Christiania Ballklubb will play the biggest match in its history against Vålerenga Fotball in the first round of the cup at Intility Arena on Sunday. This is a meeting between the local community club and its giant neighbour, a fixture the club has dreamt of since qualifying in June.
Christiania Ballklubb was founded nine years ago, in 2017, by Frode Lia and Faysal Ahmed. Lia is both the trainer and leader of the club, and is also known as an entrepreneur and long-time editor of the football magazine Josimar. The club has over 400 members and mainly works with children and youth in an area where 70 percent of children and young people live with persistent poverty. They train at Klosterenga, and their 12-year-olds are among the best in their age group in Oslo. Many in the club are Vålerenga supporters, and Lia himself has five children, most of whom have attended Vålerenga school.
For Christiania Ballklubb, this represents much more than a regular cup tie. It is an opportunity to show that progress is possible and that dreams can come true. For the young players, it is a huge motivation to train harder. The children dream of playing for Real Madrid, Arsenal, or becoming professional players on the continent, but also of one day wearing the royal blue shirt of Vålerenga. The match against Vålerenga is the beginning of something bigger, according to A-team player and club captain Lamin Jammeh. He expects more teams, better sporting results, and a better next generation of CBK players.
When the club secured its place in the cup's first round in June, the celebratory drink was Pepsi Max. "We're not popping champagne here, but there was a Pepsi Max and heels in the ceiling," Frode Lia said. He also admitted to having "goosebumps" over the fixture. The club had hoped to draw 'the kids from the blocks' against 'Østblokka', and got their wish. Anything can happen in the match, says Jammeh, because football is round and it's eleven against eleven.
For Vålerenga Fotball, this is a cup match with a special local flavour. The game is played at their home ground, Intility Arena, against a club from their own district. The season's top scorer so far is L. Haren with 7 goals in 16 appearances, a player likely to feature against Christiania Ballklubb. This is a match that highlights Vålerenga's role as the club of the area, a position also reflected through landmarks like Vålerenga church.
Regardless of Sunday's result, the match has already created valuable attention for Christiania Ballklubb's work. For Vålerenga, the focus quickly returns to the Eliteserien and preparations for the match against Sarpsborg. The team's formation and player statistics can always be checked on our squad overview. The match against Christiania Ballklubb is a memorable entry in the cup's first round, proof of the breadth of Norwegian football and a celebration of the local community's importance to the sport.
