Island Games: Get to know ... Froya

In making this comment about the men’s football tournament after Hitra became one of the unlucky islands not to be drawn out of the hat, Philip was revealing much about a rivalry between his island of Froya and nearby Hitra that runs through all sports and beyond.

‘Like me, a lot of people from Froya live or work in Trondheim on the mainland,’ he said. ‘When we drive through the tunnel to Hitra we can continue to the tunnel to the mainland. We go straight through.’

Despite the rivalry, the two islands have a great deal in common, both being part of the Norwegian parliamentary constituency of Sor Trondelag and having economies dominated by salmon farming.

‘Many people work with salmon, of course, in one way or another,’ said Philip.

‘My dad worked in a salmon factory. Nearly everyone has a job connected with salmon and everyone eats a lot of it.’

The success of the industry has driven a growth in population, with Froya becoming the fastest growing county in Norway by population.

And there are other reasons to move there beside the salmon.

‘It’s very pretty,’ said Philip. ‘I say to everyone, “you have to come to Froya – it’s paradise on earth”. The nature is quite breathtaking. When I moved to Trondheim I realised what I was missing. But the weather could do with being 10 degrees hotter year-round, of course.’

The big news story of this year has been the recent indication by the national government that it intends to increase fish-farming taxes.

A lot of coverage has also focused on the migration of many wealthier residents to Switzerland following previous tax increases, but Philip said this was starting to be reversed.

In sporting terms, football is traditionally the biggest attraction, with a previous Island Games result of 2-2 against Greenland at Gotland 2017 being described by Philip as ‘maybe the biggest game in our history’.

‘We could have won it but we didn’t win and it was maybe quite fair,’ he said.

However, Froya’s solitary gold medal in Island Games history came through football, albeit via a court rather than a field.

The Palace Lido in Douglas, Isle of Man was the venue for Froya’s victory in a seven-team, round-robin league of under-16 five-a-side matches at the inaugural games in 1985.

Froyan sports fans dream of getting taekwondo into the games, which could potentially lift them off the bottom of the all-time medal table – if arranged by total medals won – where they boast four medals, one shy of Alderney’s tally.

Froya athletes have won medals at the European Taekwondo Championships, Philip told us.

As it is, the island will enter just three sports – men’s football, golf and badminton.

‘We could do well in golf on a good day,’ said Philip, ‘but it is in badminton that we might surprise a few people. It has really grown in popularity. Everyone is talking about it – a lot of people who haven’t done sports before are now starting to do badminton and it’s very good for health in Froya.’

He was at a loss to explain why the sport had so suddenly taken off.

‘I tried to find that out myself but I can’t get some good answers. You can learn to play the game pretty fast, I guess.’

The island has just seen its inaugural badminton tournament, along with a new women’s football tournament.

In football, as in all sports, Hitra provides the biggest incentive to improve.

‘I think we played one of the teams on Hitra last year,’ said Philip.

‘I think there were four red cards. In a sports way, it’s a big rivalry. To travel home after beating Hitra is the best feeling you can get.’

Nevertheless, Philip described the Island Games as a force to bring people together.

‘This is why we are sending a media team to Guernsey to get as much material as possible to inspire the next generation of Froya people to compete in sport.’

About Froya

Area: 241 sq. km (93 sq. miles)

Population: 5,265

Population density: 23 per sq. km

Time zone: One hour ahead of Guernsey

Distance from Guernsey: 1,711km (1,063m)

Total IG medals won: 4 (1 G, 1 S, 2 B)

Medals won in 2003: 0

Competitors coming to Guernsey: 28

Route: Drive to Trondheim, flight to Gatwick, flight to Guernsey

Sports in which competing: Badminton, golf, football

Biggest sports star: Maja Udtian (European drag racing champion 2016)

National delicacy: Faersk Fesk (fresh fish balls)

Parliamentary representation: Part of the Sor-Trondelag constituency of Norway’s 169-seat Storting but also has its own 23-seat council