Here, football has been given a new life: sobbing is never the same as in regular soap operas
The Norland Window has reopened – thanks to the Football Spark initiative.
In just two years, the number of associations in Norrbotten has increased by nearly 40 percent.
– In the regular series, there are grumbles and complaints about a lot of little things, but here there are no problems, says project director Polina Lindstrom.
The Norrbotten Football Association was able to launch the Football Spark initiative two years ago thanks to a grant from the Public Heritage Fund. The goal was to reverse the development as the life of associations in the countryside suffocates and disappears.
– In the past, we had football teams and federations all over Norrbotten County. All the villages have a soccer team and so far at least some of the beautiful soccer fields are still alive. So we decided to make a big investment, says project manager Paulina Lindstrom.
“It’s hard to believe”
After two out of the three years, the result was already amazing. The number of associations in the region increased from 64 to 89.
– We have associations from Kariswando In the north to Glommersträsk in the south. We’re almost back to the happy ’80s again.
The recipe for success was a central point of contact helping local enthusiasts recruit leaders, conduct first training courses, produce materials and coordinate experiments in the school.
Then meetings are also arranged with matches and tournaments for regulations.
– We put them together in groups and then play summaries where different ages, boys and girls are mixed. It’s interesting because conservatives have a hard time believing that you can play this way. In regular series there are moans and complaints about a lot of little things, but here there is absolutely no problem.
What are the complaints?
– Like girls can’t get along with guys, and if an older person is involved, it’s a big problem rather than looking at the development and level the player has reached. These matches can be very different. Many of them could even end up with a 6-0 score. But it’s not a big loss anyway because these matches are played for joy.
“Becoming a Folk Festival”
Thanks to the special forms of competition following the Swedish Football Association’s new concept of the “Football League” with mixed age groups, mixed teams and even players loaning across team borders at times, more people have been able to play football.
– Here you play according to what you put together. For example, if one of them is a goalkeeper card, he can borrow from another team. It works flawlessly and it’s always a very good atmosphere. There will be a folk festival for everyone in the village who comes to watch it.