Swedish Professional Football Leagues participated in this year’s edition of the political week in Almedalen on the Swedish island of Gotland in a panel discussion organized by the Municipality of Trelleborg, centered around the theme Community Engagement Through Football.
“Football holds a strong position and has a responsibility to use that influence wisely,” said Beatrice Clarke to the Municipality of Trelleborg.
Swedish Professional Football Leagues was represented in the panel discussion by Sustainability Manager Beatrice Clarke. Other participants included Mattias Kronvall, Club Director of Trelleborgs FF; Magdalena Nour, Sustainability Manager at Malmö FF; Christian Dahl, Director of Growth and Business Development for the Municipality of Trelleborg; and Mirja Ullvig, Deputy Director of Growth and Business Development. Much of the discussion focused on how football can contribute to a more sustainable society.
“Elite football is more than just matches and results. We play an important role in people’s lives, and we want to use that to make a difference,” said Mattias Kronvall.
In addition to the panel discussion with the Municipality of Trelleborg, Beatrice Clarke also participated in an event with the Swedish Football Association and the Rights Agency during Almedalen Week. All in the spirit of gaining inspiration, engaging in great meetings, exchanging experiences and knowledge, and fostering the hope of new relationships and collaborations.
“As I now leave Almedalen 2025, I am convinced that there is hope for new, interesting partnerships that develop both naturally and across boundaries, because there is simply no other way today. We are currently living through the greatest failure of our time, where children and young people are growing up in dangerous circumstances and insecure environments. Through the power of football, we will do everything we can to be a contributing force in society, with the clubs representing Swedish Elite Football, Allsvenskan, and Superettan. And we are most successful when we work together in strong partnerships with the public sector, the business community, and the nonprofit sector,” says Beatrice Clarke.
Anders Wikström, responsible for integrity issues at Swedish Elite Football, also attended this year’s Almedalen. Anders did not participate in any panel discussions, but visited many interesting seminars and engaged with both new and existing contacts—among them, a seminar on gambling responsibility and unlicensed gambling, which in turn led to Anders being invited to a Sustainable Gambling conference in Brussels this autumn.
