What is Bandy?

The last time I heard the word ‘bandy‘ was when Del Boy was telling Rodney to ‘knock ‘em bandy’ down the Nags Head in the legendary sitcom ‘Only Fools and Horses’.

However bandy is a very serious activity here in Sweden, its a sport played in the winter on ice. Miss Palins’ dad is a former Bandy player and I jumped at the opportunity to  go with them to watch a Bandy match.

I had walked past Zinkensdam stadium several times and marvelled at its old design, I am one of those anoraks that loves old football grounds and stadia.

If like me, you arent Russian, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish then you probably haven’t heard of Bandy. Its similar to field hockey but played on ice, it is also very similar to Association Football.

There is only one good Bandy team in Stockholm, Hammarby and they play in the Eliteserien. They were playing Sirius of Uppsala on Boxing Day.  I am a traditional Brit and I miss my Boxing day live football. Yes  there were games on Sky Sports but stuff that Zinkensfam and Hammarby Bandy was where it was at.

The ground is supposed to hold around 5000 people but around 6000 bandy fans squeezed into Zinkensdam. The match had to be delayed to accommodate the fans as many had not gotten in. I got the feeling that this doesnt happen too often!

The two Zambonis busied themselves on the rink. making it super icy for the players. I was amused to see fans with leather briefcases. Apparently the Bandy briefcase is very traditional and is used to bring in flasks of warm spirits.  I think its one of those rare sporting occasions that allows you to bring in strong booze. I was soon hankering after an Irish coffee myself as it started getting chilly.

There was a wonderful smell, a mixture of glögg, vodka and hot chocolate. Poor Sarah and her Dad were freezing! Sarah being matronly as ever had told me to wear my ‘long johns’ and my warmest clothes as bandy is very well known for its freezing conditions. It was chance for me to wear my massive North Face jacket that I bought specifically for moving to Sweden. I had only worn it once before and I have to say it really kept me snug.

The players ran out to the familiar Hammarby song that they play at Söder Stadion. Can anyone post a link to it as I dont know the title.

I love the fact that the community of Södermalm comes out to support its Bandy and football teams and bring with them the same songs. I was surprised to hear singing at the game!

My first impression was one of wow how fast paced is this! I was amazed at the speeds some of these bandy players were clocking up. I was constantly surprised by the skill they possess in keeping the ‘ball’ and how they ‘dribble’ past the players. I did take come video clips which I will upload shortly but I don’t think they do them justice.

The ball was actually hard to see on occasion but this didn’t detract from the fun, in fact it added to the excitement.

The game finished 6-5 to Sirius, I felt Hammarby were hard done by and this should have been a draw. It was a really exciting game though, some of the goals were really special. Well worth the entrance fee of 150 SEK and only a ten minute walk from my flat.

In all I really enjoyed my first bandy match and definitely want to go again. Its a good substitute for football, which is something I never thought I would say!

You can see more Hammarby bandy photos and clips here

Forza Bajen!

Oh and for those observant readers out there yes I know the date on my camera is off!

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