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North Sea Island Pitches

Alex Saynor

Wednesday, October 15th, 2014

1 Leave a comment on verse 1 0 Bering strait, Labrador,
an arctic wind towards
North Sea island pitches

2 Leave a comment on verse 2 0 Brora Rangers, aurora chances.
The time of day is unfixed
as the crescent moon and sun
together in the darkness
over Sutherland and Wick

3 Leave a comment on verse 3 0 Further north, on Shetland,
light would seem unlikely
as ice turning to vapour
and you brave the floodlit pitches.

4 Leave a comment on verse 4 0 Later, a hint of lighter indigo,
some grey and yellow mist,
something for that wind to work with

5 Leave a comment on verse 5 0 at Aurora, Brora Rangers-
(such half-time entertainment!)

© Alex Saynor 2014

Notes

This is about football played at a higher latitude. I recently read about Brora Rangers, one of Scotland’s most northerly clubs, and thought about the possibility of playing even further north. Shetland hosted the Island Games in 2005 which included Greenland, The Western Islands, The Falkland Islands, The Isle of Man and others. Shetland beat Guernsey 2-0 in the final.

On the Orkney Islands, they seem to have sensibly constructed a purpose built indoor stadium which holds 1600 fans.

Source: http://footballpoets.org/poems/north-sea-island-pitches/