Swedish national lottery operator Svenska Spel has announced it will allocate SEK 4m to 26 women’s elite football clubs following the completion of certification of the youth activities of teams in the OBOS Damallsvenskan and the Elitettan, the top two divisions in women’s football in Sweden.
Svenska Spel noted that the level of training of coaches has ‘increased significantly’ in recent years. It has worked with Elitfotboll Dam (EFD) to develop the women’s game in the country and a vital part of this work is to allow the elite clubs to certify their youth activities.
The operator added that this year’s certification for the 2020 business shows that Swedish women’s elite football is ‘taking further steps in the right direction’.
EFD Sports Director Stefan Alvén said: “Elite clubs have realised the value of having high-quality children’s and youth coaches. Well-trained coaches provide well-trained players.”
The associations in OBOS Damallsvenskan that have the highest level of education on their coaches between the ages of nine and 19 are Hammarby IF, Kristianstads DFF and AIK, while in Elitettan it is Jitex Mölndal BK, IFK Kalmar and Morön BK that have the highest trained coaches.
Out of the 26 clubs, five clubs end up at the highest level and are awarded SEK 245,000 each: AIK, FC Rosengård, Umeå IK, Kristianstads DFF and IFK Kalmar.
Alvén added: “The certification evaluates the 2020 activities, and it can be noted that two of the clubs that ended up at the highest level last year played in Elitettan, AIK and IFK Kalmar.
It is gratifying and a clear sign that the elite activities on the women’s side are only getting better and better.”
As the main sponsor of Elitfotboll Dam and the clubs in OBOS Damallsvenskan and Elitettan, Svenska Spel noted that it is important for the clubs to keep evolving.
Sara Pettersson, the firm’s Sponsorship Project Manager, commented: “Svenska Spel is Sweden’s largest sports sponsor, from grassroots to elite, and one of the cornerstones of our commitment to Swedish women’s football is to contribute to the development of young talent.
“Through the certification, we can follow the development of clubs from year to year and it is very gratifying to see how youth activities are constantly improving.”
Earlier this week, Svenska Spel was named as the new main sponsor of the esports league series Svenska Elitserien in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO).
