Danish Athletic Club kicks off 125th anniversary with soccer league reunion

Reunited and it feels so good.

For the first time, the Danish Athletic Club, 735 65th Street, held a reunion of former soccer players that played for the Scandinavian Cosmopolitan Soccer (SCS) Vikings from the 1970s through the 1990s.

The event, held on Saturday, October 8, helped kick off the venue’s 125^th anniversary celebration.

According to Dave Thorsen of the Danish Athletic Club of New York, the day was nostalgic treat for all that attended. “It was the first time we’ve been able to host this reunion,” he said. “We had 44 people in attendance. For a lot of them, it was the first time they have seen each other since 1990. People flew in from all over the country, and from places around the world such as Manila and Copenhagen.”

All the former athletes picked up where left off. “It felt like yesterday coming back to the Danish Club home,” added Thorsen. “It went through a major sprucing up. Old is new again. They were happy to be here and see each other.”

The day included a number of nostalgic activities. “One of the guys created a video that featured a collage of pictures taken over time,” he said. In addition, “There was footage of soccer games on the projector scene.”

The reunion was coordinated by Geoff Blackborow.

“From what I could see, it was a tremendous night,” Thorsen continued. “They didn’t want it to end. They were from all age ranges and decades. “

Soccer, known as football in Europe, has been a central part of the Swedish community, Thorsen added. “There’s such a sense of comradery playing sport,” he said. “They’d play pick-up games without a problem.”

Currently the Norwegian Sporting Club Gjøa is the only local Scandinavian club that has soccer teams fielded.

According to Thorsen, this was first event held at Danish Athletic Club since its facelift. The renovations started last December and took over  eight months to complete.