Hangeland is at the forefront of a committee that has been set up to deliver a proposal for term lists and competition structure in Norwegian football for the years 2024 and 2025. The committee comes at the initiative of the Norwegian Football Association and the newly appointed general secretary Karl-Petter Løken. – The goal is to see if we can give ourselves increased competitiveness in the face of competition in Europe, says Hangeland to news. – Long break A key issue to be looked at is how the Norwegian season is set up. The seasonal model as it is now is a season from April to November, before a long winter break from December to April. – I think that most people who have played top football understand that there is a long break. So it is mainly because of the climate, but that is not optimal when it comes to competing against nations where they play eleven months of the year and hardly have enough time to lie down during the break, says Hangeland. – We have a completely different climate to many other nations in Europe. This means that football is more of a year-round sport when you get a little further south, says the former national team captain, who now has a role in Norway’s coaching team. – We have a game-free period in January and February in Norway. Is there anything you can put in there? – It is something we have to look at. I cannot prejudge anything about what this selection will end up with, but it is a natural part that we have to look at, whether it is possible to find something wise about it. But we can’t turn up the temperature in our country, everyone understands that, he replies. What would you go for? Extend the season and play more games in the winter Add more cup rounds to the winter Introduce a new Norwegian tournament played in the winter Nothing, keep the current model Show result Hareide on the current model: – Unlucky news expert and former top coach Åge Hareide gives the NFF support in that the current seasonal model should be investigated. – It is unfortunate for the competition situation, especially when you are going out to play in Europe and compete against the teams that have an autumn-spring league. It’s always a problem, especially if they advance from a group stage either in the Europa League or Serie Liga, says Hareide to news. – Should Norwegian football start earlier? – The way the surfaces have become in Norway, with so many artificial grass pitches… During the pandemic, it was played until 20 December in Norway and it went very well. I was there myself and had a match at Lerkendal in mid-December, and the track was absolutely perfect. With underfloor heating, it is quite possible to do, he believes. – Can the clubs afford this then? – The question is whether they can afford not to. A very important part of the income for Norwegian football is linked to being able to qualify for Europe, he points out. Åge Hareide believes that the current season model makes Norwegian clubs less competitive. Photo: Roy Kenneth S Jacobsen / news – Maybe today’s model is the best The Hangeland committee consists of representatives from the Norwegian Football Association (NFF), from Norwegian Top Football (NTF) and representatives from clubs in the Eliteserien and 1st division. If the committee proposes an earlier season, it will in that case involve a major change to a Norwegian model that has been a tradition for many years. – What is the problem with the current model, Hangeland? – It is not necessarily a problem. After all, the mandate is to see if this can be further optimized here. The goal is to see if we can give ourselves increased competitiveness in the face of the competition in Europe, but nothing is advanced here. It is conceivable that the model we have today is the best, but our task is to try to find the optimal model. We approach this with a completely open mind, says Hangeland. The proposal must be delivered at the turn of August/September, the former national team captain says.
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Introduces Hangeland committee – can lead to major changes in Norwegian football – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
