Norway Football Team’s Unexpected Ferry Trip to Northern Ireland

Gemma Grainger, who assumed the role of Norway manager in January after departing from Wales, encountered an unforeseen travel complication on her team’s journey to Northern Ireland. The squad had initially planned to fly from Leeds, their base, to Belfast. However, dense fog on Wednesday night led to the cancellation of their flight. Following swift decision-making, Grainger and her high-profile team embarked on a ferry from Liverpool, reaching their designated team base just outside Larne in the early hours of the morning. “It was some unexpected team bonding, for sure,” Grainger informed BBC Sport NI in anticipation of Friday’s first leg of their Euro 2025 play-off at Inver Park. She continued, “Sleeping on a ferry was a bit of a surprise for us, but we’re here now. Bunk beds and sharing with staff wasn’t on the agenda but everyone really made the most of it.” Grainger concluded, “It was a late night, but good for the team and we had a lot of laughs.” Norway’s captain, Maren Mjelde, went so far as to describe the unanticipated travel arrangements as “like a holiday.” The 35-year-old former Chelsea defender, who boasts over 170 caps, stated, “We had to get here. Of course we would prefer to fly but I found it easy.” Mjelde elaborated, “I travel on these boats every summer so it was a holiday feeling. We had good fun and we had to make the best out of it. We’ve a good team and it’s been a positive atmosphere no matter what happens. I think it makes us stronger, to be honest.” Norway is considered a strong favorite to qualify for the Euros in Switzerland next summer. They previously secured a dominant 14-0 aggregate victory over Albania in their initial play-off round, while Northern Ireland required extra-time to defeat Croatia 2-1. Northern Ireland’s players have expressed readiness to embrace the underdog label against Norway, a team that has won their last three encounters with a combined score of 16-1. Grainger’s roster includes some of the world’s elite players, such as Barcelona’s Caroline Graham Hansen, former Ballon d’Or winner Ada Hegerberg, and WSL stars Guro Reiten and Frida Maanum. Grainger, who transitioned from Wales’ top position to Norway in January, affirmed, “We’re the higher ranked team and you can’t deny that we are the favourites and they are the underdogs.” She conveyed significant respect for Northern Ireland, adding, “Their achievement of qualifying for the last European Championships was fantastic to see.” Maren Mjelde won the Women’s Super League in her final season with Chelsea. Grainger believes that Northern Ireland manager Tanya Oxtoby, who assumed the role in 2023, is doing a “great job” and anticipates a challenging match from the underdogs, who first met Norway in a major tournament at Euro 2022. “I’ve watched a lot of their games and I think it’s going to be competitive,” Grainger remarked. “I know what it’s like playing against the home nations. It will be a tough challenge. I know their spirit and I know their fight and I’m really looking forward to it.” Mjelde will be reunited with Oxtoby, who previously served as Emma Hayes’ assistant at Chelsea before taking on the managerial role with Northern Ireland. Mjelde commented, “It will be nice to see Tanya again. It’s been a while. She is a great coach and a great human being. We’re going to be friends before and after the game, but when the game is on the game is on.” Middlesborough-born Grainger stated that her move from Wales to Norway, a nation that last failed to qualify for a European Championships in 1984, was the “right time.” She reflected, “It’s been a great challenge here. My time with Wales was really special, This role came up and, for me, it was the right one. These are the games I want to be involved in. It’s a special nation with a very rich history. We respected Albania, but we wanted to make sure we were ruthless and we wanted to take those opportunities. This team have some of the best forwards in the world so it’s my job to get the best out of them.” She also expressed that it would be “very special” if she could assist Norway in qualifying, and hoped her former team, Wales, would overcome the Republic of Ireland in their play-off. Grainger further added, “Since coming to this team and seeing the potential, the team are ambitious. It would be an incredibly proud moment and the proudest moment of my career. That would be ideal [if Wales could qualify too]. If Norway could qualify and Wales could qualify, then that would be perfect.” The match between Northern Ireland and Norway will be broadcast live on Friday at 19:00 GMT on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website.