MATCHDAY
PROGRAMME
AVRO v FC OSLO
WEDNESDAY 5TH MARCH, KICK OFF 7.45PM
FENIX TROPHY
HISTORY
CONTACT US/ GENERAL INFORMATION
CLUB PERSONNEL (under development)
MEDIA (under development)
INTRODUCTION
Tonight, will be yet another historical evening at the Vestacare Stadium. Avro FC will be playing European football under the lights for the second time ever as we take on Norwegian outfit, Oslo FC, in the Fenix Trophy.
The club would like to extend a warm welcome to the Oslo FC staff, players and fans who have travelled over 700 miles from Oslo to play tonight.
In tonight’s programme we have a special foreword from joint manager, David Birch as well as Director, and committed fan Mark Hutton.
The RO’ can make it another European night to remember and put us in good stead for the away game in Oslo on Monday, 10th March. This follows our game at Kidsgrove away on Saturday, 8th March.
Make sure to tune into the 2nd leg of this European knockout round as kick-off in Oslo will be at 7:30pm and streamed live on Fenix trophy’s YouTube.
The next home game is in a few weeks’ time as we host Vauxhall Motors on the 15th March at 3pm.
Let’s hope we’re carrying a solid lead into next week! Up the RO!
Stan Ashcroft (Club Programme Editor)
We have previous programmes that you can view by clicking in the section of this edition, near the top of the page.
NOTE: Feel free to indulge in plenty of food and beverages available before, during and after the game. The Lancashire Suite will also be available to the public after the final whistle.
As always, please be respectful of the stadium rules and staff. They are there for your safety, this includes no smoking or vaping in the ground. Avro FC maintain a zero-tolerance approach to discriminatory or dangerous behaviour and remain fully committed to ensuring all supporters can enjoy matches at The Vestacare Stadium in a safe and respectful environment.
Please enjoy today’s game alongside all the food and beverage options which the stadium has to offer.
The men’s football team won instant promotion from the 2018 6. divisjon and then again in 2019 5. Divisjon. Reaching the 2021 4. Divisjon following the COVID-19 pandemic. The Norwegian side then reached the first round of the Norwegian Football Cup in 2022. Their success was helped after signing several former professional players, many with ties to Vålerenga, including Muhamed Keita.
In the 2024 season, the club finished in 4th position, two points off 3rd spot in the Tipping-Ligaen avd 3.
Striker Severin Sørlie was the top goal scorer last season averaging a goal a game with 25 goals in 25 matches
In the first edition, the teams represented 7 European countries: Italy, Spain, Poland, Germany, Netherlands, United Kingdom, and Czech Republic. The 8 clubs involved were famous for a varied number of reasons: clubs rebuilt and run by the fans, clubs featuring significant social and cultural projects, clubs with extraordinary communication skills, etc. In short, a real European network among “cult” non-professional clubs. The first edition was won by English side FC United of Manchester.
The second edition, in the 2022/2023 season, saw a different format and an increased number of clubs and represented countries. 9 clubs from Italy, Spain, Poland, Belgium, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Denmark, Serbia, and Czech Republic faced each other in the FENIX Trophy 2022/2023, and BK Skjold from Copenaghen (Denmark) emerged victorious.
The third edition marked yet another expansion, with the number of clubs going up to 12 in 10 different countries: Poland, Belgium, Wales, England, Denmark, Romania, France, Finland, Norway, and Czech Republic. Divided in 4 group, out of the 12 clubs only four reached the Finals, with FC United of Manchester (England) celebrating their second title on Lake Garda.
Brera FC ceased to participate with its team to take on the solo leadership role in the organization of the tournament.
The fourth edition, bound to begin in September 2024, marked not only another expansion (from 12 to 16 participants), but also a significant change of format: the clubs will now face each other in a knockout tournament with two-legged ties over two rounds. Clubs from 14 different countries will be represented in the tournament: Poland, Belgium, Wales, England, Denmark, Romania, Italy, Finland, Norway, Scotland, Serbia, Montenegro, Germany and Czech Republic.
The competition’s meaning goes beyond the simple football aspect. The FENIX Trophy is an experience of sporting exchange, meant to highlight best practices within non-professional football: sporting conduct, bonds with the local community, sustainability, use of technologies, and friendship among clubs.
The trophy’s symbol is a phoenix, the mythological bird that regenerates from its predecessor’s ashes: it stands as a metaphor and a wish for the rebirth of new football models. FENIX, however, also has meaning as an acronym.
FRIENDLY — The distinctive character of the competition is based on creating a friendly environment for clubs, players, and supporters. This marks a significant difference from professional tournaments, where the clubs are set in arbitrary opposition to each other.
EUROPEAN — The tournament aims to develop a cooperative network between some of the most important cities in Europe: Milan, Rome, Manchester, Amsterdam, Hamburg, Warsaw, Prague and Valencia. Tournament travel is designed to increase a sense of European belonging among participants and supporters.
NON-PROFESSIONAL — The idea of the focus on amateur clubs is to draw attention to alternative football models. The purpose is to show that such alternatives, full as they are of fans’ passion, can provide great sporting and social involvement.
INNOVATIVE — Such an event is unprecedented in the non-professional football world. An additional innovation is to bring clubs together based on affinity (in this case, being iconic clubs) rather than simply on football ranking (although the clubs are quite similar in their footballing level).
XENIAL — From the Ancient Greek xènos, the word indicates an attitude of hospitality towards strangers, maintaining a mutual respect of cultural differences. In each match, in fact, the away club is fully hosted by the home team. The competition intends to make this attitude the shared sentiment of the tournament – and expand this idea outwards.
