Manchester City v Hammarby – Swedish club’s tifo and ultras livening atmosphere at women’s games
While Hammarby failed to defend their league title this season, they are enjoying a new adventure in Europe.
A 12,062 crowd – a record for a WCL qualifier – watched Martin Sjogren’s side lose 2-1 at home in the first leg of their play-off against Benfica, quarter-finalists last season.
A week later in Lisbon, Cathinka Tandberg’s 95th-minute strike secured a 3-2 aggregate victory and a place in the group stage for the first time.
Before their group-stage debut – a 2-0 win against Austrian side St Polten at the Tele2 Arena – the players were welcomed on to the pitch by a huge tifo showing captain Alice Carlsson planting a Hammarby flag in the centre of a map of Europe.
More than 14,000 tickets have been sold for the home fixtures against Manchester City and Barcelona.
“The backing we have from the stands is unique,” midfielder Julie Blakstad said before the trip to Barcelona. “It really helps us in matches, especially knowing many fans travel to support us.”
And that is the point of it all, really. What Sandstrom, Hommrich and thousands of other Hammarby fans are doing continues the fight for gender equality in a space that still desperately needs it.
“I have three daughters – I want them to have the same dreams as the boys,” says Sandstrom.
“My heart is burning for equality in football. I want the women’s teams to play for the same amount of people and I want to have big singing stands with capos, drums and big tifos. In Hammarby, female players can live that dream right now.”
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