This field has received international attention – NRK Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule

– It’s absolutely insane. It really shouldn’t work.

That’s what Thor-Erik Stenberg, day-to-day leader of the YMCA, says when he stands and points at the footpath.

– Now we will go over the “zebra stripes”, as it is called in the international press. It is the big talking point in Norwegian football, in Norwegian media and international media. The Guardian had it on the front page. Der Spiegel has written about the case, it’s a walking story going on in European football at the moment, says Stenberg to NRK.

– Has good routines

The corridor is probably Norway’s most talked-about entrance, the footballers’ way from the dressing room to the pitch.

On the way out onto the pitch, the players must cross Ekebergveien.

Everything is possible, writes The Guardian in its case about YMCA’s adventure to the top in Norwegian football.

– Here they have to cross pedestrian crossings and enter the battle, and have to wait for the bus so that people get where they are going on time, says Stenberg with a smile on his face.

– Will anything extra be done to ensure that the players are not stopped by heavy traffic?

– We have good routines for this, we have done it for many years. Now it is special that elite series players will get to experience the transition.

Renovate for 20 million

In November, the sensational team YMCA moved up to the elite series.

– Since then, things have gone into high gear here. It’s cool to see that it’s coming into place, says Stenberg.

In the elite series, a number of requirements are set, including for lighting, sound, grandstand big screen and other facilities. Stenberg and the rest of the club at Ekeberg in Oslo had a lot to do to get the stadium ready for the elite series.

YMCA’s head coach Johannes Moesgaard is delighted to see that things are now being put in place to create an orderly framework around YMCA’s home matches.

– If you see video from the matches we played at the start of the season last year, there were a couple of hundred pieces scattered around the stands. It’s not how you want it, what we get now is what we want. That is what we have trained for, says Moesgaard.

– The total cost is up to NOK 20 million. It’s a big investment, luckily we have some savings. So we will make it happen, says the club’s daily manager.

The pitch was not ready for YMCA’s first home games. They have therefore played their first home matches at Vålerenga’s home ground. The match against Brann on Sunday is the first time they play in their new arena.

Most money has been spent on getting adequate lighting. The track will now be surrounded by four huge light masts. This amounts to approximately 10 million.

– It is a real investment and an incredible boost. Not just for us, but for the whole of Oslo football, which means that we can play TV matches in the evening.