Lena and Lisa Hurtig talk about the famous Juventus video
Monalieri. The video on Juventus’ social channels became a statement that landed heavily in Catholic Italy.
As their daughter Lou grew, Lena and Lisa Hurtig realized the power of the love letter.
In a plaza in Moncalieri, the soccer couple talks about their first year as mothers and about the support of the major international club.
– It means to me everything that Lisa and Lou want and they can be here, says national team striker Lena Hurtig.
The paving of Piazza Vittorio Emanuele enjoys the few drops that splash from the sloping piazza’s fountains.
Cutlery vibrates in nearby Austria and puts the neglected heat of summer into the vacation-dull northerner’s mind.
Football couple Lena and Lisa Hurtig come in shorts and food with short sleeves on one of the cobbled streets that line the plaza. Lena pushes the cart while she is awake and alert if it is in front of it.
– You can go here and sit down and eat. The Juventus striker says he’s now great, with this weather Lena Hurtig.
They live in an apartment within walking distance of Moncalieri, a town as a suburb southwest of Turin.
The area is quiet and Vinovo’s training facility – where the women of Juventus reside in spacious facilities behind a sprawling skyscraper – is just a quarter-hour drive away.
By the way, the cars of the Hurtig couple reveal part of the support that Juventus as a club gives to families with young children.
– My teammates are jealous because I have a jeep. We had a Fiat 500 before and it didn’t work, Lina says with a laugh.
The family has grown. Hairy Lo is approaching its first anniversary and daily life has been turned upside down in many ways.
No less emotionally.
– We hardly understood that we are mothers, that we are fathers, says Lisa.
– It gets more and more fun as you get older. When you keep up with curiosity. Lena says it’s so much fun.
There is no doubt as to who currently controls most of the family.
– It’s the boss … , says Lisa, laughing. That’s how it is. She does what she wants. But of course it’s easier to go to Lina’s matches now that Lo is older. She has to follow more and more.
Lisa Hurtig finished her football career at Linköping and moved a year and a half ago to his wife Lina in Italy.
They share an interest in football, like so many other things. They met meanwhile at Umeå IK. Lisa may miss joint training sessions, but she is a loyal supporter of Juventus matches.
Presently with Lo in her arms.
– Lena says she is a little afraid of me when I come after matches, and looks at Lu.
– Lisa finds it difficult to understand that it is the same person in the house, she says tenderly.
Same-sex couples are prohibited
The news that the couple were expecting a baby drew attention when Juventus chose to share a movie with Lina and Lisa and The Letter.
In Orthodox Catholic Italy, where same-sex marriage is prohibited by law and same-sex couples are not allowed to have children artificially together, this advantage was taken as a strong statement by the club and the couple. The video was watched by more than 400,000 people.
The initiative came from the club when Lisa and Lena talked about their special relationship.
– We talked to the club and Lisa (Eke is Lina’s agent). Then she told me that same-sex couples are not allowed to have children here in Italy. Lena says, when we realized that, we felt more important.
– I think that in the prevailing culture here in Italy, it is not clear that we live together as the same sex, ostensibly. Change takes time, says Lisa Hurtig, which is normal, and continues:
There are still many who come to me during matches and are very happy that we are like us, says Lisa.
Do you see a change in Italian society?
– We don’t see society as a whole, but we see it almost as in Lina’s team. Lisa says: We see that it is quite normal now that they see us, they are happy to see us and that we exist as examples as same-sex couples.
“I think it means more than we understand,” Lina adds.
Can you feel like a role model?
– I think we are more than we understand. Which is very amazing. Lisa says it’s more tolerable now when I talk to other Italians.
– There are certainly prejudices, too, but nothing came to us personally. Lena and Lisa say it was good that the club chose to do it like this, and it wasn’t something we intended to do:
– We didn’t understand that it would be something as big as Juve realized it would be in Italy. We were slightly shocked when we realized that the club had more followers than we thought. We are pleased that Juventus have been clear in showing their position on this issue because not all clubs do so. Juventus is one of the top clubs in Italy and if Juventus choose to do so, it could mean a lot to other clubs.
Physical player type
Supporting Juventus made Lina the Earth a player. The family’s prosperity was crucial when the 26-year-old from Avista this spring opted for an extension with the Italian champions club.
If you hadn’t enjoyed yourself, you wouldn’t have stayed. She says Lena and looks positively at Lisa, it means to me all you want and she can be here.
With her athletic style and palpable integrity, Lena Hurtig is prized in the black and white world of Turin.
– Yes, yes – I may stand out on the court. Then I didn’t get everything I wanted this season. I know what I can do and I try to work hard. It has become like a new life to adapt to, Lina says and is considering supporting her daughter, Lisa Al-Qurbani, at home.
– I didn’t take one night. Lisa did a great job and took just about everything. You have to find out later, Lena says with a smile.
– But that’s a little later, I think I was a little worried. Lena says, you used up some energy from me.
Did it affect your performance?
– Maybe a little. I know you’re fine, but still. I feel a little bad conscience, he lies and nibbles a little.
What do you want more from your game?
I don’t just want to say the points, but there will be points when I do what I have to do. I don’t have what I can or want. This season I haven’t scored many points.
Can you break up?
– I think so. I hate negotiations, and I don’t know where to go. So it’s good that we made our decisions.
Juventus was the time when they had the opportunity to take a step from damallsvenskan into the world of professionalism.
Lena Hurtig just wanted to go to Manchester United or Juventus. She landed in Turin and is happy with the opportunity.
The Italian league is expanding and the historic decision this spring to make the professional league is pushing development in the right direction.
– I think the league has grown and become tighter in terms of points and we are not as superior as we used to be. It’s not at the same level as the league in England, but it looks like it’s going to get there. Never been a professional before, Lena Hurtig says, it’s a step forward.
Dad’s advice played a role
When you look at her journey in the rear-view mirror, you notice that the step of moving away from home when she was 16 was among the biggest steps she took.
– I was home a lot so it was a tough choice. My dad played hockey and chose not to move when he was young and it was on me and he said I had to move.
The Umeå era became a stepping stone towards greater challenges.
During high school, Lena and Lisa also met. During the time in Linköping, they purchased a house and the relationship grew.
Their lives together took a new turn in the Italian city.
Lo gets up impatiently and reaches the table with an Italian espresso at hand.
This summer, Lena will be able to do without Lisa and Lou.
They come to England to watch two games, but time together will be limited.
Despite the long period, Lena is very much looking forward to the championship.
– It’s fun, I think it will be a good European Championship. We go as favourites, which we haven’t done before. It’s a new condition, new pressure, but first it was bronze, then silver, and now it’s time for my third championship, she says.