secure another championship.

So in theory everyone in the city would be up for this – either red or blue….err no. Most people were more interested in the Chelsea v Man Utd game that would be shown on Satellite TV than the local derby. Consequently the game was easy to get tickets for, and even a place in the bar was assured by 7pm….

Everyone talked about the game – the fans unfurled banners and T-shirts saying “The blood of the Red’s would flow on the pitch” but in practice it was a real damp squib. So arriving at the stadium at 6pm we saw police and riot vans everywhere, although lots of families in their yellow and blue shirts.

The stadium is very neat – the phrase “English stadium” is used a lot – but it is true in this case. Completely enclosed, two tiered with a terrace behind one goal. On the far side of the stadium is the new cafe bar “1964” which was a good place to start the evening – mock ups of the bench, decent Carlsberg and bacon sandwiches all whilst watching Swedish women’s football on TV – nice…Now let’s clear up the beer and bacon mystery….Copenhagen has been the home to Carlsberg for something like 200 years. Not only can you buy five versions of the beer almost everywhere, you can also get the strong Elephant beer in most bars – and it does taste better than in England…but Bacon is a different story – apparently they export all the good stuff and eat the crap bits at home…so asking for a bacon sandwich in any cafe will leave you very disappointed indeed…

So back to the match in question…We toyed with the idea of getting a good place in the Faxe terrace, but did the usual English thing of staying in the bar for one more pint – thinking no more beer for a couple of hours…Ah – but wait – what is that queue in the ground – a bar! So you cant take beer in but you can buy it yards from the turnstiles…Of course, and with a sausage in each hand we headed onto the terraces, which were literally bouncing.  Ben found Amos Brearley at the front of the stand and headed down for a quick grope.  The atmosphere was fantastic.  The Brondby fans were well up for the game, leading the chants that seemed very English both in terms of words and tunes.  The crowd tried to get the team going but they seemed to have already conceded defeat and it was no surprise when FCK took the lead halfway through the first half.

The game petered out in the second half, and once the final flare had been extinguished the lights went out on any challenge Brondby had to their bitter local rivals.  No blood was spilt on the final whistle – indeed it all seemed a bit cordial on the pitch.  We headed back to the sports bar for another couple of beers awaiting our taxi.  The atmosphere for a while had been up there with a West Ham v Chelsea game but petered out into a Leyton Orient v Dagenham & Redbridge one…sad but true..

The Stadium – Brøndby Stadium
Brøndby Stadion 30, 2605 Brøndby

Capacity: 29,000 All Seater

The Brøndby stadium was originally used 1965, although at the time was no more than a field with raised embankments. It is amazing to think that until 1980 the ground featured just one single stand of 1,200 and a couple of rudimentary floodlights. A new 5,000 seater stand was built in 1982, and as the team became more successful further stands were added, taking the capacity to just under 20,000 in 1990. The latest redevelopment work started in 1999 and was completed in October 2000 when 28,000 crammed into the stadium for the first time to watch the Copenhagen derby.

The end result is a stadium that is almost identical in look and feel to Derby’s Pride Park, Southampton’s St Mary’s Stadium and the new Ricoh Arena in Coventry. All four stands are two tiered, with a complete wrap around roof. The hardcore fans tend to congregate in the Faxe Tribunen.

How to get to Brøndby Stadium
The stadium is a 30 minute journey from Copenhagen central station. The easiest way to get there is to catch a Line B train to Glostrup or a Line A train to Brøndby Strand Station and then catch bus either 131 or 500S. Extra buses run on a matchday.

How to get a ticket for the Brøndby Stadium
It is almost unheard of for any domestic games to sell out, except those against FC Copenhagen, and so you will be able to turn up on the day to buy tickets. If you want to get them in advance then you can from the Brøndby shop at the stadium. For normal matches tickets cost between 110Dkr and 130Dkr. For the derby matches they rise to 170Dkr and 190Dkr. If you have any queries then the ticket office can be contacted at
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Around the Brøndby Stadium
The Stadium is located in the western suburbs of the city and sits in a nice residential area. However, the club have a couple of good supporters bars which are open for fans to go and have a few bars and a Danish sausage or two. Danish fans are some of the most hospitable in the world and any fans coming to visit the club on a weekend trip will be a very warm welcome, especially if they bring a few souvenirs from their clubs in England.