Sunday 16th June 2024 ko 15:00

Damallsvenskan

DJURGÅRDENS I.F. 1 (Åsland 58p)

KRISTIANSTAD DFF 2 (Alanen 40 Eiriksdottir 45)

Eiriksdottir missed penalty 84

Att 522 at Stockholms Stadion

Entry 150 sek (c£11.07)

The Swedish Hop’s cost of £320 included bed and breakfast for two nights, all transport in Sweden, together with entry fees for all games, and a goodie bag!

When Kim and I put this hop together he quickly made the decision to use the 1912 Olympic Stadium as the anchor point for the event. He and I took the view that we could put virtually any other grounds on the hop just so long as we could take in a game here. And we so nearly had it all taken away from us…

We’d lined up a Stockholm Internazionale game for Saturday for here, with Kristinebergs IP still being refurbished they’re splitting their games between Hammarby IP and the Olympic Stadium. The game was announced at Stadion, and then it switched to Kanalplan. Cue torn up plans in two countries, but then we spotted that Djurgårdens women were playing there on Sunday afternoon, but it would leave us a little tight for time getting to Arlanda for our flights home afterwards. We sent a circular email to allow folks to veto the idea if they didn’t feel comfortable but none did.

But why the fuss over one stadium? Well it is a place of superlatives. It was the first Olympic Stadium to be built to be used after the games was finished, and was the first to have the photo-finish facility. It was also the last games where the medals were sold gold, silver and bronze, these days all the medals are silver with plating applied for the gold and bronze versions.

After the Olympics the stadium became a home for AIK until 1937 with Djurgårdens moving in when AIK moved into the new Råsunda Stadium. In the end the Swedish FA realised that the stadium was no longer suitable for top-flight football, and forbade Djurgårdens from using it after 2013. The men moved to the Tele-2 Arena to share with Hammarby but the club still retain a base in one of the towers as we discovered in 2016 when we had a tour round!

The stadium has byggnadsminne, or listed status guaranteeing its long term future, but has had a refit since my last visit. Somehow they’ve managed to increase the running lanes from 6 to 8 so major athletics meetings do still happen here, and when that happens the football gets switched, either to Kanalplan or when the refurb is complete, Kristinebergs.

Once again having organiser Kim Hedwall was a godsend. Our tickets were prebooked, a brochure each procured and a parking spot that ensured a quick getaway afterwards. But more than anything else it was a pleasure to be able to explore a truly iconic sporting venue, from a time when things tended to be made of wood, the swastika hadn’t been reversed and was a sign of peace, and events in the Olympics were the pinnacle of that sport.

A top flight women’s game was a fitting finale to the 15th Swedish Hop. I’m sure AIK following Kim will have very quietly enjoyed seeing his team’s rivals lose, but nevertheless it was a good game to watch. We made it back to Arlanda with plenty of time to spare too!

It was another hugely enjoyable weekend in Sweden. I am all too aware that the Swedish Hop is at best a niche event, but I do think it does have its place in the calendar if only because Kim and I want it that way. We can and have scaled the event up and down according to demand, and Kim’s personal situation, and that’s something I’m completely comfortable with.

The last couple of years has seen us have to cope with last minute venue switches which has made life difficult, even if on a personal level I only ended up with one revisit, I travelled out expecting 3! Kim’s idea for next year is to base ourselves in Örebro allowing us to maintain flights into Arlanda, and hopefully elimating the late venue switches. The idea is one that’s been in our heads for a while, we had a weekend looking at prospective grounds back in 2012! But the fact that Kim still wants to do hold these events after all these years speaks volumes for the man and his country.

Tack Joachim Hedwall!