How Kidderminster Harriers hit it big in a Norwegian coastal town

O n the west coast of Norway, spread across the islands of Hessa, Aspøya, Nørvøya and Uksenøya, lies the town of Ålesund. It is not a large place, but it brims with appeal. Once razed to the ground at the turn of the 20th century by a devastating fire, it was rebuilt in stone by the finest Norwegian and German architects of the era. Ålesund’s colourful townhouses and harbourside promenades, where the streets shake hands with the sea, attract thousands of visitors every year. One spot is particularly intriguing to football fans.

At the junction where Kaiser Wilhems Gate meets Harald Torviks Plass stands the Brooklyn Bar. From the outside there is nothing unexpected about this New York-themed establishment, but go inside and you will find, tucked away in a not-so-quiet corner that is festooned in red and white, the only supporters’ club in Norway that is dedicated to English National League North side Kidderminster Harriers.

To find out how a town nearly 800 miles from Worcestershire became home to The Harriers of Norway, I spoke to the group’s founder, Lars Andreas Vegsund. “It started off as a funny thing when our old boys’ team needed an English club that didn’t have a supporters’ club in Scandinavia because we wanted to attend the yearly Supporters Cup in 2019.”

Given the popularity of English football in Norway, the Supporters Cup is an important fixture in the calendar. Organised by the Supporters Union of British Football, the tournament takes place every year in Oslo and is contested by the various supporters’ groups of British football teams. Thousands of players are involved, with the 2022 edition seeing Ipswich take the title for the third occasion.

“We started going down the different leagues on our phones