Håkon Winther
Encyclopedia
Håkon André Winther is a Norwegian
former footballer
, founder and owner of football
statistics website Playerhistory.com
and a prominent Nord Norge separatist.
. He is a graduate of Grønnåsen High School, holding a regular high school diploma. He played both football
and basketball
during his youth, but decided to concentrate on football at the age of 14. He changed his surname from Johansen to Winther in 1998.
He has two brothers, one sister and became father to a girl in 1999.
-based clubs such as IF Skarp
, IF Fløya, Vannøy SK and Lyngen/Karnes IL. He also represented Waterford United
in the Republic of Ireland
, TB
in the Faroe Islands
, Köping FF in Sweden
and Porsanger FK in Finnmark
.
Winther scored in all his debut matches except in his debut for TB. He scored two goals for Waterford United
against St. Francis
on the opening day of the 1996–97 League of Ireland season.
Winther was player-manager of TB in 2001 and led them to promotion into the Faroe Islands Premier League. He returned to Norway
but was later forced to retire due to patellar tendinitis.
statistics website Playerhistory.com
was founded by Winther in 2002.
group which proposed a separate republic
comprising Nordland
, Troms
and Finnmark
as well as Svalbard
and Jan Mayen Island. This was in response to the Norwegian
government's decision to drop Tromsø
's bid for the 2018 Winter Olympics
.
Accusing Oslo
of arrogance and saying "enough is enough", Winther saw his Republikken Hålogaland group gain more than 6,000 members within ten days. This garnered national media attention and saw the formation of a new secessionist political party called Hålogalandspartiet.
At the outset, the party adjusted its aim to establish an autonomous region within a Norwegian
federation
. Winther resigned as leader and left politics shortly afterwards due to the effect of personal abuse and harassment on his family.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
former footballer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
, founder and owner of football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
statistics website Playerhistory.com
Playerhistory.com
Playerhistory.com is an internet soccer statistics database, founded in April 2002 by former professional footballer Håkon Winther.Maintained by a team of volunteers from all over the world, it is one of the largest websites of its kind...
and a prominent Nord Norge separatist.
Personal life
Håkon Winther was born in TromsøTromsø
Tromsø is a city and municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø.Tromsø city is the ninth largest urban area in Norway by population, and the seventh largest city in Norway by population...
. He is a graduate of Grønnåsen High School, holding a regular high school diploma. He played both football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
and basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
during his youth, but decided to concentrate on football at the age of 14. He changed his surname from Johansen to Winther in 1998.
He has two brothers, one sister and became father to a girl in 1999.
Football career
Winther spent most of his career with TromsøTromsø
Tromsø is a city and municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø.Tromsø city is the ninth largest urban area in Norway by population, and the seventh largest city in Norway by population...
-based clubs such as IF Skarp
IF Skarp
Idrettsforeningen Skarp is a Norwegian association football club from Tromsø. Its club colors are black and white.The men's team played in the Second Division for many years, but was relegated after the 2008 season...
, IF Fløya, Vannøy SK and Lyngen/Karnes IL. He also represented Waterford United
Waterford United
Waterford United is an Irish football club playing in the First Division of the League of Ireland. The club was founded and elected to the league in 1930 and hails from Waterford. Originally the club was based at Kilcohan Park greyhound stadium, but have now moved to the Waterford Regional Sports...
in the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
, TB
TB Tvøroyri
Tvøroyrar Bóltfelag is a Faroese football club from Tvøroyri, currently playing in the second tier of Faroese football.TB Tvøroyri is the oldest football club in the Faroe Islands and also one of the oldest in Denmark where the islands officially belong to....
in the Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands are an island group situated between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Scotland and Iceland. The Faroe Islands are a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, along with Denmark proper and Greenland...
, Köping FF in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and Porsanger FK in Finnmark
Finnmark
or Finnmárku is a county in the extreme northeast of Norway. By land it borders Troms county to the west, Finland to the south and Russia to the east, and by water, the Norwegian Sea to the northwest, and the Barents Sea to the north and northeast.The county was formerly known as Finmarkens...
.
Winther scored in all his debut matches except in his debut for TB. He scored two goals for Waterford United
Waterford United
Waterford United is an Irish football club playing in the First Division of the League of Ireland. The club was founded and elected to the league in 1930 and hails from Waterford. Originally the club was based at Kilcohan Park greyhound stadium, but have now moved to the Waterford Regional Sports...
against St. Francis
St. Francis F.C.
St Francis F.C. is a football club from Dublin, Ireland. Founded in The Liberties, St. Francis currently play in John Hyland Park Baldonnel, close to Clondalkin, a suburb in west Dublin. They played in the League of Ireland from the 1996/97 season until the end of the 2000/01 season. They...
on the opening day of the 1996–97 League of Ireland season.
Winther was player-manager of TB in 2001 and led them to promotion into the Faroe Islands Premier League. He returned to Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
but was later forced to retire due to patellar tendinitis.
Playerhistory.com
The footballFootball (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
statistics website Playerhistory.com
Playerhistory.com
Playerhistory.com is an internet soccer statistics database, founded in April 2002 by former professional footballer Håkon Winther.Maintained by a team of volunteers from all over the world, it is one of the largest websites of its kind...
was founded by Winther in 2002.
Political career
In October 2008, Winther set up a FacebookFacebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
group which proposed a separate republic
Republic
A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
comprising Nordland
Nordland
is a county in Norway in the North Norway region, bordering Troms in the north, Nord-Trøndelag in the south, Norrbottens län in Sweden to the east, Västerbottens län to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. The county was formerly known as Nordlandene amt. The county administration is...
, Troms
Troms
or Romsa is a county in North Norway, bordering Finnmark to the northeast and Nordland in the southwest. To the south is Norrbotten Län in Sweden and further southeast is a shorter border with Lapland Province in Finland. To the west is the Norwegian Sea...
and Finnmark
Finnmark
or Finnmárku is a county in the extreme northeast of Norway. By land it borders Troms county to the west, Finland to the south and Russia to the east, and by water, the Norwegian Sea to the northwest, and the Barents Sea to the north and northeast.The county was formerly known as Finmarkens...
as well as Svalbard
Svalbard
Svalbard is an archipelago in the Arctic, constituting the northernmost part of Norway. It is located north of mainland Europe, midway between mainland Norway and the North Pole. The group of islands range from 74° to 81° north latitude , and from 10° to 35° east longitude. Spitsbergen is the...
and Jan Mayen Island. This was in response to the Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
government's decision to drop Tromsø
Tromsø
Tromsø is a city and municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø.Tromsø city is the ninth largest urban area in Norway by population, and the seventh largest city in Norway by population...
's bid for the 2018 Winter Olympics
2018 Winter Olympics
The 2018 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXIII Olympic Winter Games, is a winter multi-sport event scheduled to take place in Pyeongchang, South Korea, between 9 and 25 February 2018. The elected host city was announced on 6 July 2011 by the International Olympic Committee , after the...
.
Accusing Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
of arrogance and saying "enough is enough", Winther saw his Republikken Hålogaland group gain more than 6,000 members within ten days. This garnered national media attention and saw the formation of a new secessionist political party called Hålogalandspartiet.
At the outset, the party adjusted its aim to establish an autonomous region within a Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
federation
Federation
A federation , also known as a federal state, is a type of sovereign state characterized by a union of partially self-governing states or regions united by a central government...
. Winther resigned as leader and left politics shortly afterwards due to the effect of personal abuse and harassment on his family.