Okay, it's not because of the magical play of the local footballers from Henningsvær. Many of them still go to school. Instead, FK Lofoten is responsible for defending the sporting honour of the entire archipelago, playing its home matches in the 4th Norwegian league in the capital city of Svolvær, which has a population of 5,000.
A place where dreams are made of
No, what has made tiny Henningsvær so famous in football that even the Fifa has taken notice is its unique pitch: an artificial turf pitch in the south of the island of Hellandsøya, which, together with neighbouring Heimøya, is the centre and harbour of the small municipality.
Anyone who scores a dream goal here is not only surrounded by a handful of fans, most of them tourists, but also by the special aroma of the flanking stockfish racks - and the surrounding sea: the Vestfjord is part of the North Atlantic. Speaking of magic: where else can you play 24 hours a day in the sunshine in summer and under the dancing northern lights in winter?
Favourite stop when heading for Nordkapp
The village of Henningsvær, to which Hellandsøya belongs, is located at 68º08'53" North, 014º12'02" East, well north of the Arctic Circle. It is connected by bridges to Austvågøya, one of the main islands of the Lofoten archipelago. The island, which is only 0.25 square kilometres in size, lies in the Vestfjord, which separates Lofoten from the mainland and flows into the Norwegian Sea.
Henningsvær is a favourite stopover for yachts on their way along the coast of northern Norway. Moorings are available at a floating jetty or along the piers in the well-protected municipal harbour in Heimsundet between the two islands of Hellandsøya and Heimøya, which is mainly used by fishermen.
