Thirteen of the Damallsvenskan’s 14 teams are based in the south. For Piteå IF, rising costs are now the priority
Piteå IF are entering their 17th season as a top-division side in Sweden’s Damallsvenskan, but the challenge for them is getting tougher and tougher every year.
And it is not a small budget compared to clubs such as Hammarby and Häcken who have, in recent years, been able to rely on the support of major men’s club, or the rejuvenated Malmö FF side, but geographical issues which have put a strain on club finances.
“We are prioritising costs over performance, which is the saddest part,” says Emelie Lövgren, the managing director of Piteå and a former player for the club.
The reality is that Piteå are now an outlier in the league. Thirteen of the 14 sides are based in the south, with four of those in the Stockholm municipality and three more on the outskirts, plus two in Malmö on the very southern tip of the country. Piteå’s closest away trip is a mere 487 miles by road to Uppsala, while a trip to Malmö stretches to 908 miles, one-way.
