The nation of Denmark is made up of the Jutland Peninsula and an archipelago of 433 more islands, the largest of which is called Sjælland, aka Zealand. Sjælland includes the capital city of Copenhagen. Further south on its eastern coastline is a place called Køge. It’s northern region includes a city called Helsingør. Those three cities are happen to be current hot spots of Aotearoa footballing exploits.

Sjælland is not the place that gives its name to the country of New Zealand, that would be the Zeeland area in the Netherlands, but it’s hard not to notice the similarities. The Dutch Zeeland literally just means ‘sea + land’. As in: land surrounded by sea. Pretty boring origins (obviously the name Aotearoa is far better... but it’s okay, we can have multiple words for the same thing, that’s how languages work). The Danish Zealand’s etymology is debated. Sjæl means ‘soul’ in modern Danish. There’s also the ‘sea’ interpretation. But the word seems to derive from the Old Danish version ‘Siâland’ which either means ‘land of seals’ or ‘land of fjords’. Clearly Soul Land is the coolest option there.

Zealand does have at least one thing in common with New Zealand though: football. The top men’s division, the Danish Superliga, kicked off last weekend with two kiwis involved: Joe Bell for Brøndby IF and Marko Stamenic at FC København. Next week sees the start of the Division 1 season (second tier) in which Elijah Just and Callum McCowatt will be vying for promotion with FC Helsingør. In a few more weeks the women’s top flight will begin as well and Daisy Cleverley will be kitting up for HB Køge while Indiah-Paige Riley returns for her third season with Fortuna Hjørring.

Indi Riley is the odd one out here. Not because she’s the only one not capped at senior level by Aotearoa – having only recently switched allegiance from Australia back to the nation of her birth – but because her club is based on that Jutland Peninsula whereas the other five are all scattered around the island of Zealand.

There are other countries where you can find six or more kiwi professionals playing their trade. England’s always got a heap of them. The USA as well. Sweden is another. Quite a few NZers across the Finland scene these days too. Scotland’s certainly having a nice moment. Even Denmark has had its wee spells in the past, with Winston Reid coming up at FC Midtjylland back in the day and more recently Marco Rojas spending some time with SonderjyskE in 2019. But those were one-offs whereas now we’ve got this sudden cluster. Not only that but those six players are all in fascinating and unique career situations. Situations that this here article is about to lay out for ya.

Quick note of acknowledgement for Dalton Wilkins first. He signed for Helsingør at the same time as Eli Just did back in 2019 although a serious injury meant he missed all but the first and last games of the 2020-21 season. Coming back from that he found opportunities limited so moved on loan to Division 2 club Kolding IF, later making that move a permanent one. Wilkins scored 2 goals with 2 assists in 22 games at left back for KIF last season as well as earning an All Whites debut. Bit too far down the ladder to crack this piece but definitely don’t overlook him. Likewise Oscar Obel-Hall left Christchurch United to join the academy of Superliga club Esbjerg back in 2020. Doesn’t appear to have played a heap in that time but he’s still listed on the club’s website for their U19s team.

Joe Bell – Brøndby IF

Bellinho took his time in turning professional, initially declining Viking FK’s overtures in order to complete one last year of university in the USA. But such was the fella’s blatant ability that VFK continued the lure (sending a representative to the national championships where his Virginia team lost the final on penalties) and finally he took them up on the offer. Bell bossed it for two years in Norway until it came time to take the next step. The move that he chose was an estimated €2m switch to Brøndby in Denmark, in January 2022.

Because of the timings, Bell joined Brøndby at the end of the Norwegian season but midway through the Danish one. BIF were defending champs after unexpectedly claiming their first league title for sixteen years the term before... however that run was unexpected for a reason. Came much earlier in their rebuild than anticipated and things did eventually catch up with them the year after.

Brøndby lost their Champions League playoff (4-2 on agg to Red Bull Salzburg of Austria) and then didn’t win a game in the Europa League group stage. They were still on the fringes of the title race when Bell joined and initially that was all tracking swell. Bellinho went straight into the starting eleven for a 2-0 win over Nordsjælland and his new team would win each of his first three games to nil. Then it got messy. A 1-1 draw with AGF was followed by a 3-0 loss to Aalborg.

They were still only six points off at the outset of the championship rounds but proceeded to lose their next six in a row. They did finally win a couple more games right at the very end – snapping a 10-game winless streak – which combined with other results earned a convenient boost back into Europa Conference League qualifiers. But Joe Bell was dropped to the bench for those two wins.

Instead Croatian midfielder Josip Radošević held that central defensive midfield role down. Radošević had been the bloke who got most of the starts in that position across the previous few seasons before Bell arrived and clearly it got to the point where Brøndby just had to fall back upon what they were familiar with. Bell played well enough in his initial 13 starts but that was for a team that was struggling, particularly in attack. Confidence was shot, luck was against them. He got dropped. That’s how it goes.

As much as anything it was a reminder that Bell was stepping things up with this gig. The Danish Superliga is stronger than the Norwegian Eliteserien based on UEFA coefficients (which themselves are based on club performances in European competitions) but it wasn’t only that. Bell left a club with modest ambitions. Viking had been relegated as recently as 2017 and a third placed finish in his final season was their best for thirty years. He subsequently joined a club that expects to finish in the top three pretty much every year. The standards have shifted.

Radošević started the first game of the new season with Bell on the bench, continuing on how last season ended. Brøndby were home to AGF and were still being held at 0-0 after 77 mins when Bell was subbed on. Two mins later they were leading 1-0. Bell didn’t score or assist the goal but he won a free kick under pressure in his own half that was taken quickly, then it was his forward pass that sparked the move. Positive things.

Attacking output was probably the main thing that was missing from his Viking performances so that’s a sharp start. And notably he wasn’t used as a CDM but as the right sided midfielder in a diamond shape. Rado still played CDM while Bell got to operate with a little more of a roaming role. Will be curious to see if that continues... particularly as BIF embark on their Europa Conference League qualifiers which is bound to require a bit of squad rotation one way or another, especially if they make it to the group stages.

Marko Stamenic – FC København

Marko Stamenic signed with FC København in 2020 aged just 18 years old. He’d been trialling with the Danish club when the pandemic struck and had to return to Aotearoa but no dramas there because a few months later they came back and signed him anyway. He spent most of that first season playing with the U19 team – whom he helped take to a Youth Cup victory, scoring one of the goals in the final – and that culminated in a first team debut in late November. FCK were down a few players. Stamenic was boosted up as cover. Ended up starting and playing 72 mins in a 2-1 loss to Randers. He was also on the bench for another match soon after but didn’t feature on that occasion.

That lone appearance was a matter of being in the right place at the right time. Despite featuring a fair amount in the following preseason efforts (causing him to be the last member of the NZ Olympic football squad to arrive in Tokyo) it wasn’t in the plans to crack the first team so soon. Nope, instead he was sent out on loan to the second tier with HB Køge where he would remain for the first half of the campaign, then return to Copenhagen for some winter break training, then head back to HBK for a second loan.

HBK were a mid-table team who missed the cut for the championship rounds. Finished top of the relegation half instead (coached by Martin Skrtel, by the way). But within that unspectacular campaign they got plenty of quality out of Marko Stamenic who basically started every game he was available for, even taking penalties at times. It was the first extended run of professional football for the dude and during that season he also made his All Whites debut, instantly becoming a regular selection.

Meanwhile København won the Danish league title. Edged out FC Midtjylland by three points and not only put that particular trophy back into their cabinet but qualified directly to the Champions League playoff round too. If they win that upcoming two-legged tie then they’ll go into the pot for the group stage of the UCL. If they lose then the consolation prize is a place in the Europa League group stage instead. Guaranteed continental footy... but will Marko Stamenic be a part of it or will it be in his stars to head back out on loan again?

Would he ever. Three preseason games and he featured in each of them. Then they returned him his number 35 jersey on the official list. After which it was confirmed that Superliga benches would expand from seven players to nine players, also helping his cause. Thus it was no surprise when Stamenic found his way onto the subs bench for game one of the new Superliga season. Bit of a surprise when he was subbed on at half-time though, to be fair.

That game didn’t go too flash. FCK were all over opponents AC Horsens and yet not only did they fail to score but they leaked a silly one and ended up losing 1-0. Stamenic looked more than comfortable in his 45 mins however the team’s attack was notably worse in that second half – particularly after promoted Horsens scored and sat back even deeper. Stammers also pocketed a yellow card.

The transfer window doesn’t close in Denmark until the end of August which means that he could still be sent out on loan at any time. Yet the fact that he was the first sub off the pine seems to suggest that he’s trusted enough to remain with the top squad, especially for this particular busy season. Continental footy. A title defence. Not to mention a November World Cup break - Denmark did qualify for that 2022 World Cup and there are usually a few FCK lads in their squads.

Should also mention that Copenhagen were without club captain Carlos Zeca for that Horsens game. Zeca is a Greek international (born in Portugal) who usually runs the show in their midfield so when he comes back, Stamenic will move down the pecking order another spot.

We’ll see how it goes. Breaking through at a Champions League calibre club is no easy feat but the signs are great so far. And if everything pans out as hoped then Marko Stamenic could just become the first New Zealand male to play in the Champions League proper for fifteen years.

Daisy Cleverley - HB Køge

Speaking of defending Danish league champions, HB Køge’s women’s team can claim that tag too. In fact they’re back to back champs of the Kvindeligaen, their first two league titles. Pretty big accomplishment in itself but even more so considering that they broke up the duopoly of Brøndby and Fortuna Hjørring who’d between them finish first and second in each of the previous nineteen seasons.

That took HBK into the Champions League last term where they bounced Sparta Prague in qualifying by a 3-0 aggregate scoreline to advance to the group stage. Huge yarns. They didn’t go so flash there as they lost all six games scoring 2 goals and conceding 22... but to be fair they got a rotten draw. Barcelona, Arsenal, and Hoffenheim where they teams they had to play. Anyway they’re back in the mix this upcoming season, entering at the final round of qualifiers once again.

Plus they’ve since gone and added Daisy Cleverley to their squad. An outstanding bit of scouting if we do say so ourselves. Daisy Cleverley getting overlooked in the NWSL college draft (following five years split between UC Berkeley and Georgetown) was nothing short of a sporting scandal, especially with her international experience added to the package. Perhaps it was the risk of using an international roster spot on a rookie. Perhaps the local depth in her position was simply stronger. Perhaps Americans suck at scouting footballers. Dunno.

But Jacqui Hand was in the same bag and she ended up signing with Åland United in the Finnish league where her performances have been good enough to earn a swift extension to her initial short term gig. And soon afterwards Daisy Cleverley went and joined a Champions League club so all’s well that ends well. (Not a minute too soon either. Cleverley is bound to be a part of the 2023 World Cup squad but actual minutes in that Football Ferns midfield are hotly contested... six different players have started there under Jitka Klimková so far).

Helpfully, Cleverley was a college teammate of current HBK player Kelly Fitzgerald back in her UC Berkeley days so there’s already an existing midfield combination there from day one. No doubt that connection was a factor in the move from both ends. Fellow American midfielder Lauren Sajewich also appears to be leaving the club after a couple years as a regular starter so that opens up a convenient spot for DC to challenge for. The 2022-23 season kicks off a week into August.

Indiah-Paige Riley - Fortuna Hjørring

And when the Kvindeligaen does kick off we’ll also be able to cheer on Indi Riley as a fully fledged New Zealand prospect (would be stunned if she doesn’t make an international debut at the first opportunity away to Japan in October). Unlike Cleverley, Riley’s already been over there a couple years. She made her A-League debut for the Brisbane Roar at age 16 years and 10 months, managed to play a finals game in her first season, was nominated for Young Player of the Year in her second season, then aged only 18 she chose to make the switch to the other side of the world to play for Fortuna Hjørring.

So, yeah, she’s way ahead of schedule. Still only 21, Indi Riley has played 39 league games for FH across two years scoring 7 goals with 6 assists. Almost three quarters of the games she played last season were starts. Now, those two seasons do coincide with HB Køge busting their championship dynasty meaning she’s had to settle for third and second place finishes in those two terms. However they did win the championship the year before she turned up. That may sound like stink timing, and it is, but not entirely because it meant that there was Champions League football in her first term.

This was the final season before the UCLW moved to a group stage. FH drew Pomurje of Slovenia in the round of 32 and IPR started both games (earning a yellow in the away leg) as Hjørring won 6-2 on aggregate. Unfortunately that put them on a collision course with eventual champions Barcelona in the R16 where Riley got 17 mins off the bench in a 4-0 away defeat and then played the full match of a 5-0 home defeat in the second leg – which occurred exactly a month before her first and only appearance for the Australian national team (a 5-2 loss to Germany with 15 mins off the bench). Add that up and it was a 9-0 loss overall against Barcelona... but Barce was the best team in Europe that season, going on to win 4-0 against Chelsea in the final. Puts that heavy elimination into brighter context.

There was no UCL for Hjørring last season, following that third-placed effort, but they were largely excellent last time out... all except for when the games they played against HBK. Against Køge they drew once and lost three times, scoring 3 goals and conceding 13. Other than that they only lost once all season (4-0 to Nordsjælland in their third to last game, the title already decided, Riley didn’t play). A couple other draws didn’t help but in the end they finished 12 points behind HBK so it’s not like it was very close. Hjørring were a further 31 points clear of Brøndby in third though – whom they beat all four times.

Gives you a bit of an indication of the power balance there. Fortuna Hjørring had been the long time overlords of this competition but HB Køge are the team to beat these days. Still, barring anything unexpected it’ll probably be a two-team shootout for the title again. And second place for FH last time means something else too: they’re back in the Champions League.

Indi Riley doesn’t have to compete for a place in her team like how Daisy Cleverley does (or Joe Bell and Marko Stamenic). She’s not a new signing. She’s fully established at the club having been playing regularly for two years now. She’s probably gonna becomes a regular at international level now too. This year isn’t about introducing herself. It’s about taking things to the next level.

Callum McCowatt & Elijah Just - FC Helsingør

FC Helsingør almost took themselves to the next level last season only for things to go horribly awry. In an alternate reality they could have been the team facing Marko Stamenic and FCK in week one of the Superliga. When the Danish 1st Division hit the end of the regular phase (after 22 rounds of home and away), Helsingør were in top spot with an 8 point buffer having only lost once. Horsens meanwhile were in third. Helsingør then absolutely capitulated to finish fourth, 9 points off Horsens who won the title.

Thus Horsens were promoted as champs and happened to take on the defending Superliga champs FC København in week one of the new campaign while Helsingør will have to do the second tier thing all over again.

The collapse was ridiculous. One loss from 22 matches and coming off the back of six wins in a row. Then they fell 1-0 to Horsens in the first match of the Championship Rounds and it all fell apart. They were dealing with a couple of mid-season retirements, limiting their depth and forcing them to play an inexperienced goalie. But it wasn’t only that. They’d control games, fail to score, then concede silly soft ones. Big moments went against them and confidence got rattled. The pressure of expectation was a factor. It was just... bad vibes, man.

Buried in that shambles was the fact that Elijah Just and Callum McCowatt both had career-best seasons. Just played 29 games (24 starts) during which he logged 2031 minutes and scored 7 goals with 4 assists. McCowatt played 26 games (18 starts) for 1599 mins of action in which he scored 6 goals with 6 assists. As much as it sucks that they’re having to hit the repeat button this season they are still in a situation where they both play every game, usually from the start, and tend to be involved in a lot of goals.

They should be in line for similar things as the 1 Division gets under way this weekend. FCH haven’t done a lot in the transfer market but they have bolstered their defence in positive ways (including GK). Yet in attack it’s going to be largely the same dudes and that means more prominence for Just + McCowatt. Hopefully this time the team can put together a full season of quality and not just two-thirds of one.

If you rate the yarns on TNC, the best way to support us is over on our Patreon

Also helps if you whack an ad, sign up to our Substack mailer, and tell you mates about us

Keep cool but care