Women’s Soccer in Sweden: A History | OneFootball

Sweden is the most prominent of the Nordic nations in women’s soccer for two reasons: its international pedigree and might of their domestic leagues during the 90s and 00s. It’s a perfect example of Swedish influence in the world for righteousness and innovation.

Trailblazers

In 1919 the first official game of Swedish women’s soccer took place under the Stockholm Football Association between Kvinnliga IK and IF Linnea. While women’s soccer in the country was never officially banned it still received much of the same negativity and backlash exhibited in other countries.

Until the mid-60s the Swedish women’s game was unofficially played against teams of older men. 1966 birthed the foundation of Öxabäck IF. The team was thought up by the quartet of Kerstin Larsson, Kerstin Johnson (then Andersson), Anna-Greta Olsson (then Skoglund) and Maj-Britt Oscarssonat a social event.  Afterwards, the players went to the local men’s club asking about implementing a women’s division. The club agreed but under heavy restriction. They were not allowed to train on the pitch, dealt with finances partly by selling lottery tickets and had to make their own jerseys, crafted at the textile factory they worked in.

Öxabäck’s first game came on 7th September against Horred ending in a 4-0 success. In 1967 the team embarked on journeys around the country, playing in twenty-four exhibition games – sixteen of which were against women’s teams. During this tour, Kerstin Johnson blossomed into one of the first female stars in the game by netting 64 goals in all.

Recognition

The formation of women’s advocacy organizations such as Gruppe 8 and the increasing interest in women’s soccer domestically in the late ’60s only enhanced the strength of the cause. This coincided with the start of the Västergötland’s Women’s Football Series, a regional competition heavily lobbied by Öxabäck IF. The league featured ten teams and from south-east Sweden, and was run by the clubs themselves until 1971. A concerted effort by this consortium and Öxabäck IF led to the official recognition of the league, transferred the management to the Västergötland Fotbollförbund and ultimately left the Swedish FA with no choice but to acknowledge it.

Öxabäck team photo, 1968 (Source)

Öxabäck IF won the first official Swedish women’s championship in 1971 defeating Rättvik 3-0 in the final. They continued to dominate on the national stage late into the 1970s winning titles in ’72, ’73, ’75 and ’78. Success continued long into the 80s, particularly in the women’s edition of the Svenska Cupen, but change was on the horizon for the storied trailblazing club.

Professionalisation & the Decline of Öxabäck

The emergence of an FA-backed league added new teams from areas more vastly populated and wealthier than the tiny Öxabäck locality. Öxabäck IF had been ahead of the game due to their fitness regimens and stat-driven approach, but that advantage became smaller as the 1980s progressed. Money became the great equalizer. Let’s be clear: Öxabäck were still strong throughout the 1980s, but other clubs were beginning to make their mark. Öxabäck won the league title in ’83 and in ’87. Rivals Jitex BK and Sunnanå SK managed to win lift the Svenska Cup trophy four times before Öxabäcks’ record-breaking five year unbeaten streak between ’85 and ’89.

When the current top flight Damallsvenskan started in ’88, Öxabäck were no longer the top squad. The center of women’s soccer had shifted towards Stockholm, where concentrations of money and talent allowed clubs like Älvsjö AIK, Gideonsbergs IF and Malmö FF to grow in strength.

Umeå Rising

Four hundred miles north of Stockholm is a small university town called Umeå. Home to a young, tough, and largely left-leaning population, it also boasted a university famous for being the first to include women’s studies in its curriculum. This was fertile ground for a women’s soccer team.

While in the second tier in the mid-90s, Umeå brought in players from the United States: Denise Ready, Christina Harsaghy, Jill Rutten and Rose Daley. This quartet were said to be very self-confident, and this helped cultivate a new mentality and standard for the future of Umeå’s squad.

In 1996 Umeå IK was promoted to the Damallsvenskan. Though relegated that season, they rose again in 1998. This time they would stay up, and with the 1999 summer acquisition of Hanna Ljungberg would start a very special era that saw Umeå dominate the domestic league for a full decade.

Going for Gold

By the new millennium the women’s game had expanded globally. In 2001 the UEFA Women’s Cup had been created. Umeå had now become the team to beat in Sweden, following their Damallsvenskan triumph in 2000. Qualification was straightforward for the Swedes. Played three, won three. Next, the quarter-finals. Four Ljungburg goals in a  7-2 victory over Rayazan. For the semi-finals, a trip east towards HJK Helsinki. Ljungburg’s goals in each leg put Umeå into the final.

At this stage, Frankfurt were arguably the world’s best. Steffi Jones’ header and Birgit Prinz’s goal on the 90-minute mark overpowered Umeå, but gave them plenty of motivation for the coming years. Despite the defeat, Umeå completed the first of three consecutive domestic doubles.

Following their second domestic double, the Swedes sought the European crown once again. Umeå breezed through the qualifiers to play Toulouse. 2-0 at their Gammliavallen fortress set up an intriguing semi-final versus Frankfurt. A pair of 1-1 draws meant a penalty shootout in Frankfurt.  Umeå came out on top winning 7-6 after Frankfurt missed back-to-back penalties. The final was to be played over two legs against Fortuna Hjørring.  The first leg ended 4-1 with the unplayable Ljungburg having a part in each goal, drifting across the front line and popping up in unexpected areas. The second leg made the aggregate 7-1, giving Umeå IK their first European title.

Swedish Samba

During the 2003 FIFA Women’s World Cup, manager Roland Arnqvist took a keen interest in Brazil and their 17-year-old forward. After the tournament ended he sought to contact the player and after two months finally managed to get hold of her. On the 18th February 2004, Armqvist finally managed to sign Marta Vieira da Silva, halfway through the season. Marta made her Champions League bow in Denmark. Against Brøndby she managed to net the winner ten minutes from time and scored the only goal in the return leg, confirming a 4-2 aggregate success.

The final pitted Umeå and Frankfurt against each other again. Frankfurt had many absentees as Ljungburg sat out for the Swedes. Marta was more than happy to step up. Teaching the Frankfurt defence a lesson in forward play, the Brazilian tricked her way past the defence. She also showed her ruthless side. Her first goal was a tap-in at the back post, her second; breaking the defensive line and rolling the ball past the onrushing Marleen Wissink. The second leg ended 5-0(8-0 aggregate). Umeå had their revenge on Frankfurt

Today

Marta’s legacy in the game continues to be unmatched. She won three FIFA World Player of the Year awards with Umeå  (’06, ’07, ’08) and her move to Sweden helped globalise the game. In the mid to late 2000s world-class talents such as Spaniards Jennifer Hermoso and Veronica Boquete, and Americans Christen Press and Kristine Lilly followed in her footsteps to Sweden.

In the 2010s European football became increasingly dominated by German and French clubs. This was exemplified by Sweden’s all-time top scorer Lotta Schelin’s move to Lyon in 2008.

Today the Damallsvenskan does not sit at the top of the tree. The last Swedish team to reach the Champions League semi-final was Tyresö FF in 2014.  BK Häcken FF reached the quarter-final in 2024 but lost convincingly to PSG. Teams in Sweden have assumed the role of a finishing school. Today’s game is played at a high tempo, and physicality is paramount. As pioneers in this regard, Swedish football is the perfect place for young players to integrate these attributes into their game.

On the Global Stage: The Blue & Yellow

The Swedish FA decided to add its Women’s Soccer department in 1973. In 1974 Sweden played its first tournament; The Women’s Nordic Football Championship. They managed to finish second in a three-team tournament with Denmark and Finland. Between 1977 and 1981 they retained the trophy five years running.

Euro 1984 was Sweden’s first foray into full continental football. Sweden, in a Nordic group with Iceland, Norway and Finland breezed past qualification, winning six from six. The semi-final first leg in Rome was a tight 3-2 affair. The second leg twenty days later was a battle between the two best forwards, Pia Sundhage and Carolina Morce. Sundhage completed her brace in the 52nd minute and cancelled out Morace’s 50th-minute equaliser to play England in the final.

The second leg dubbed ‘The Clay Field Final’ was played at the famous Kenilworth Road. Pitch conditions were terrible due to a lack of preparation and heavy rain the night before. England tied the tie, leading to a penalty shootout. Sweden won the first European Championship after winning 4-3 in the shootout.

The 1984 Euro win remains Sweden’s only first-place finish in official competition. Sweden however is probably the most consistent international team. Out of the twenty-seven tournament appearances, Sweden has failed to progress to the quarter-finals on three occasions.

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