'You don't pick your club... Leeds United picks you' - meet the Whites Scandinavian fan base

Svend Karlsen presents academy manager Adam Underwood with an illustration describing the connection between the club and Nordic fans.

We explore Leeds United's devoted Scandinavian fan base in the first ever We All Love Leeds feature.

Leeds United boast one of the most passionate and loyal fan bases in world football.

No matter how far you go or where you travel, you're never a great distance from a club crest, scarf, car sticker or even welcoming a friendly salute, such is the outpouring.

It is a football club that has tested the very core of its support during ups and downs on and off the pitch in recent history.

Those far and wide, though - just like the city of Leeds - have remained steadfast and unwavering in their loyalty to the team that plies its trade in Beeston.

And today, in the first installment of the Yorkshire Evening Post’s new We All Love Leeds series, which looks at supporters groups around the world and their passion for Leeds United, we explore the club’s devoted following in Scandinavia.

Whether in Leeds, Norway, New York or Australia - the Whites are a fever that is hard to shake once under your skin and in your blood; the 130 Norwegians who chartered a plane from Kristiansand to Leeds last season will attest.

Svend Karlsen has a story to tell just like thousands of others with an association to LS11.

LUSCOS members Svend Karlsen and Anders Palm present Eddie Gray and Peter Lorimer with their special edition beer.

Each one is unique and deserves to be heard, but those who listen closely will notice a familiarity in all of the endings: all Leeds, aren't we.

United are a team that connect deeply with their fan base - no matter where they're born, reside or watch from. Once Leeds, always Leeds.

Supporters crave hard work and commitment between the white lines over flair and fancy flicks; if you give everything on the pitch, they'll give you everything in the stands.

Svend - who was born and lives in Fredrikstad about an hour from Oslo in Norway - is fervent in his support. His Leeds United journey began at the age of nine.

As a youngster, he travelled to Elland Road for the first time for a game against Wimbledon, along with his best friend, the son of Thorbjorn Lerfald, a founding member of the Leeds United Supporters Club of Scandinavia.

The bright lights and a 4-0 victory were enough to convince any lingering doubts that his team - the one he was born to support - hailed from West Yorkshire.

"I know a lot of fans say 'you don't pick your club, your club picks you'," he told the Yorkshire Evening Post.