You Don't Know Football? Jenny Can Help You Through the World Cup.
Translated from Norwegian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
- Jenny Emilie Aas, who had never watched a full football match before, will cover the World Cup in the USA for Aftenposten.
- She will create a video series called 'VM med Jenny' (World Cup with Jenny) to help non-football fans develop an interest in the tournament.
- The series will be available on Aftenposten's social media and website, aiming to make football more accessible to a broader audience.
Jenny Emilie Aas, 27, is embarking on an unusual assignment for Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten: covering the World Cup in the USA despite having never watched a complete football match. Her mission is to bridge the gap for those unfamiliar with the sport, aiming to foster interest through a new video series.
The goal of this project is that those who are not interested in football, perhaps can become interested.
The series, titled 'VM med Jenny' (World Cup with Jenny), will document Aas's journey into the world of football. She plans to explore various aspects of the tournament, from visiting fan hubs and understanding VAR technology to spending time with the Norwegian team in the USA. The series will feature her learning the offside rule from TV 2 personality Marius Skjelbรฆk, offering viewers a relatable entry point into the game.
It's a scary market to enter. I've been involved in most things, celebrities, politics, but it's a bit of everyone's game. If you are completely outside of football, it is very difficult to enter.
Aas acknowledges the challenge of entering a sport often described as 'everyone's game,' where a lack of knowledge can lead to feeling excluded from conversations. She aims to be a guide for 'fair-weather fans' and those who feel intimidated by football's complexities. The project is designed to demystify the sport and make it more approachable, with videos to be shared across Aftenposten's TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and website.
I am putting on a kind of captain's armband for all the fair-weather supporters, because Norway is going to the World Cup now.
Despite some initial envy from others, Aas has received positive feedback. She has already begun immersing herself in the sport, following the men's national team and even meeting player Antonio Nusa. Her conversations with national team coach have also provided insights, as she prepares to navigate the global football event.
I have received quite a lot of positive feedback. Some are so jealous that they cannot be happy for my sake at all. I understand that too. It is provocative to send someone who knows nothing to something people would have almost cut off a limb to be at.
Originally published by Aftenposten in Norwegian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.