Gjøa Brings Norwegian Pride to Brooklyn

Walking by 62nd street in Bay Ridge in late June, a passerby could hear barbecue sizzling, children running around, and a soccer match playing in the background. Those sounds were coming from Gjøa, a Norwegian sports club, celebrating the Scandinavian country’s participation in their first FIFA World Cup in 28 years. On this day, Norway was playing a Group 1 stage match against France from Boston Stadium.

Soccer fans anxiously watched the television, cheering for the Norwegians, who would eventually lose to France, 4-1, in this round. But not everyone was rooting for Norway.

“Either Argentina, England, Spain, or France,” said eight-year-old Jacob when asked what his favorite World Cup team might be.

Jacob plays soccer with Gjøa’s youth program, which was founded by Norwegian immigrants in 1911. The program sticks to its Norwegian roots by sending players to the Norway Cup, a tournament in Oslo. 

“It's a mix of many, many different ethnicities, as you know, because we live in Brooklyn,” said Jimmy Svendsen, Gjøa’s youth athletic director. 

This diversity was shown off at the Gjøa’s watch party, where ribs, burgers and hot dogs grilled next to Norwegian salmon. Some Norway fans, like Liam McAuliffe, watched the game with their non-Norwegian friends.

“I go hang out with them, kinda go see their culture. They come over here, come out, hang out, just mashing cultures,” said Liam McAuliffe, donning a Gjøa soccer jersey. “Just a real New York experience.”

Part of that culture is the “Viking Row,” when Norway fans chant and mime rowing a boat in unison. 

Hege Ryan joined in when she went to a Norway match in person.

“At first it was a little embarrassing, 'cause I think it's a little weird,” she said. “But then everybody just got into it, so we all participated. So it was really cool.” 

Ryan came to New York from Norway when she was 19. She said Gjøa is a place for her to connect to Norwegian culture when she's 3,000 miles away in New York.

“I think the next generation is not as into it,” she said. “But I think they also feel proud to be part of the Norwegians, like they hear that they have Norwegian relatives, then it's like, 'Oh, that's cool.'"

The kids at Gjøa maybe weren’t all cheering for Norway in this World Cup, but this year, the team made it to the quarterfinals of the tournament before losing to England, the furthest they’d ever gotten in the event.  

The FIFA World Cup final will take place on Sunday, 7/19, with defending champions Argentina facing Spain at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.