In early September, representatives from Swedish Professional Football Leagues and elite clubs in Stockholm visited the Swedish Parliament to inform members of parliament about the community involvement of elite football clubs.
“This was an initial meeting and step to build relationships with our decision-makers. Together with the clubs, we want to showcase the significant role football plays in our society,” said Beatrice Clarke, Sustainability Manager at Swedish Professional Football Leagues.
In addition to the league, the clubs that participated were Djurgården, Hammarby, AIK, and IF Brommapojkarna. On the political side, the Social Democrats’ sports policy group participated, led by party secretary Tobias Baudin. Alongside Baudin were MPs Lawen Redar, Azadeh Rojhan, and Mattias Vepsä.
The agenda included discussions on leadership training programs and the importance of raising the standard based on today’s society. They talked about the increasing number of roles within clubs, such as hiring social coaches, which is important to prevent young people, especially those going through puberty, from quitting. There were also discussions on internal training programs and skills development.
“We also wanted to strongly highlight the intermediary role many of our clubs play, where they have successfully brought together the public and private sectors under the same umbrella, identifying this cooperation as a key factor for success. This so-called ‘trinity,’” said Beatrice Clarke.
The Social Democrats’ Tobias Baudin wrote on Instagram about the meeting:
“The sports movement plays a crucial role in our society and actively works with initiatives to reach and engage young people.”
“Today, I met with Swedish Professional Football Leagues and representatives from Hammarby, Djurgården, AIK, and Brommapojkarna. It was a very inspiring meeting where we heard more about the clubs’ various community engagement efforts. The unique Swedish model must be strengthened to increase social cohesion in our country. A Sweden that is a little more like Sweden.”
Participants from Swedish elite football clubs:
- Beatrice Clarke, SEF
- Anders Wikström, SEF
- Abel Abraham, Hammarby Fotboll
- Max Bergander, AIK Fotboll
- Staffan Holmberg, Djurgården Fotboll
- Peter Appelquist, BP Fotboll
