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October 25, 2020:
Dark, cold and wet.
The weather conditions at Rolvsrud Kunstgress scream in autumn.
On a soggy soccer field in Lørenskog, 16-year-olds from Skjetten and Skedsmo will settle for the prestigious Obos Cup trophy.
During his year as coach of the Skedsmo boys, Kristian Bekkevold Lillebo has taken his players from being a last team, completely without self-confidence, to becoming one of the best.
In the league game, they had already come in a strong second place.
Now they will fight for their first trophy.
The last match
It is as far as the ball rolls forward on the quarrelsome surface.
The final begins disastrously, and after eight minutes of play, the Skedsmo boys finish down.
Six goals, a red card and a couple of hours later, the situation was still reversed.
JUBELRUS: The guys from Skedsmo celebrate their first trophy as a team. Photo: Private
Skedsmo wins 5-2 in bad weather.
And with the familiar tones of Queen’s “We Are The Champions”, it finally occurs to them: the team has taken their first trophy.
The “boys” and coach Kristian are intoxicated. A year of hard training has finally paid off.
Life is wonderful.
But in two weeks, await the unreal message that would turn everything upside down.
THE WINNING SMILE: Kristian Bekkevold Lillebo poses with the trophy after the victory in the Obos Cup. The final triumph was his last game as a soccer coach. Photo: Private
The shock message
November 10, 2020:
– We were going to a completely normal training and they told us to meet at the clubhouse.
Jørgen Sveinall, 15, searches for the right words. Take a break. Deep.
– There it was completely … I had never seen or heard the boys so quietly. No one said anything, continue.
Kristian was dead. Just a few weeks after they won their first trophy together.
The cheerful soccer coach was only 25 years old. The cause of death is not yet known, but it is believed to be due to an epileptic seizure.
MISSING: For Jørgen Sveinall (in black, middle) and the rest of the teammates, Kristian was very special. Photo: Thomas Evensen / TV 2
In the time that followed, nothing was as it should be. The loss was enormous. For the boys, Kristian was much more than just a soccer coach.
He was a friend. A friend. And a role model.
– What Kristian gave us was something that none of us had known before from a coach. To be able to talk to the coach about alt. He was someone who was there for us for real, says his teammate Johannes Haugerud.
Kristian was happy to text the guys on the “Messenger” chat service until late at night.
IN THE SPIRIT OF KRISTIAN: The pursuit of development focuses on the formation of Skedsmo. Photo: Thomas Evensen / TV 2
There they talked together about what they should do to develop on the soccer field. And help them become the best version of themselves.
The results in the field were immediate.
– With him we went from losing everything to winning everything, explains Johannes.
PROUD: Per Einar Gjelsvik, Sporting Director of Skedsmo FK. Photo: Kristin Grønning / TV 2
To recover everyday life
The children were in a state of shock, but an attentive environment quickly took steps to regain daily life and protect the young.
The club hired a new coach immediately. The boys of Skedsmo were going to process their pain through their greatest passion: soccer.
– It was extremely important to have a coach in place quickly. The fact that they could continue as before, I think was one of the most important in the period that followed, says Per Einar Gjelsvik, sports manager at Skedsmo FK.
– It was important that there was no vacuum there. That certainly was seeded on who would lead the team, he continues.
Parents also played an invaluable role in the days after the grim message. Soon after, they led a memorial service for the children.
Countless torches lit up the central circle of Skedsmo Stadium. Guys should remember Kristian, at home.
MEMORIAL: A few days after Kristian’s death, the players gathered to honor their late coach and friend. Photo: Private
– We brought flowers and candles. It was strong to remember him and everything he had done for us, says Johannes.
– It’s good to remember now, but it was very good to be there. I just wanted to go. It was not funny. But today I am very happy that I did it, continues Jørgen.
He was picked up from the player’s bus to Lillestrøm
Sports leader Gjelsvik was very moved during the session.
– It was terribly heavy, but at the same time so pretty. As a club, you are proud of how those closest to you line up around a team, when the going gets as tough as then, he says.
“Everyone” knew Kristian. In the time that followed, the local community also lined up for the group of young players.
GREAT VISIT: Lillestrøm SK invited the children to a game three weeks after Kristian Castle. Photo: Kristin Grønning / TV 2
Three weeks after the death, the team bus to Lillestrøm entered the parking lot outside the Skedsmo stadium.
The equipment was collected and transported to Åråsen. There they saw the Canaries beat the YMCA Oslo 2-0.
But the fact that the favorite team won was not the most important thing for once.
– It meant a lot to clear my mind a bit. It was the first time we were able to think of something else, he says.
Johannes nods.
– It’s great to see how the local community takes care of theirs. When we were in pain, they lined up for us. I did a little extra, says Johannes.
SUPPORT FROM LSK: – It was the first time that we correctly thought about something else, explain friends. Photo: Kristin Grønning / TV 2
The way forward: – He still strengthens us.
Jarle Toften, who knew Kristian well, was tasked with guiding the boys.
– For me it was important to continue with what I had started, explains the new coach.
He quickly understood the unity that had been created in the team.
– I met a gang with an adventurous unit, a gang that defended what they had said, with a trainer who actually beat them, says Toften.
NEXT: Jarle Toften is the new coach for the boys of Skedsmo. He’s impressed by the dedication the guys show. Photo: Thomas Evensen / TV 2
The time ahead was to honor Kristian by continuing as before.
– Afterwards there was a lot of talk about it among us players on social networks. That we should play for him in the future, says Jørgen.
– It still makes us stronger. We notice that we want to give that little extra, because we know how much this meant to him, he continues.
Although they have yet to play countless games as a result of the pandemic, they are trying every day to live up to the promise.
– Everyone just wants to show Kristian that we were, and are, good. And that it helped us become a better version of ourselves, explains Johannes.
– I will never forget
The strong experience has given the children a new perspective on life.
– We should not take the time we spend together for granted. We didn’t have a long period with Kristian, but the time we spent together was fantastic, and something we’ll never forget, says Johannes.
– The values he gave us are something that we will carry with us for the rest of our lives, he continues.
TEAM PROMISE: Johannes Haugerud (17) and his teammates at Skedsmo have promised each other to give their all for Kristian, in every practice session. Photo: Thomas Evensen / TV 2
Life is fragile. And more than football. Comrades have now experienced it.
– They have had a strong experience that is not normal to have at such a young age. A lesson that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives, and that means these guys will likely stick together for a long time, says sports leader Gjelsvik.
Now they have become youth players. And when football starts rolling again, they will fight players one, two and three years older.
Reaching the 1st division in the junior category was Kristian’s great goal. The boys have it ready now.
Until the start of the series, they have the plan ready.
– We will work to improve a little each day that passes. That’s what Kristian stood for, the boys say.
The final victory against Skjetten in the Obos Cup was Kristian’s last as head of the Skedsmo boys. It’s kind of nice to think about now, the boys thought.
– He got the ending he deserved, says Jørgen.
John nods. And complete the sentence.
– He won gold, for a man worth gold.
UNFORGETTABLE: Skedsmo G16 poses after the victory in the Obos Cup. Photo: Private
