New Issue: National Football Team (Norway)

I was looking at Norwegian stamps this morning because of the death of King Harald V, and I discovered their latest stamp.

It was issued on 11th June and shows the Norwegian national football team.

If you're not a football fan, you might have missed Norway's great run in the World Cup. They beat Iraq, Senegal, Ivory Coast and Brazil before losing to England in the quarter-finals. This was the best ever performance by a Norwegian team at the World Cup so understandably people back in Norway were very pleased with how well their country did.

But there were also expectations that the team would do well, which is why this stamp was issued.

We see over 30 players on the stamp. This is because it's not just the World Cup squad but all the other players who have helped the national team get to the finals in the USA.

The big name players Martin Ødegaard and Erling Haaland are in the middle of the stamp, but I recognise some of the other players too including Ørjan Nyland, Alexander Sørloth, Sander Berge, Julian Ryerson, Kristoffer Ajer, Leo Østigård, Jørgen Strand Larsen, Antonio Nusa and Oscar Bobb. I'm not sure who all the others are. Ståle Solbakken, the team manager, is at the bottom. There is some British interest in this stamp because Haaland, Bobb, Ødegaard, Berge and Larsen all play in the Premier League.

Design Quality: It is not the most ambitious design ever, but it is a lot better than a simple team photograph and includes many players that appeared at the World Cup and who helped the team qualify. The shield shape is great and suggests a sense of unity. The players are all cheering and looking victorious and at the very top we see the words "Heia Norge" (Go Norway!) - it is a very optimistic stamp!

The red coloured background adds to the feeling of national identity. 7/10 Theme / Subject Choice: Norway hadn't qualified for the World Cup since 1998 and there was a feeling that this was their best-ever squad. It makes sense that Norway wanted to celebrate it's team's achievements. 9/10 Historical and Cultural Significance: Qualifying for the World Cup for the first time in 218 years was a historical achievement. Obviously reaching the quarter-finals was too, but no-one could have known that when the stamp was issued. 8/10

Innovation and Creativity: What is good about this stamp is the positivity and optimism, not anything fantastically creative. That said, I think this is a way better design than so many other football stamps because it includes everyone. It's about collective achievement rather than just superstars, and the design has helped create that feeling of togetherness. 7/10 Collectability: This will appeal to a lot of football fans, not just followers of Norway. It will also appeal to people who collect World Cup memorabilia or philatelists with interests in sport. 9/10

Personal Appeal: I am a fan of the Norway team and I enjoyed watching them in the World Cup. This is a pretty good stamp that celebrates a pretty good team. 8/10 Overall Score: 48/60