Denmark

Denmark is a Scandinavian country of around 5.5 million people bordered by Germany, Sweden and Norway. Its flag, the Dannebrog, is the oldest state flag in the world still in use.

Famous for: Hans Christian Andersen, mermaids, Roskilde music festival, lego, Princess Mary.

Worldwide surveys have rated the Danish – historically known as Vikings – as the happiest people in the world, despite paying taxes of between 50 and 70 per cent of their income.

Australian football history

Australian football has been played competitively in Denmark since 1991. Seven clubs play in the Danish Australian Football League. Most of the national side hails from the Farum Cats, North Copenhagen Barracudas and Jutland Shinboners.

National jumper

Secret weapon

The word is full-back Troels Otteson will match just about anyone you put on him. Mads Brinks sounds like someone you don’t want to mess with, either.

The Danish are naturals at footy because

They bring precision handpassing from their native sport, European handball.

Players in Copenhagen train twice a week during winter when temperatures hover around freezing, with additional individual training on the side. That’s an automatic pass.

Leading goalkickers

In May, Erik (the Viking) Krolmark from the North Copenhagen Barracudas became the first DAFL player to kick 500 career goals. (Coincidentally, he kicked his 1000th career behind in that same game).

The hardest thing about playing football in Denmark

Playing for a side like Helsingborg.

The DAFL’s highest winning margin occurred in 1995, when Amager beat Helsingborg by 340 points. John Cawley kicked 25 goals to help Amager to a 53.35 (353) to 2.1 (13) victory. Ouch.

Mind you, a year later Helsingborg produced the third highest DAFL winning margin, ‘convincingly’ beating Copenhagen by 241 points.