Denmark’s magical run in Euro 2020 is not the only footballing achievement being celebrated in Copenhagen.
In a small corner of town the boys from Copenhagen Celtic’s 11-man DBU side celebrated a first title win after other results fell in their favour.
The green and white troops have had a remarkable season in København Series 5, only losing twice in 23 outings. This is all the more impressive given the average age of the team is far over 30, and the average shirt size is XL.
“It’s been an incredible season. A lot of our team are expats and haven’t seen their families for almost two years due to the pandemic. Copenhagen Celtic really are like an extended family to us. Win, lose or draw we always have a beer after the game,” said defender/midfielder Colin Hammond.
“Without that team spirit and togetherness we wouldn’t have won this really competitive league. In my first season as player-manager we won the league; it’s surreal. We are absolutely delighted.”
A new challenge ahead
Highlights of the season include multiple last minute winners, including against NV Herman whilst down to eight men (the club has never quite understood the 10 minute sin-bin rule for yellow cards!), coming back from 2-0 down twice, and a 10-0 romp over one of the weaker teams.
After a chunk of the squad attended the Nørrebro BK vs Sporting 43 match that handed the title to Celtic, the rest joined for a team photo and champagne, before watching Denmark spank Wales and drinking the night away in preparation for the challenge of Series 4.
“A big summer of recruitment and fitness training lies ahead, and the Celtic boys will be looking for new superstars to bolster the squad,” said director-of-football Christopher McIntosh-Hansen
“But for now the lads can rest the sore legs and sore heads – at least for a couple weeks!”
Oldies, but goodies
Elsewhere, the plaudits also went out to the club’s 11-man Old Boys team, which secured promotion with a tense 1-0 win in the final round to finish second in their league.
It sees the team move back up into the challenging over-32 league that it was demoted from a couple of years ago.
The team had a big shout out to boss Ton Baks for organising the troops over the course of the season.
A pillar in the expat community
Founded back in 1982, Copenhagen Celtic is the largest international football club in Denmark, offering amateur football for expats and internationally-minded Danes.
The club has nine different 11 and 7-a-side teams catering to various ages and skill levels. The club is always on the lookout for new players and are currently looking to start their first women’s side.
To find out more about the club, check out their website here and find out about training/social sessions by signing up on Facebook at their Training Copenhagen Celtic page.
