Själevad captain stays
Själevad's defender and team captain Sanna Frostevall yesterday decided to break the negotiations with another Damallsvenskan side that's been going on for a couple of weeks and re-sign with Själevad.
Örnsköldsviks Allehanda
Marijke Callebaut interview
Djurgården/Älvsjö's midfielder Marijke Callebaut was interviewed by the belgian site
www.vrouwenvoetballen.be when she spent her winter break back home. Some excerpts from the interview:
On the past season:
I knew I couldn't be promised a starting position. But it's been a rewarding season and I've gained a lot of experience.
Keeping fit during the holidays:I've got a training schedule from the coach to follow during the holidays. I'll return to Sweden January 11 and the preseason training will start again the 17th. I missed that part last year.
The 2005 season:
I don't yet know where I will play this year. I've got an offer from Djurgården/Älvsjö but also from Hammarby. I would get more playing time with Hammarby. The competition is murderous in champion team. I will train with the champions and decide which club to play for shortly before the season starts.
Playing with the Belgian national team:
My swedish coach would gladly see me play in the national team. I've been talking to Anne Noé (belgian national team coach), but the problem is that the Belgian FA thinks it's too expensive to bring me down from Sweden.
The future:
I see myself playing in Sweden for a couple of years more. I like the mentality here.
www.vrouwenvoetballen.be
Göteborg FC signs prolific striker
Sara Lindén, 22 goal striker with her D1 side Dalsjöfors last season, has signed a deal with Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC. The transfer will not be until Damallsvenskan restarts in July after the European Championship. The first part of the season she will play for Dalsjöfors. Lindén has been targeted by several Damallsvenskan sides, but since she doesn't want to move Göteborg was the only choice within commuting distance. The transfer fee is undisclosed, but "not a big amount".
Borås Tidning
Kristine Lilly signs with KIF Örebro
After weeks of speculation, KIF Örebro's head coach Pia Sundhage today revealed that Kristine Lilly and Mary Frances Monroe, both players with Boston Breakers when Sundhage was coaching the WUSA side, has signed for the 2005 season.
Damfotboll.com
SVT
Aftonbladet
Letter from the coach - Malmö FF and Linköping FC
Some clubs' websites publish more or less regulary reports from the coach, this time of the year usually concerning training, injuries and thoughts about the team. Sometimes they even release small pieces of news. So far this year I've seen two "letters from the coach":
Linköping FC coach Michael Bornehav talks about his new players (he is very pleased with the signings the board has made) and explains the preseason training. The team will devote more time to individual training and try to focus more on technique and movement instead of pure strength. The club has also strengthened the crew around the team with a physician and a diet advisor.
Linköping FC
Malmö FF coach Anders Johansson also talks about preseason training. They are focusing on defense (not surprising since they lost 2 important defenders last fall) and some players are trained into new positions. As with Linköping there is a bigger emphasis on individual training and a focus on balance and coordination rather than pure strength.
Johansson drops a couple of small pieces of player news: brasilian midfielder Formiga will arrive with the club in early March, they are still working to get another brasilian player and also signed a contract with a new player, Corinne Briers. Briers, british-american with a past at Arsenal, had a try-out with Malmö last spring, but was turned down. Now she has returned, appearently in better shape, trained with Malmö for a short while and earned a contract.
Malmö FF
Själevad national team player leaves the club?
Sanna Frostevall, who yesterday became the first Själevad player ever to be called up to the national team, might not stay with the club. Sanna, happy and proud to be called up, tells her interviewer that she's had talks with another Damallsvenskan club and is now considering the offer.
Örnsköldsviks Allehanda
New Zealand's captain to Sunnanå?
Rebecca Smith, captain for the New Zealand national team and last season with FFC Frankfurt in the german Bundesliga, is on a try-out with Sunnanå. The defender says that she likes swedish women's football and thinks Damallsvenskan is an interesting league. But she has several other contacts (two german and two norwegian clubs) and is not yet decided. Sunnanå's management on the other hand seems very much so: "We want her. What we have seen from her on training shows this is a quality player."
Sunnanå also reveals that they were trying to get a brasilian forward to the team, "but she signed with a german team". Possibly Cristiane, who signed with Turbine Potsdam?
Norra Västerbotten
35 players called up for national team camp in february
National team head coach Marika Domanski Lyfors has called up 35 players for what essentially is a fitness test February 17-20. You'll mostly find the usual uspects, but two debutants; defenders Sanna Frostevall, Själevads IK and Therese Stolpe, Mallbackens IF. Follow the links for full list of players.
Svensk fotboll
Damfotboll.com
Swedish indoor championship qualifications
8 qualification tourmaments was played this weekend to decide the participants in the swedish indoor 5-a-side championship, that will be played mid februari. All competing Damallsvenskan sides won their groups and advanced to the finals; Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC, Linköpings FC, KIF Örebro, QBIK and Hammarby IF. The three major clubs, Djurgården/Älvsjö, Umeå IK and Malmö FF, all decided against participating this year.
Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC
Linköpings FC
Nerikes Allehanda
Svensk fotboll
Corren
Damfotboll.com
Victoria Svensson out of training after foot surgery
Djurgården/Älvsjö's Victoria Svensson had to have surgery late december after playing most of the fall season with foot pains. Scar tissue was removed from a tendon in her left foot. She is currently in rehab, but hopes to be fit enough to take part in the national team camp mid february.
Aftonbladet
SVT
Marina and Anna Hofwing to Själevad
Själevad's negotiations with brasilian defender Marina, who played for the club last year, and Umeå IK's former backup keeper Anna Hofwing are finished and they have both signed for the 2005 season.
Örnsköldsviks Allehanda
Player reactions to European Championship draw
Kopparbergs/Göteborg striker Heidi Kackur (Finland) is very happy with the outcome of yesterday's draw for the UEFA European Championships finals. "We can beat any team in the group", she says.
Vasabladet Umeå IK's Hanna Ljungberg (Sweden) thinks it's a really good draw, at least on paper. But the other teams in Sweden's group have been developing a lot the last years and Hanna issues a special warning for Finland.
"I'm just one big smile", says Jessica Juhlin (Umeå IK and Finland) and continues "This was exactly the draw we wanted".
Västerbottens Folkblad
"It could have been worse", says exiled Malmö FF defender Karolina Westberg (Sweden), now with Umeå IK, to her old hometown paper, but adds: "You have to expect tough opposition in every match when you are playing in the finals."
Sydsvenskan Josefine Öqvist (Linköpings FC and Sweden) thinks Sweden's group looks good. "There is nothing to complain about. We and Denmark should advance."
Malmö FF is targeting brasilian defender Monica
There has been a rumour for a while that Malmö FF is trying to sign brasilian defender Monica. Today the club's chairman Gert Sparr confirmed that they are working on getting Monica to Sweden in addition to midfielder Formiga. There will however be no deals unless Malmö manages to get sponsors for them. This is a work in progress, Sparr says.
Malmö FF
Malmö's Asta Helgadottir soon to be back from rehab
Malmö FF's icelandic star Asthildur Helgadottir is approaching the end of what has turned out to be an almost 12 months long rehab period. Helgadottir suffered a knee injury in an international match in March last year. Healing has been complicated, but she now sees the end of it and hopes to be able to play matches next month. Long interview in local newspaper.
Sydsvenskan
Hanna Marklund out of training with knee infection
Sunnanå's star player Hanna Marklund will lose 2 weeks of valuable preseason training after getting an infection in a knee graze.
Norran
On a personal note; I really didn't think things like this qualified as news. But ok, it's a small town and tuesdays are usually slow newsdays.
Örebro town decides to sponsor KIF Örebro
The men's side Örebro SK was last year relegated from sweden's premier division because they couldn't live up to the league's financial requirements. Yesterday the city council of Örebro decided to support the club with a deal worth SEK 11,5 millions to save it from a threat of immideate bankrupcy. As part of the decision the city council also offers KIF Örebro a sponsor deal worth SEK 200.000 a year for 5 years. This might help KIF Örebro, which last year had a total turnover of about SEK 1,7 million, to finance the deals it is negotiating with Kristine Lilly and Mary-Frances Monroe.
NA
Anna-Kaisa Rantanen signs one-year deal with Linköping
Finnish international Anna-Kaisa Rantanen has now finalized a deal with Linköpings FC. This means that the club's squad for the 2005 season is set.
Linköpings FC
Another Boston player to Karlslund?
After one of her main targets, Christie Welsh, signed for Lyon in France, Karlslund's coach Pia Sundhage now reveals that she is negotiating with former Boston Breakers player Mary-Frances Monroe.
The Örebro club is also negotiating with Kristine Lilly, and Pia is optimistic on the outcome.
Aftonbladet
New indoor win for Hammarby
Hammarby's indoor winning streak continued, when they this weekend won the prestigious QBIK Cup in competition with swedish and norwegian top sides like Linköping, Karlslund, AIK, QBIK, Kolbotn and Team Strömmen. In the final they defeated swedish 1st division side Falköping 1-0.
Kolbotn's Solveig Gulbrandsen was named Player of the Tournament and Isabell Herlovsen from the same club was the best goalscorer with 14 goals.
Värmlands Folkblad (pre-tournament article)
QBIK Cup (results)
Damfotboll.comVärmlands Folkblad,
2,
3AftonbladetØstlandets blad
New Umeå sponsor gives training camp in Turkey
The latest addition to Umeå's long list of sponsors (Volkswagen being the main) is the travel agent Bentour International AB. The sponsorship deal includes a training camp in Antalya, Turkey - a popular winter destination for Bundesliga teams with great training facilities. Eurosport watchers have seen the place in the recent Efes Pilsen Cup. Umeå management is enthusiastic for the opportunity to let the team train under such top class conditions.
Umeå IK
AIK sign Linköping players
Midfielder Therese Sandström and forward Elin Hammarman, both with Linköping FC last year, has signed for newcomers AIK. Sandström, important midfield dynamo for LFC last year, broke negotiations with her former club a month ago, appearently over financial reasons, while I presume Hammarman lost her starting position when national team striker Josefine Öqvist joined the club. Both players has several years of Damallsvenskan experience, much needed for the newly promoted AIK.
AIK chairman Lars-Åke Lindblom says they will have a finnish U19 player for a try-out at the end of the month, but apart from that all signings are now done.
Damfotboll.comAIKCorren
Marina close to re-signing with Själevad
Last year Marina Toscano Ággio came to Sweden as friend and company for Umeå's star Marta. She ended up with Själevad and became one of the teams most important players with no less than 8 player of the match awards. Själevad has now negotiated a deal with the defender for the 2005 season. Själevad are also trying to sign another brasilian player, a forward, and are negotiating with Anna Hofwing, backup keeper with Umeå last year.
Västerbottenskuriren (link dead and removed)
Kristine Lilly comments on KIF Örebro move
In her web journal, Kristine Lilly writes January 12 on the possibility of joining her old coach Pia Sundhage at KIF Örebro. "I am not sure of what I am going to do yet, but I would like to play for Pia again", she writes.
Kristine Lilly 13.com
New coach, new players and new inspiration for Kopparbergs/Göteborg
New coach Martin Pringle (as player with Benfica and Charlton, last year assistant coach at men's D2 side GAIS) had his first training sessions with Kopparbergs/Göteborg earlier this week. Spirits seemed high with the players.
"It's always fun to come to training and be surprised", says star forward Lotta Schelin.
Pringle says he wants a 22 player squad, which means more signings are to come.
Göteborgsposten
Linda Blom signs for Malmö FF
Midfielder Linda Blom, last year with relegated Bälinge, has signed for Malmö FF.
Malmö FF
Christie Welsh has arrived in Lyon
Former Karlslund striker Christie Welsh arrived yesterday to Lyon in France, where she'll join Olympique Lyonnaise together with former Kopparbergs/Göteborg goalkeeper Hope Solo and three other americans; Danielle Slaton, Lorrie Fair and Aly Wagner. In their presentation of the new players the french top club stresses the importance Welsh and Solo had for their swedish clubs performance last season.
OLweb, Lyon's website
Foot Féminin
Katarina Wicksell to Hammarby
Katarina Wicksell, back-up goalkeeper with Djurgården/Älvsjö who spent part of last season on loan to Stattena, has signed for Hammarby.
Damfotboll.com
Training match schedules
Some clubs have released their training match schedules for the preseason at their web-sites. This is what I've found, not necessarily neither final nor complete:
AIKDjurgården/ÄlvsjöMalmö FF
Mallbacken to try out international players
Mallbacken will have 3 foreign internationals visiting the club next week; a defender, a midfielder and a forward. The club don't want to reveal any names at this stage. They will also be looking at a swedish player, also unnamed, with experience from Damallsvenskan already this week.
Värmlands Folkblad
Linköping FC has set preseason schedule
Linköping FC's first training match will be against champions Djurgården/Älvsjö February 27. In all the team will play 7 training matches and a have a training camp in Holland before the league kicks off in April.
Corren
Umeå IK going for gold
Umeå IK gathered yesterday for the first training session the 2005 season. New recruits Johanna Bäcklund and Karolina Westberg were there, but brasilians Marta and Elaine and finnish star Anne Mäkinen will not join until next month. The goal for the new season is to regain the swedish championship.
Västerbottens-Kuriren (link dead and removed)
Västerbottens Folkblad
Christie Welsh to join Hope Solo at Lyon
According to information from Sébastien Duret, webmaster at the french women's football site
foot-feminin, Christie Welsh has joined former Kopparbergs/Göteborg goalkeeper Hope Solo and three other american players at the french top side Olympique Lyonnaise. Welsh played for Karlslund (now known as KIF Örebro) the finishing part of the last season and was one of head coach Pia Sundhage's prime targets to enforce the team this season. Maybe a late addition, like the one Kopparbergs/Göteborg are comtemplating for Hope Solo (
Kopparbergs/Göteborg still has hope for Solo) still is possible?
Bigsoccer
Kicki Bengtsson, 35, announces retirement from national team
Kicki Bengtsson, who turns 35 on wednesday, says in a birthday interview with news agency TT, that she will probably retire from the national team after the European Championships.
Helsingborgs Dagblad
Therese Kapstad signs for Själevad
Umeå IK's experienced forward Therese Kapstad has moved to Själevad.
"We are very happy that she chose to play for us", says Själevads management.
Kapstad has been with UIK for eight years, but lately found it difficult to get a starting position. Last year she was on loan to Sunnanå.
Örnsköldsviks Allehanda
Kopparbergs/Göteborg still has hope for Solo
Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC chairman Peter Bronsman tells local daily Göteborgsposten that he still has hope for goalkeeper Hope Solo to play for the club in the upcoming season. Solo recently signed for Lyon in France, but the french season finishes already in early May. She would only miss the first few Damallsvenskan games. Bronsman is optimistic on the chances to reach a deal with Solo. He also annonuces that the club will have three international players trying out for the team in January.
No link, since this news only appeared in the printed edition.
Umeå IK signs youth player
Umeå IK has signed young talent Josefine Johansson from Piteå IF. As a youth player the 17 year old will train with Umeå IK but play matches for 1st division side Umeå Södra FF. Josefine has been playing on the first team for 2nd division Piteå and has caps for the swedish U17 team.
Umeå IK
Hammarby keeps winning indoors
Hammarby have lost several important players in the off-season, but they still keep winning the indoor tournaments. This weekends victory in Nike Cup was their fourth tournament victory this winter.
- We are the best indoor team in Sweden, says coach En Perlskog.
Dagens Nyheter
Rantanen close to signing with Linköping FC
Linköping FC's finnish international midfielder Anna-Kaisa Rantanen has agreed on the detalis of a renewed contract with the club. She has not signed yet, since she needs a part-time job. The club is trying to help her find one.
Corren
Long rehab period for Linköping full back
Linköping FC's promising full back Madelene Nordén is still in rehab after a foot injury early last summer and don't expect to be fit for several months yet. Long interview in local newspaper.
Corren
Malin Nykvist don't want to move home
Newly promoted 1st division side Falu BS has tried to persuade the local girl Malin Nykvist, midfielder with swedish champions Djurgården/Älvsjö, to join the team. Malin has turned down the offer, since she will try to take a spot on the national team for the European Championship.
Falukuriren
Defender re-signs for QBIK
Damallsvenskan newcomers QBIK has re-signed defender Lisa Mellberg.
Värmlands folkblad
Umeå turns down Milbrett
Tiffeny Milbrett is a great player, says Umeå's sport director Roland Arnqvist, but we've already got 6 forwards on the squad. If we should enforce the team, it will be with a defender. Arnqvist also denies there should be any doubts about Hanna Ljungberg's fitness.
Västerbottenskuriren (link dead and removed)
It's not Good bye, it's So long says Westberg
In a farewell interview with the Malmö FF website, Karolina Westberg says that the move to Umeå IK is not for ever.
"It's not Good bye, it's So long" says Westberg and adds
"I'm just looking at it as a field trip".
Malmö FF
Malin Gustafsson re-signs with Linköping
Experienced defender Malin Gustafsson has re-signed with Linköping FC. The club is also trying to re-sign finnish international Anna-Kaisa Rantanen, who is really keen on staying with the club but has to find a solution to her personal situation.
Linköping FC
Linköping FC wins indoor tournament without their star players
Linköping FC wins a local indoor tournament. Their new star players, national teamers Josefine Öqvist and Sara Larsson, did not participate but will be joining the club shortly.
CorrenLinköping FC
Tiffeny Milbrett in talks with Umeå IK
Seasoned american international goalscorer Tiffeny Milbrett has approached Umeå IK to enquire the possibility of getting a spot on the squad. Nothing set yet, but according to Umeå head coach André Jeglertz it could happen if Hanna Ljungberg doesn't get fit from her knee injury.
Damfotboll.com
Kopparbergs/Göteborg's goalkeeper Hope Solo to France
Hope Solo, goalkeeper and fan favourite with Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC last season, has signed with french side Olympique Lyonnaise. She is joined in the move by american internationals Aly Wagner and Danielle Slaton, which makes this "un grand coup" as the french say.
Damfotboll.com
Foot Féminin
OLWeb, Lyon's website
Hanna Marklund and sisters playing together again
Swedish international defender Hanna Marklund moved from Umeå IK back to her home club Sunnanå after last season. The first time for her and her sisters to be playing together again is in a local indoor tournament this week.
Folkbladet
The same tournament will also be the Sunnanå debut for young talent Linnea Gjersvold, just signed from 1st division side Alvik.
Norran
KIF Örebro coach Pia Sundhage confirms Kristine Lilly rumour
Pia Sundhage, head coach with KIF Örebro, confirms in an interview with women's football magazine Svensk Damfotboll that the club is trying to sign american internationals Kristine Lilly and Christie Welsh. Sundhage says the players would make a major impact with the team and consider there is a 75% chance they will reach an agreement.
Svensk Damfotboll
Erla Arnardóttir signs with Mallbacken
Icelandic international midfielder Erla Arnardóttir, last season with relegated Stattena, has signed with Mallbacken.
Damfotboll.com
Helsingborgs Dagblad
Värmlands folkblad
Svensk Damfotboll