TLFG: 29 May - 9 June 2024

After a few days holidaying with my family in Gothenburg, TLFG is back for one last time this season but given the lack of matches, this will temporarily become more of a travel blog.

Our trip was fun and I was very impressed with Sweden's second biggest city.

The weather was warm throughout our stay but fluctuated between warm sunshine and thunderstorms which kept things interesting.

We enjoyed a trip to Liseberg theme park, named Europe's best, the Universeum (a cross between a zoo, aquarium, science museum and art gallery), went on a Paddan boat tour and had a day of sport on Saturday.

It began with me trying out a local parkrun which took me through woodland, past a beach and round a lake - one of the most beautiful courses of the 61 different ones I've run since 2012.

After a good chat with one of the regulars, I headed back to town for a quick breakfast and freshen up before grabbing my eldest daughter and getting on the tram and heading over the river for some football.

My daughter meets BK Hacken striker Felicia Schroder

A short ride took us to the Bravida Arena to watch the game of the day in the Swedish women's league between BK Hacken, in third, and leaders Hammarby who had travelled from Stockholm.

Having passed swiftly through security and got my daughter's face painted in the black and yellow of the hosts, we bought our refreshments (which cost nearly double a child ticket) and picked a seat in the main stand.

It was gloriously sunny throughout so we picked a spot in the shade and cracked open our drinks.

Being a women's match, the mood was much more relaxed than it would be for the equivalent men's game but both sides had a group of ultras behind each goal who generated a good atmosphere.

The first half was a cagey affair which Hammarby, inspired at times by former Chelsea player Jonna Andersson, probably shaded.

Things changed after the break though, as two swift goals early in the second half put Hacken in charge - the first a delightful free-kick which gave the keeper little chance.

With four of the current Sweden squad among their ranks, the hosts saw out the game to record an important win and move up to second.

We hung around after the game and my daughter was lucky enough to high-five some of the players before getting a photo with Felicia Schroder who scored the second.

Tickets, refreshments and travel probably came in at a little over £20 for the pair of us so it was a great value afternoon out.

Overall, I'd thoroughly recommend a visit.

Despite spending four nights in Gothenburg, we barely scratched the surface of what you can see and do.

We stayed in the Scandic Goteborg Central which is only a couple of years old and very modern - our family room (U12s stay free and get free breakfast) was on the top floor with great views over the river and was very reasonably priced.

Pretty much everyone we met was friendly, helpful and spoke excellent English and I felt very comfortable there - it's a city I could happily move to.

The only drawback, as with most Nordic countries, is the cost of living.

A single ride on a bus or tram is £2.60 whereas in London it's £1.75.

A one-course meal with a drink was £10-15 per person wherever we ended up.

I don't drink but a 500ml bottle of beer was around £7-8.

For the four of us to visit the excellent Universeum it cost £65 - in London most big museums are free so this was a bit of a shock to the system!

The bus to and from the airport cost the four of us about £50 - way more than the Tube or Elizabeth Line from Heathrow.

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Anyway, to get back onto the topic of London football, there isn't a lot on.

Competitive 11-a-side domestic football has to cease by 2359 on 31 May, with the FA allowing nothing to take place in June without special permission.

Check out the 'Daily Digest' below to see what I've found.

One thing that could be worth checking out this week is the UEFA Champions Festival which takes place at five venues around London between Thursday and Sunday (30 May - 2 June) - it's free to get in so could be well worth a half-term visit if you've got kids to entertain.

From my own clubs' perspectives, QPR have announced some interesting friendlies with Spurs and Brighton both coming to Loftus Road in pre-season.

There's still no word on who Harrow Borough's new manager will be and Actonians are still waiting on the FAWNL division allocations for 2024/25.

So I think that really is it for me for this campaign.

It's been highly rewarding as usual and I hope I've helped you make the most of your football-watching time.

I'll still be reachable on X and email over the next few weeks so if you have any questions or want to share info on any interesting games or events, please let me know.

THE WEEK AHEAD

The Champions League Final dominates London's football landscape this week but there are a couple of other things that might catch your interest, including a charity game at The Hive which is stacked with footballing talent.

As always, please make sure you check with clubs before you travel just in case a game has been called off or the venue or kick-off time has changed - this is highly possible for some of the lower non-league clubs. Also, please let me know if anything is wrong or missing.

Details on all of this week's games can be found on the following match maps. If you've never used them before, please note that when there is more than one match at a specific ground you'll only be able to see individual match pins if you zoom right in. If you don't, the pins obscure each other and you might miss them. To avoid this, you can also scroll down the list of games on the drop down menu at the top of the map page to make sure you get all the information. Games are listed from top to bottom in date order so Monday's games (yellow pin) will appear first and Sunday's (orange pin) last. Games are also ranked in terms of status so the higher the division, the higher up the list they will appear on each day.

Donate to TLFG's coffee-drinking fund here

Also if you're unfamiliar with the English league structure I indicate the level at which an individual league sits in the national 'pyramid' with the Premier League at the top (Level 1) and various minor leagues at the bottom (Level 10). Typically a top level game will see crowds of anywhere between 20,000-60,000. These figures will gradually decline as you go down the leagues until you get to Levels 8-10 where attendances of 150 or less are most common.

It should also be noted that the top four levels are for fully professional teams. Level 5 has a mixture of professional and semi-professional teams, while Levels 6-10 will see most players paid but it will vary from no more than travel expenses at the bottom, right up to several hundred pounds a week at the top.

MATCH MAP 29 MAY-9 JUNE

Wednesday 28 May fixtures - turquoise pin

Friday 31 May fixtures - black pin

Saturday 1 June fixtures - blue pin

Friday 7 June fixtures - green pin

Sunday 9 June fixtures - orange pin

    

TLFG DAILY DIGEST

In the following section, I list what are in my opinion the most notable games of the week and give some brief reasons for my choice. Check the maps above for kick-off times, ticket info and directions.

Wednesday 29 May

MCFL Premier

Camden United v Hilltop Reserves @8pm - having both avoided relegation, this match between two of the bottom five has very little riding on it. It's being played at the Market Road facility, famously used by the London Underground League, which is a short walk from Caledonian Road Tube station 

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Friday 31 May

MCFL Premier

Camden & Islington United v Jolof Sports @8pm - these two sides will complete their seasons in this 11th-tier league with this game. Fourth and 11th coming into the game, there's also very little at stake here. This is being played at the New River Sports Centre just down the road from Haringey Borough's ground. With all competitive domestic 11-a-side football banned by the FA during the month of June, this is the last club match that you'll be able to see in London this season

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Saturday 1 June

UEFA Champions League Final

Borussia Dortmund v Real Madrid @8pm - unless you're already a ticket holder or incredibly rich, then your chances of getting into the continent's biggest club match of the season are zilch. Dortmund finished fifth in Germany some 27 points behind champions Bayer Leverkusen so they've done incredibly well to make it to Wembley for this game. They'll start as considerable underdogs to Real who cantered to the Spanish title, racking up 95 points and only losing once in the process. With 14 wins from 17 appearances in the final, Real Madrid are also the most successful club in the competition's history. Borussia have made it twice before, winning once in 1997

Children of Gaza Charity Match

Anwar El Ghazi XI v Nujum Sports XI @3pm - whatever you think about the politics of this match, the line-up of footballers taking part is impressive. Coming from Premier League and EFL sides and several other European clubs, the organisers have done well to assemble this group. Taking place a short Tube ride from Wembley at Barnet's ground, you could easily combine this with the Champions League final if you're lucky enough to be going. Tickets

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Friday 7 June

Friendly

England v Iceland @745pm - after playing Bosnia & Herzegovina in Newcastle a few days before this, Gareth Southgate's side play their final send-off friendly ahead of Euro 2024 against the country which famously knocked them out of France 2016. The Three Lions are much improved since that dark night in Nice, were runners-up last time and are the favourites to win with many bookmakers this time. Iceland had a poor qualifying tournament and finished behind Portugal, Slovakia and Luxembourg in Group J. Saying that, Bosnia were in the same group and finished fifth so England aren't warming up against nations who find themselves in the best of shape. Tickets

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Sunday 9 June

Soccer Aid

England XI v World XI @730pm - the annual mega fundraiser of the English football calendar returns to Stamford Bridge. An array of retired footballers and showbiz stars go head-to-head in this fun match where money raised goes to UNICEF. Very few tickets are left so you'll need to act fast to get one of the last ones

GET INVOLVED

If you're going to see a game, whether you're a local or a visitor, please let me know what you've  been up to. If you're interested in reviewing a ground in the London area for this blog then get in touch. I also very much welcome photos of your football travels.

NEED HELP?

Got any questions about visiting London? Don't hesitate to ask - be they football or more general travel/touristy queries. I do not charge for this advice like some other sites so don't hold back!

You can contact TLFG through the comments section below, via X/Twitter or even by good old email.

Has this blog been helpful? Donate to TLFG's coffee-drinking fund here