A special community in Tasiilaq: Futsal gives confidence

The clock shows 2-3 in favor of the away team. The ATA U15 boys from Tasiilaq are behind. Not only are they behind, they are also behind their arch-rivals TM-62 from Kulusuk.

Both teams have made the long journey over the ice to Nuuk to participate in the U15 futsal tournament Polar El Cup, and are now in direct competition for the bronze medals.

With 3 minutes left, Eigel Ignatiussen suddenly appears and equalizes to 3-3, assisted by 11-year-old Eli Kûko. Actually, Eli Kûko is far too young to participate in an U15 tournament, but he is also the image of a story about what is special about the U15 futsal team in Tasiilaq. We will return to how the bronze medal match ends.

Futsal as a preventive measure

Two months before the dramatic bronze medal match in Nuuk, we are on the sidelines in Tasiilaq for one of the team's 3 weekly training sessions. Several Tasiilaq residents have mentioned the futsal community when we asked them what important stories the city holds, so now we are sitting here observing the training, which is led by 42-year-old Hans Poul Andersen.

Bumping after an injury at company soccer the week before, he directs the young boys and girls around the field. The futsal environment creates an important framework for children and young people in Tasiilaq, says Hans Poul Andersen.

- The hall is one of the few meeting places in Tasiilaq, and here children and young people make new friends across all ages. We have everyone from 10-year-olds to 15-year-olds coming to training, and both girls and boys. They learn to play with each other.

And the unity is clearly felt.

– When I score, I feel that the others are happy, says 14-year-old Ingemann Uitsatikitseq.

Hans Poul Andersen directs the players down to the goal line, where they must lie on their stomachs. At his command, they stand up and sprint down to the opposite end and back again. After a few trips, they are out of breath and seem tired. A completely deliberate tactic on the coach's part.

- We try to make them tired as much as possible and train them hard every time. We have noticed that when they have trained hard and intensively, their focus is on relaxing and having fun with their friends instead of doing stupid things, says Hans Poul Andersen and continues.

- It's an age when they start trying things like smoking and partying. So preventive efforts are important, and are one of the things we as an association focus on.

Travel gives confidence

The atmosphere is intense in the Inussivik hall in Nuuk. The score is still 3-3 in the arch-rivals match between Kulusuk and Tasiilaq. There are two minutes left in the match, and the tackles are going on as if it were a matter of life and death.

Suddenly, Tasiilaq's youngest player, Eli Kûko, reappears. With the coolness of an experienced striker, he brings ATA U15 ahead 4-3 to great cheers among both the coaching staff and fellow players. Shortly after, the game is called off. Redemption.

A week of intense visit to the big city has its happy footballing conclusion. But even though the trip to Nuuk is a success in a footballing sense, and the goal of medals has been achieved, there are also other things in focus on the trip to Nuuk, says Hans Poul Andersen.

- It's a huge experience for the boys to come to Nuuk. They've made a lot of friends. We've been to the swimming pool several times, and then they've been up to watch their idols play for B67 and Young Guns. They've eaten at restaurants, which several of them have missed for a really long time. And then they've visited sports shops, which is otherwise a rarity, says the coach.

That was exactly what the boys were looking forward to when we met them in Tasiilaq two months ago.

What's the most fun thing about going to Nuuk?

– Football, the matches and the shops, 14-year-old Keld Sørensen answers without hesitation.

In addition to the benefits of being in Nuuk, Hans Poul Andersen also experiences personal development in the boys when they are matched with other teams and visit new places.

- On a personal level, we can see that the boys have gained confidence from being on this trip to Nuuk. They are not used to playing in halls with many spectators, and for some it has been very overwhelming. Some of our players were nauseous and threw up before the semi-final because they were so nervous, but during the bronze medal match they were just ready because they had played several matches with the audience shouting and screaming.

Expensive tickets

The trip to Nuuk has been a success. But it was also only a step on the way. The big goal of the season is the GM at the beginning of March, which this year will be played in Ilulissat. But even though the spirits are high, and the boys are certainly not full after the trip to Nuuk, it is not just like going to the GM.

- The biggest challenge is the expensive tickets when we go to GM. We have an association that is very supportive, but it is much cheaper to travel between the cities on the west coast. That is one of the biggest challenges we have. Hopefully we can scrape together enough money from sponsors and with help from the municipality, says Hans Poul Andersen.