For most of the year, Greenland is covered with ice and snow, and its locals retreat indoors.

But for three short months, everyone heads outside - day and night - to watch or play soccer, which is the island's favourite sport.

While Greenland is in the headlines because of U.S. President Donald Trump's fascination with semiautonomous Danish territory, the Arctic island's inhabitants are more concerned this summer with getting to the nearest field.

They want to take advantage of the 24-hour sunlight even if the temperatures hover around 5 and 10 degrees Celsius (41 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit) in the capital city of Nuuk.

"We meet outside and play football all night long," player Angutimmarik Kreutzmann said. "It’s not getting dark and we have so much freedom."

On an island of roughly 56,000 people, some 5,500 — nearly 10 per cent of the population — are registered soccer players.

So it was a crushing blow in early June when the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football unanimously rejected the Greenlandic Football Association’s application to become a new member.

Technically European territory, Greenland might have been expected to seek membership of UEFA, but the European federation only allows members from countries recognised as independent per sovereignty rules it introduced in 2007, while CONCACAF has no such restrictions.

Some blamed politics for the decision in light of Trump’s repeated wish to take control of the strategic, mineral-rich island.

CONCACAF is one of six continental federations under FIFA, soccer’s world governing body that oversees the World Cup.

The U.S. president has not ruled out military force despite strong rebukes from the governments of Denmark, a NATO ally, and Greenland.

Danish and Greenlandic leaders say the island is not for sale and have condemned reports of the U.S. stepping up intelligence gathering there.

But Patrick Frederiksen, captain of the national team, thinks CONCACAF's ruling came down to money.

"We all know it’s really expensive to travel to Greenland," he said.

Earlier this month, the first direct flight from the U.S. to Greenland by a U.S. airline landed in the capital city of Nuuk.

The one-way ticket from Newark International Airport in New Jersey cost roughly $1,200 US dollasrs.

The return flight from Nuuk had a $1,300 to $1,500 price tag, while other flights require a layover in Iceland or Copenhagen, Denmark.

CONCACAF did not respond to a request for comment.

From youth clubs to the national team, soccer energises the entire island.

Picturesque outdoor fields, featuring views of drifting icebergs and snow-capped mountain peaks even in late June, range from artificial turf to dirt to real grass, though older players remember dribbling across gravel pitches.

"You should come watch a game," said Oscar Scott Carl, coach of the B-67 club in Nuuk. “You can see how much people go into the game, how much cheering from the attenders."

"It’s also a big part of creating unity in the country, having a sport to gather around and celebrate wins and being a part of something bigger than only football, to be honest," he added.

The Kalaallit Arsaattartut Kattuffiat, Greenland's national football association, was founded in 1971 and regulates multiple men’s and women’s teams.

Community projects are also important to the island's soccer culture and national team players serve as role models for local youth.

"They want to take pictures with us or get our autograph," Frederiksen said. "We get a lot of attention and a lot support from the kids."

During the long winter, many players turn to futsal.

The sport is a form of indoor soccer, generally played with a special ball on a handball court with five players on a side.

Even the national team plays: They travelled to Brazil in March for the Intercontinental Futsal Cup.

The national team of the Faeroe Islands - a semi-independent Danish territory in the North Atlantic - is a member of FIFA and UEFA, which oversees European soccer.

It's a sore spot for Greenlanders, especially after CONCACAF's decision.

The Faeroe Islands team joined the tournaments more than three decades ago, before there were requirements such as a stadium with tens of thousands of seats, among others.

Visit Greenland - the government's tourism agency - said a national stadium has "long been on the wish list for many in Greenland."

But with such a small population, an arena with a minimum of 40,000 seats - more than 70 per cent of the island's inhabitants - “is sadly not in the pipeline," the agency wrote on its website.

Still, Jimmy Holm Jensen, chairman of Nuuk's B-67 club, wishes Greenland's teams could at least play in international soccer tournaments.

Right now, they only can compete in friendly matches abroad.

"I think we have something to show the world," he said.