Liverbirds Svalbard: Flying the Liverpool flag in the High Arctic

In Svalbard, you'll find glaciers, fjords, polar bears...and the northernmost football supporters club in the world.

Rising out of the Arctic Ocean, around halfway between the northernmost tip of mainland Norway and the North Pole, lies an archipelago of barren, windswept islands, characterized by snow-capped mountains, majestic fjords, sweeping glaciers and vast swathes of raw, uninhabited tundra. This is Svalbard, home to the world’s northernmost permanently inhabited civilian settlement (Ny-Ålesund, 79° N) and the world’s northernmost town with a population of more than 1000 (Longyearbyen, 78° N). 

From late October through to mid-February, the sun never rises, and in the depths of winter, it’s dark 24/7 with temperatures typically hovering between -10°C and -20°C, and sometimes dipping significantly lower. Between late April and late August, the sun doesn’t set at all. Over 60% of Svalbard’s landmass is covered in ice, and with only 40km of roads, almost entirely limited to the island of Spitsbergen, the only viable modes of transport around the archipelago are snowmobile or boat, depending on the time of year. When travelling outside of the main settlements, it’s standard practice to carry firearms in case you encounter a polar bear (around 300 polar bears live in Svalbard, and many more on the surrounding sea ice). 

Despite its remote location and harsh natural environment, though, it’s actually a remarkably accessible and cosmopolitan place. It takes just three hours to fly directly from Oslo to Longyearbyen, and just an hour-and-a-half from Tromsø. Exact numbers fluctuate by season, but on average, around 2,500 people live in Longyearbyen, comprising over 50 nationalities. Like any reasonably sized European town, it has several hotels, a cinema, a sports centre, a school, a hospital, a couple of museums, and an eclectic array of bars and restaurants. Although it’s officially part of the Kingdom of Norway, you don’t need a visa to live there.

Since 2011, meanwhile, an especially tight-knit community has risen to prominence in Svalbard’s cultural scene: the Liverbirds Svalbard. In one sense, it’s not all that surprising – there are Liverpool supporters clubs in pretty much every major town and city in mainland Norway, and indeed dotted throughout the other Nordic nations. During the 1970s and 1980s, following a decade in which The Beatles had catapulted Liverpool into the international spotlight, Scandinavian state broadcasters first began showing English football. Naturally, Liverpool made the cut for TV slots more often than not, given their status as the dominant force on the domestic and European stage under Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley at the time. 

As such, millions of Norwegians, Swedes, Danes and Finns developed a strong affinity towards Liverpool, and that has been passed on over multiple generations since. Together with the influence of players like Glenn Hysen, Jari Litmanen, Sami Hyypia, John Arne Riise and Daniel Agger, along with a set of widely shared values and beliefs, it follows that Liverpool have a hugely loyal following throughout the region. 

What sets the Liverbirds Svalbard apart, though, is their unique geography; they are the northernmost supporters club on the planet, a hotspot of Liverpool passion on a frozen island in the High Arctic, where you’re more likely to come across a reindeer or a polar bear than a Man City or Chelsea fan. 

Tommy Simonsen, who has been part of the Liverbirds Svalbard since the early days when Liverpool-supporting friends used to just meet up at home to watch the games, explains how it all began and how the community has expanded over the years.

“It [Liverbirds Svalbard] was founded by a guy called Thomas Nilsen back in 2011 when he first moved here. It’s normal for people to move to and from Svalbard all the time, so we’ve been lucky to maintain a core, inner circle of regulars since the start. 

“Many people have joined our Facebook group [which now has around 300 members] after moving to Svalbard and still keep in touch with us after moving back to the mainland. Lots of tourists visit Svalbard these days, too, and quite a few of them are Liverpool fans. They often join us to watch the games at our local bar and want to buy a Liverbirds Svalbard scarf to take home with them from their trip. 

“A lot of people are kind of surprised that we have such a strong Liverpool community up here in Longyearbyen. We feel really special and take a lot of pride in being the northernmost supporters club in the world.”

Ronny Brunvoll, who moved to Svalbard in 2012 and began supporting Liverpool in the 1976-77 season, details the typical match day routine: “Depending on the day and kick-off time of the match, we meet for a pint or two at Karlsberger Pub [which does a special cut-price beer deal specifically for Liverpool fans on match days]. Then, we’ll move on to Barentz Pub to watch the match itself.

“For cup finals, we usually arrange some kind of parade with lots of flags, banners and music, which involves either climbing up a mountain together or heading out on snowmobiles. It’s a community with a lot of pulse – it was the first thing I checked out when I moved here, and it has become like my second family.”

Knut Ove Lund, who has lived in Svalbard for 19 years, voices a similar sentiment about the importance of the Liverbirds Svalbard in bringing like-minded people together in a place which, geographically, is so isolated.

“Those people who don’t have their close relatives living up here find that we become like a family for them. We have formed such a strong relationship with each other and those who come up from the mainland to join us. It’s a really special place to be. You’ll see traces of the old coal mines nearby, and it’s not unusual to meet reindeer while walking through town on the way to the pub. The animals here just aren’t scared of people.

“Up here, it’s part of the culture to go on expeditions into nature on the weekends, so not everyone is around to watch every match. But because we’ve built this core group of regulars [with Liverbirds Svalbard], there’s always plenty of us together watching at the same time.” 

The Liverbirds Svalbard don’t just meet on match days – they also organise football training camps for kids in Longyearbyen, receive visits from legendary figures such as Phil Neal and Bruce Grobelaar, and hold Liverpool-themed events to raise money for charities on Merseyside. There have been a couple of group trips to Anfield over the years, too – and there’s even a Liverbirds Svalbard engraved stone on the walkway outside the Main Stand. 

Following a football club is about so much more than sitting down to watch them play every week; it entails a deep sense of belonging and shared identity that transcends geographical and cultural boundaries. With Liverpool, you can walk into a bar almost anywhere on the planet and find people who share the exact same passion – even in the middle of the Arctic.