Football is the most popular sport in Sweden, with almost 230,000 licensed players. Football was first played in Sweden in the 1870s, the first championship was decided in 1896 and the Swedish Football Association was founded in 1904. The striker (wearing red jersey) has run past the defender (in white jersey) and is about to take a shot at the goal, while the goalkeeper positions himself to stop the ball. ... Events and Trends Technology Invention of the telephone (1876) and phonograph (1877) WTF Science Ludwig Boltzmanns statistical definition of thermodynamic entropy War, peace and politics Franco-Prussian War (1870–1871) results in the collapse of the Second French Empire and in the formation of both the French Third Republic... 1896 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Categories: Football (soccer) stubs | Football (soccer) governing bodies | Swedish football ... 1904 is a leap year starting on a Friday (link will take you to calendar). ...

History

The first Swedish national team in 1908

Football, along with other organised sports, came to Sweden in the 1870s and was mainly exercised by gymnastics clubs which exercised most of the sports of the time. England was the main source of inspiration and it is thus not strange that football gained popularity fast, with the first aggreement of rules made in 1885 by the clubs active in Gothenburg, Stockholm and Visby. The first international club match is played in 1890 and the first game to be played with modern rules is played two years later in 1892. Events and Trends Technology Invention of the telephone (1876) and phonograph (1877) WTF Science Ludwig Boltzmanns statistical definition of thermodynamic entropy War, peace and politics Franco-Prussian War (1870–1871) results in the collapse of the Second French Empire and in the formation of both the French Third Republic... Gymnastics is a sport involving the performance of sequences of movements requiring physical strength, flexibility, and kinaesthetic awareness, such as handsprings and handstands. ... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area  - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 1st UK 49,138,831 377/km² Religion... 1885 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... Gothenburg (Swedish: Göteborg [jøːtəbɔrj]) is a city and a municipality on the western coast of Sweden, in the County of Västra Götaland. ... Note: This page contains IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. ... Visby panorama Visby is a city, founded in the 10th century, on the then independent Baltic Sea island of Gotland, in modern Sweden. ... 1890 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1892 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

The first association to administer a Swedish national football tournament was the Svenska Idrottsförbundet, founded in 1895, when it arranged the Swedish Championship in 1896 which Örgryte IS won. The tournament was played until 1925 when the first national league was started. Football has grown since and there is currently around 3,300 clubs with 32,700 teams and with one million members, whereof about half a million are active players, altogether. 1895 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1896 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Örgryte IS is a Swedish football club, based in Göteborg. ... 1925 was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ...

League system

Main article: Swedish football league system The Swedish football league system is controlled by the Swedish Fotboll Association and consist of 246 teams. ...

The current national league system administered by the football association is organised as 1-1-6-12, where Allsvenskan is the highest Swedish league and Superettan the second highest, followed by six third division (Division 2) and twelwe fourth division leagues (Division 3). For the 2006 season, a new league system with only two third division (renamed Division 1) and six fourth division leagues (renamed Division 2) is planned. Allsvenskan is the highest football league in Sweden, made up of 14 teams. ... Superettan is the second highest football league in Sweden, made up of 16 teams. ...

Cup system

Main article: Svenska Cupen The Svenska Cupen (the Swedish Cup) is the main Swedish football Cup, which is qualifiyng for the UEFA Cup. ...

The national cup Svenska Cupen is played by all 30 teams from the two highest divisions and 68 teams from the lower divisions. Which 68 teams from the lower divisions that get to play is decided by the number of licenced players in the football districts. The Svenska Cupen (the Swedish Cup) is the main Swedish football Cup, which is qualifiyng for the UEFA Cup. ...

International titles

The Swedish national football team played its first international football match in 1908 against Norway. The team has been fairly successful with one 2nd place in the 1958 World Cup, two third places (1950 and 1994) and a victory in the 1948 Summer Olympics. Swedish clubs have appeared in European club competition finals three times, IFK Göteborg won the UEFA Cup twice, 1982 and 1987, and Malmö FF lost the European Cup final in 1979. First International Sweden 11 - 3 Norway (Gothenburg, Sweden; 12 July 1908) Largest win Sweden 12 - 0 Latvia (Stockholm, Sweden; 29 May 1927) Worst defeat England Amateur 12 - 1 Sweden (London, England; 20 October 1908) World Cup Appearances 10 (First in 1934) Best result Runners-up, 1958 European Championship Appearances 3... 1908 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The 1958 Football World Cup remained in Europe, this time being hosted by Sweden. ... The Football World Cup (official name: FIFA World Cup) is the most important competition in international football (soccer). ... The 1958 Football World Cup remained in Europe, this time being hosted by Sweden. ... The 1994 Football World Cup was held in the USA. It was won by Brazil, who beat Italy 3-2 on penalties, after the game and extra time ended 0-0. ... The Games of the XIV Olympiad were held in 1948 in United Kingdom. ... IFK Göteborg is a sports club club located in Gothenburg (Göteborg), Sweden, with football as the primary sport. ... UEFA Cup logo The UEFA Cup is a football competition for European club teams. ... 1982 is a number and represents a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar Events January-February January 6 - William Bonin is convicted of being the freeway killer. January 8 - AT&T agrees to divest itself of twenty-two subdivisions January 11 - Mark Thatcher, son of the British... 1987 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Malmö FF is a Swedish football club from Malmö. Malmö FF is in the highest division in Sweden, the Allsvenskan, and has won the Swedish championship fifteen times, the last in 2004. ... Champions League Logo The UEFA Champions League is an annual international inter-club football competition between Europes most successful clubs, regarded as the most prestigious club trophy in the sport. ... 1979 is a common year starting on Monday. ...

External links

• Swedish Football Association (http://www.svenskfotboll.se/)