Friendships Through Football
This weekend we were proud to welcome our friends Othokki from Iceland back to Hampshire for the third time.
Othokki isn’t just a football team. It’s a group of friends from all over Iceland who meet up, travel and play the game they love. Different towns. Different lives. One shared bond — football.
And this visit was another special chapter in what is becoming a fantastic tradition.
Friday Night – Football in the Right Spirit
We kicked the weekend off with a 7-a-side tournament, bringing together players from our Rec Nights, our new Veterans teams, and a guest spot for Bosham Vets — a team we first made friends with during our first season of vets football.
A massive thank you to Havant & Waterlooville FC for allowing us to host the tournament at their ground.
The games were competitive but played with the utmost friendship and respect — exactly how football should be.
After the final whistle came beers and pizza, with players from different teams and different countries sitting together, sharing stories and laughter.
Saturday – The Fratton Park Experience
On Saturday, the teams headed to Portsmouth FC to watch the game against Hull City AFC at Fratton Park.
Our Icelandic visitors were hugely complimentary about the atmosphere. The noise, the passion and the pride inside Fratton Park left a real impression — and they even managed to grab a photo with Nelson the mascot.
Sunday – One More Game
The weekend climaxed with a friendly, recreational-style 9v9 match at John Jenkins Stadium.
Once again, the football was played in exactly the right spirit — competitive, respectful and full of smiles.
Afterwards, everyone headed to The Baffins Pub, and a huge thank you to the staff for hosting us at very short notice. The hospitality was brilliant and provided the perfect setting to round off the weekend together.
More Than Football
Across the weekend, we raised £1,000, which will be shared between our Youth Football Hub and Pompey in the Community.
Not only did we strengthen international friendships — we invested back into local football and young people here in Portsmouth.
A Final Thank You
None of this would have been possible without the amazing efforts of Pauline, Steve, Duncan and Ingo, who worked incredibly hard to arrange the event.
A big thank you as well to our referees — Stu, Chris, Arthur and Sophie — for giving up their time across the weekend.
This was football played in the true spirit of Solent.
And watch this space…
Because what we are building off the back of this Friendships Through Football weekend is just the beginning.
