Soccer at the Edge of the World

What a fun story, nicely done and photographed.

"Some people believe that football is a matter of life and death. I am very disappointed in that attitude. It is much more important than that." Bill Shankly

What an interesting microcosm of "the beautiful game", and that picture of the grandstand/cliff is just sublime.

What a pleasure to read about football players who travel without entourages, agents, dietitians, physical therapists, masseuses, commentators and millions of twitter followers. Hard to believe all sports once resembled this more than the present day spectacle it has become.

Greenland is one of the most wonderful places on earth. It shows us what a society can be like with a small population in a great extent of territory. And what a territory. I imagine my native California with a million rather than 40 million population. With one child per couple, California could become, in time, almost the paradise it was before the Americans came. To the contrary of the sainted developers' proposals, all of Greenland should be declared a world international park or even a wilderness. It should keep its nickel, manganese, rare earths and whatever else it contains. That would be good for Greenland and good for the future (our kids, y'know). And it would be even better for us, unless one wants to mow the lawn with water up to one's waist. That is, additional extracted resources feed additional production. Additional production begets more population. And population growth is the ultimate cause of our lethal ecological crisis. Hands off Greenland!

My wife and I visited Sisimiut in the early 2000s and this article beautifully captures the rugged landscapes and warm nature of the Greenlandic people. Thanks to the author for taking me back to a time before there was any other context for appreciating Greenland, before the ice began its rapid retreat or our ignorant president began his vapid, unwelcome remarks about purchasing the island nation.

Very interesting, but then this gets thrown in with no explanation: The abandoned village of Assaqutaq. The last residents left in the 1970s, after two decades of reforms meant to centralize populations in Greenland.

Next year, the players could be All-Americans!

I loved this article. Thanks for writing it.

A great story, real soccer, thank you.

Great story, and the gold harpoon is easily the coolest thing I've seen in any sport anywhere!

Very enjoyable story about an unusual place. I wanted to see even more photos by Kieran Dodds of how people live in Greenland, what it's like to travel to / from. Good write-up by Rory Smith, but wanted to know more about the people (locals and players). Is there a Times Insider piece on this?

Spectacular piece, in every way. Not one word about killing, war, corruption, suffering, torture or global sadness - as refreshing as I imagine the air in the Greenland is. Bravo NYT!

This is what I call “pure sport”. Unencumbered by the politics, money, hype, profit motive, and endless income streams of much sport today. Thanks.

What a wonderful story. Worthy of a gold harpoon point!

Educational, and enjoyable, especially the pictures.

Terrific piece. All hard core football (soccer) players everywhere in the world can surely relate. "The fence that rings the field was put up to keep sled dogs off the artificial turf playing surface."

This is Awesome

This is a wonderful tribute to sport. And no way should Greenland be thought of as a country for sale to Trump. The spirit of fair play and sportsmanship would be too 'alien' for the Donald to understand.

Incredible photographs. Thank you.

Amazingly well written story with fantastic photos. Journalism at its best.

Rory Smith's soccer articles are always well written and interesting and this one is among his best. It is an eye-opening piece showing the impact and love of the beautiful game that reaches all corners of the globe. The photos and video only add to the story. Congratulations Rory and keep up the outstanding work!

Excellent piece and it's wonderful that these young people are occupied during soccer's short season. Greenland also should promote hockey, which would have a much longer season there. It was prevalent, at least in Nuuk, years ago, but has faded for lack of funding? Greenland has one of the highest rates of suicide in the world. (alcohol, drugs and guns) I wish some benefactor would back a few youth programs to get hockey started again.

Never underestimate the call of soccer. My son really struggled with illness, but now, unbelievably, he is the starting goalie for his high school team. Soccer is the most authentic sport there is.

Beautifully written, beautifully photographed. Excellent piece. Thanks!

I found the photographs of Greenland to be hauntingly beautiful.

Wonderful article! I was in Sisimiut a little over a month ago (yes, embarrassing to be there when DJT announced he thought we should buy the island). It is a beautiful little town, with very friendly people. Delightful to read this well done article and to remember my time spent there. Congratulations to the many teams that played their hearts out for a week. Go Greenland!!

The rocky cliff that serves as the grandstand 'stadium' seating is sublime. Twelve cheers for Greenland and superb 'stadium' design !

This is absolutely superb Rory, well done.

What a wonderful way to start the day. With all of the political noise filling the airways, feeds and front pages, this beautiful piece reminds us what it means to experience true camaraderie; a shared experience in Greenland now shared with us. Thank you Rory Smith and Kieran Dodds.

Fantastic photos, and a well-written piece brimming with humanity. Given Trump's dehumanizing proposal to purchase Greenland as if it were a mere commodity, articles like this one are even more significant.

This article depicts sport at a level nearly unknown in the U.S. Contract disputes, scandals, and player self-promotion appears unknown. "For the love of the game", has never been more well-represented. Kudos for a fine piece!

The photographs are extraordinary and this piece is a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Absolutely beautiful photos!

Enjoyable read. The comment about the influence of futsal on the style of play was interesting; one can see that being a mixed blessing.

Instead of purchasing Greenland, given the scant amount of time available for recreational activities, perhaps Mr. Trump would prefer to opt for a time-share? In all seriousness, though, I enjoyed reading this article. It is important to learn about the connections we share with our global community, no matter where its members live.

This is a wonderful story about people who play soccer for the love of the game and the people in Greenland who support the tournament. It should serve as a reminder to the well paid professional footballers that they should think twice about complaining of the trivial things they may encounter in their playing career.