– It’s a little rush of happiness every time. I feel like a little boy on Christmas Eve who gets to open a package under the tree. This is how Fredrik Midtbø (29) describes the feeling he gets when a new football kit from a Norwegian football club arrives in the post. He has known that feeling 827 times in the last decade. – Some people collect soda caps, others football kits. I am in the latter category. In order to achieve his goal, he works systematically and deals with country by country. Recently, he has had a special focus on Agder. Fredrik does not have a favorite suit. Here he stands with a signed Bodø/Glimt kit of the entire team and a Start kit signed by Mathias Grundetjern. Photo: private – A bit of madness He usually works as a flight instructor at Torp, but he spends his free time, among other things, contacting Norwegian football clubs from his apartment at Andebu in Sandefjord. The goal is to get one step closer to the goal. All football kits in Norway. It was a football trip to England back in 2010 that ignited a spark in his inner collector. Then Kan came home to his childhood club in Sokndal in Rogaland and now wanted a kit from all the teams they played against. The years passed and the Rogalander moved to Sandefjord in Vestfold and Telemark to work. – Then came the corona, I was made redundant and then interest skyrocketed, says Fredrik Midtbø. For ten years, his e-mails have been acknowledged by mail. From Finnmark in the north to Agder in the south. – It has become a bit crazy. But people think it’s fun and that it puts the spotlight on Norwegian grassroots football. Could become an expensive hobby In Norway, over 1,700 football clubs are registered, according to the Norwegian Football Association. The goal of the 29-year-old is to have at least one suit from everyone. – I would probably have been personally bankrupt if I had bought all the suits myself. But I find that the clubs think it’s fun and happily send me one. To keep track of which suits he is missing, he enters everything into an excel document. And when he gets to reach out, he uses the channels that exist. Midtbø has received around 15 new suits from Sørlandet after the Facebook post. Photo: screenshot/Local football in Agder – I was surprised by how much involvement there was in Agder. I have already been contacted by several people who want to help me. The post has so far secured him around 15 new suits for the collection. Spotlight on the small clubs That the involvement is great in Southern Norway does not surprise the general manager of NFF Agder, Yngvar Håkonsen. He believes the gathering contributes to putting even more focus on the importance of local clubs and grassroots football. – Local clubs mean a lot to an insane number of people. You are proud of the club and your own kit, says Håkonsen. Håkonsen believes that the clubs appreciate being seen and that it is fun to come into the light. Photo: Siv Kristin Sællmann / news He still says that it is good that not too many people have the same interest. – If it were to spread to thousands, it would probably create financial challenges for the clubs. Beyond that, I don’t see any other challenges, says Håkonsen. Could have started a museum A small piece of Norway is packed away in some plastic boxes in the apartment of Fredrik Midtbø and his roommate. But out of the 827 suits, he has no favourite. – I can’t single out a particular one. Regardless of whether it is a signed kit from a top team or from a small club, the joy is just as great, says the collector. When we ask the 29-year-old what he really wants to do with the suits, he has no good answers. – You simply get a little hooked. I would like to have started a small museum. The suits take up a lot of space, so Fredrik has had to expand the storage space. Photo: private Hello! Do you have thoughts about the case you have read or suggestions for other things we should check out? Feel free to send me an email!
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Collecting football kits – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
