Svenska Spel has declared it will have raised over SEK 45m for Sweden’s youth sport through its youth initiative, Gräsroten, once the latest payment is added on November 11 to a prepayment made earlier this spring.
Thanks to the support of hundreds of thousands of Swedes, Svenska Spel has helped distribute the money to 8,814 clubs in 72 sports. The association that receives the most money is AIK Ice Hockey Association with SEK 558,328, while the sport receiving the largest sum is football with over SEK 20m.
Janne Andersson, head coach of the men’s national team, said: “Through Svenska Spel’s Gräsroten, the country’s football associations receive a welcome addition to the club coffers. In these times, the clubs need all the support they can get.”
For the eighth year in a row, Svenska Spel has distributed multimillion-dollar sums for youth sports in Sweden through the Gräsroten initiative. This year, however, it is the first time that the money has been distributed on two occasions.
As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, nearly SEK 20m was paid out as early as April and when the autumn’s regular payment is made, the remaining annual amount of an additional SEK 25m will be paid out. As usual, it is Svenska Spel’s customers who distribute the money themselves by choosing one to three favourite clubs.
Patrik Hofbauer, CEO of Svenska Spel, added: “It has been and continues to be a challenging year for everyone, and the Swedish sports movement is no exception. Therefore, we are particularly looking forward to this year’s payment of Gräsroten where, with this spring’s advance payment included, we distribute a total of SEK 45m to youth sport. The money, we hope, will help Sweden’s all sports clubs to continue with their important work to get more children and young people moving.”
After AIK Ice Hockey Association, Leksands IF Ishockey (SEK 474,137) and Hammarby IF Fotbollförening (SEK 342,638) will receive the most money in the country. Among Swedish sports, ice hockey (SEK 5,896,615) and floorball (SEK 1,963,778) receive the biggest payout after football. Divided by county, Västra Götaland receives the most money (SEK 6,956,496), followed by Stockholm (SEK 6,930,513) and Skåne (SEK 6,264,625).
According to a survey among the associations in the country, the money from Gräsroten is mainly used for training materials, leadership training, daily activities and junior ventures. Of the associations that received the advance payment in April, 87% said they helped the association when the pandemic was at its worst in the spring.
Stefan Bergh, Secretary General of the National Sports Federation, stated: “Sport Sweden has had a tough year and therefore Svenska Spel’s youth initiative Gräsroten is more important than ever. The addition to the associations means a lot and will help to ensure that youth sport in Sweden can continue to grow and welcome more girls and boys to a life in motion.”