The sun shines on talented youth!

It's Thursday afternoon and the evening sun illuminates one of Vetlanda municipality's many football fields. On the field, a group of girls are practicing passing drills, and the ball gets a few solid kicks as it accurately moves back and forth between the players. The girls are dressed in pink training outfits with numbered backs and visible sponsor logos printed on the fabric. Together, this group forms Hvetlanda GIF's F10 team.

Coach Malin Kardell, along with Fredrik Nilsson, Ronny Petersson, and Linda Hägglöf, are the parents who coach this successful soccer team. Malin explains that the Vetlanda team consists of thirteen 14-year-olds who are all in middle school. Some players have joined over the years, but most of the girls have been playing soccer together since they were around six years old.

”It's so much fun to be the coach of this team”, Malin says happily. ”It's a wonderful group of competitive spirits who often ask us to train more frequently and who dread the summer break that is actually part of the season”, continues Malin with a laugh.

The reason the girls have pink uniforms originally came from inheriting jerseys from an older team, but when designing new clothes became relevant, the team collectively chose to keep the color as it had become a favorite for them. Another advantage turned out to be that with the pink color choice, the team was unique, which meant there was little risk of encountering another team with similar colors and having to change their jerseys.

”"Without sponsors and foundations, the design of match kits and all other equipment would not have been possible. Nor would all the tournaments we attend - something the girls truly love to do. They are very proud of their jerseys and having the sponsors' logos on them. It shows that they have companies supporting and believing in them. It's very nice."”, says Malin.

F10 has demonstrated its strength multiple times over the years. They have, among other things, won the Tidaholm Cup two years in a row and even defeated academy teams such as Hammarby. In fact, their success story has been so significant that this season they have chosen to play in a league with tougher competition than before, as the final scores from the previous season clearly indicated the lack of challenge for the Vetlanda team. Malin believes that the main success factor for the team is the breadth of players.

”"It's not uncommon for us to have five different goal scorers in a match. We also have an impressive passing game and we always work hard to encourage each other rather than complain. I know that both we coaches and the girls work hard to achieve the best possible group dynamics."”

 

Coach Malin Kardell

”We always encourage each other”

At season finales, the coaches do not focus on rewarding the one who has trained the most; they know that everyone contributes in the best way they can and instead focus on awards such as "goal of the year" or "hairdresser of the year." The latter can be explained by the hint of how much hairspray flows freely in the locker rooms.

The coaching team, along with many of the girls' parents, is very committed and ensures that everyone on the team feels included and encouraged. The parents have started a support group they named "Åsa" after a mishearing of "Heja rosa," which became a well-known inside joke. A support group that always shows up and accompanies the team to away games, as well as provides snacks, meals, and anything else the team might need.

During the water break, the girls are asked about their best qualities as a team. Someone answers somewhat modestly ”“We are positive.” .Once the silence is broken, they all immediately help to fill in ”"we are competitive", "we always encourage each other", "we socialize a lot outside of training and I think that's very good for team cohesion", ”says another, and the others nod in agreement.

Hvetlanda GIF F10 - What a wonderful team, what great coaches, and how fortunate that there are so many dedicated adults making it possible for young people to engage in something as enriching as team sports.

Teammates Jessica Bergåse and Elisa Kadiric