Women’s football in Sweden is a growing attraction in Sweden. Umeå IK, the best club team in the Swedish women’s league, are also an impressing team abroad! They are heading for the final match in the women’s Champions League against Germany. Hanna Ljungberg, an impressing forward in both Umeå IK and the Swedish International Team, is closing in on the goal record in her club team Umeå IK. The Swedish International Team came second in the European Championship last year. They secured their place in the World Championship when they won against Finland.

Umeå IK
In Sweden we have a league for the best club teams in our country. It’s kind of like the English Premier League but much, much smaller.

The best team in the women’s league, is Umeå IK. Their town, Umeå, is not far from our town Örnsköldsvik. It’s just about 100 kilometres. In the men’s league, the best teams usually come from the south, but not in this case. Umeå IK have taken part in the women’s Champions League. They are now heading for the final match against Germany after they won over Helsinki, Finland (1-0). Just after nine minutes of play, Hanna Ljungberg heads in the ball on their own free kick. Helsinki just got one dangerous chance in the first half of the match, when they head the ball in Umeå’s lath.

Hanna Ljungberg is going to miss the final
In the 75th minute, Hanna Ljungberg tried to tarring her self lose from a defender in a rough way. The referee blew the pipe because she judged that as against the rules. Even though the referee had blown, Hanna still keeps going and role in the ball in the goal. The referee gave Hanna a warning by disturbing the play, and now she is going to miss the final match. But Umeå have taken bigger problems than that, so they will sure give Germany a tough match anyway!

	Hanna Ljungberg
	Hanna is 23 years old and is the big star in both Umeå IK and the Swedish International Team. She has made 36 goals this season and has taken the goal record with her club team Umeå IK. No woman player has ever made so much goals, and Hanna is now the all time football player in Sweden! She says herself that she doesn’t care so much about the goals, she concentrates on the matches.

Free from injuries
Earlier seasons she always had to rest at least a month because of injuries. This season, she hasn’t had one single serious injury. " I have been standing in front of the goal, without goalkeeper, and just been shooting and shooting. In that way I am cooler when the goal chances appears. You must see the goal and not the goalkeeper, and place the ball instead of just shooting." , Hanna says.

Hanna Ljungberg is a very good friend to the down hill skier, Anja Pärson. They don’t see eachother so much during the seasons, but they are keeping in touch. This summer, they trained condition and strength together, and they are both very concentrated on their own sport. Hanna’s advice to other football players: - " You must be well prepared for each match, that’s very important. You can’t do a bad match because of you have had eaten wrong or something like that."

Umeå IK have five players in the Swedish International Team, and Hanna is one of them.

Sweden’s International Team

Sweden came second in the European Championship 2000. Sweden was the ones that had got the fewest warnings. They only got two, and because of that they were dedicated the UEFA’s Fair Trophy price. That was not the only reason for why they got that price. The team played in a positive way, showed respect against the opponents and referees and they also behaved well against officials and supporters.

Sweden is taking part in the World Championship
Sweden secured their place in the World Championship, by winning over Finland with five to nothing (5-0). It rained almost the whole match, and the pace in the first half was low. Sweden kept their grip, while Finland didn’t make any chances against the Swedish goal. In the first half Sweden did two goals. In half time Sweden’s self-confidence grows. They show that in the second half by doing another three goals, one made by Hanna Ljungberg.

There are no further International matches planned, but perhaps there will be a match against Germany later this autumn. We will see much of Sweden’s women in the future, and maybe they will go so far as taking the gold in the World Championship! In women’s football popular in you country?
© 2002 Freeway
Writers: Ida Olsson (sp04-23@park.se).
HTML by: Sean Karlsson (te04-11@park.se).