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Inside the Icelandic football team battling against a volcanic eruption for their future

EXCLUSIVE As European football closes the book on the season, football in Iceland is just getting starting - but one club are fighting for their future away from the pitch

There were few thoughts of football on the evening of November 11 last year - on that night, the lives of the residents of Grindavik were all at risk.

After a period of seismic activity - including one 24-hour period when there were almost 1,400 earthquakes - Grindavik's inhabitants evacuated the town, as Icelandic authorities declared a state of emergency.

A few weeks later, just north of the fishing village, the ground opened up and lava oozed to the surface. In the resulting months, two more fissures have opened. The most recent, perilously close to the town, saw lava engulf three houses.

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Icelanders are almost used to volcanic activity: their country, stranded between Europe and North America, straddles two tectonic plates.

Grindavik, home of the iconic Blue Lagoon, knows this more than most - it's located on the Reykjanes peninsula, the area of Iceland that plays host to Reykjavik and the Keflavik International Airport. And it has seen a flurry of activity in recent years.

What do you think about Grindavik's struggle against the elements? Let us know in the comments section

[Molten lava is seen overflowing the road leading to the famous tourist destination "Blue Lagoon" near Grindavik, western Iceland on February 8, 2023. A volcanic eruption started on the Reykjanes peninsula in southwestern Iceland on Thursday, the third to hit the area since December, authorities said. ]

The Icelandic town of Grindavik has been engulfed in flames(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Grindavik has been on the frontline of the latest eruptions, which started in 2021 when Fagradalsfjall turned the night sky as far away as Reykjavik red.

"I was on holiday when the most eruptions started," Haukur Guberg Einarsson admitted. Einarsson is the chairman of the town's football team - and while his immediate thoughts belonged to his friends and family, he now faced a seismic task.

Iceland run their season from May to September to combat the long nights when the temperatures plummet way below zero.

[Grindavik and Vikingur players in front of Fagradalsfjall]

Grindavik's sports teams have been forced to evacuate the town(Image: @vikingurfc/X)

Even when the season kicks off in May, some sides are forced to use their indoor football halls - the same facilities that were credited with starting Iceland's football boom that culminated with knocking England out of Euro 2016.

For Grindavik, that wasn't an option. "Our main pitch is okay; another pitch beside the hall is okay," Einarsson revealed. "But one pitch has been destroyed, and our football hall has also been wrecked."

The earthquakes that ravaged the town have left roads with craters and buildings, including Grindavik's sporting facilities, destroyed.

[An aerial view shows deep fissures are seen after opened up in the town during some of the volcanic activity in Grindavik town of Iceland on February 20, 2024. Residents of the town of Grindavik have been given unrestricted access to the town for the first times since Nov. 2023. But due to the damage of infrastructure people are advised not to dwell overnight in the town. The volcano eruption in January reached the edge of the town and destroyed two houses. ]

Grindavik has been left decimated(Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)

The players were relocated to Reykjavik, where they continued to train: "Lots of clubs, and lots of people, wanted to help us," Einarsson added. Stjarnan and Fylkir were among those - and, so too, were the reigning Icelandic champions Vikingur.

Vikingur's stadium, Vikingsvollur, has become Grindavik's home away from home. And photos taken in front of the erupting volcano of the two sides went semi-viral on social media earlier this month.

"It's not an easy job to take one football team and place it somewhere else," Einarsson continued, "They [the players] had to leave and no one has come back."

[Grindavik]

Grindavik are now playing their home games in Reykjavik(Image: umfgfotbolti/INSTAGRAM)

Icelandic football is a million miles away from the glitz, glam and financial power of the Premier League. And Grindavik are left pondering their future in their tiny volcanic corner of the globe.

"I am in meetings with the government about the next three years and how we're going to return. If we're lucky, we can go back home next season."

However, Einarsson admitted it'll be tough to return - the town has been decimated. "The eruption is still ongoing," he added. "We can't say anything until the eruption stops. And then we can start planning!"

[This handout picture released by the Icelandic Coast Guard on March 16, 2024 shows billowing smoke and flowing lava pouring out of a new fissure during a new volcanic eruption on the outskirts of the evacuated town of Grindavik, western Iceland. A volcanic eruption started on the Reykjanes peninsula in southwestern Iceland on Thursday, the third to hit the area since December, authorities said. ]

The eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula is still ongoing(Image: Icelandic Coast Guard/AFP via Ge)

There are fears that there might not be a Grindavik to return to - a former prime minister has even proposed building a new town from scratch. Grindavik only has a population of just under 4,000, but in terms of Iceland, it's just under 1% of the population.

"To evacuate 1% of the nation," Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir said, "is a major challenge". Residents of the town are now living in hotel rooms, in summer cottages, in temporary rental apartments or they're being hosted by family members.

And yet, despite all these hurdles, Einarsson wants to remain positive: "I'm just taking it one day at a time. I wake up in the morning and decide to be a happy-go-lucky guy.

"I have to be this because I have a club in my hands - I have to be positive every day."

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