For most people, 2020 was a dreadful year, as the corona pandemic shut down the world and changed everything. For football fans, it was an additional challenge: a long drought with no access to stadium matches—if they were even played. For Kevin Diks, two massive injuries made it all even worse, leaving him in a position he had never experienced before in his career.

“When I was injured for a total of a year and a half before joining FCK, it was mentally very tough,” says Diks, when Brølet meets him on a sunny day at the training facility “10’eren” in Frederiksberg.

The most fitting job title for Søren would probably be "equipment manager." His titles have varied over the seven years he's been employed by F.C. Copenhagen, but now his position is officially "Head Kitman." Here, Søren will give us some insights into what lies behind that title, and we’ll cover everything from how the shirts are kept white to N’Doye handing out shirts to everyone and even Neestrup’s wife’s underwear.

Now imagine coming up those same stairs, still surrounded by as many people, just a few minutes until kick-off, but everything is completely silent. This is how Klaus "KB" Abildgaard experiences football week after week, year after year. Klaus was born deaf and is a dedicated FCK fan who experiences the atmosphere and games in a way that’s completely different from most of us.

Spring has yet to shake itself free from winter's cold and the gray sky with accompanying drizzle. Only the budding green shoots on the city's trees confirm that it's April 16. In the hours before the second match in the Championship Playoff against Viborg FF, I meet Kasper Maes at the aging side-street bar Holstein Bodega, just a stone’s throw from Parken Stadium.