Hear Fridolina Rolfö talk about the differences in Barcelona in the player above.
The Swedish men’s clubs pump money into their women’s teams at the elite level – this is shown by figures from the Swedish Football Association. Häcken is one of the few clubs in Europe where you share the facilities and have the same conditions to succeed on the pitch.
Despite the fact that international big teams, such as Barcelona for example, have a bigger budget to move around with, ladies and gentlemen do not always have the same conditions.
– There are differences. There is talk of financial conditions in salaries and we are far from there, but regardless of whether you are a women’s or men’s player, the conditions regarding facilities should be the same for us to succeed on the field. That’s the part many people need to step up, says Rolfö to SVT Sport.
Klaveness: “The distance is growing”
Lise Klaveness, who is president of the Norwegian Football Association, believes that it is inconvenient for people in power in football to compare the budgets on the men’s and women’s sides in clubs such as Barcelona.
– It is clear that men’s football makes more money, but the distance is growing. While the budgets for women’s football are increasing, they are weaker compared to men’s football. It is frustrating and the money invested only contributes to the difference, she says during a conference.
The expert: “See it as an investment”
Even though the differences between men and women are great – the differences between Swedish and international football are also what can be devastating for women’s Swedish clubs. That’s what Carlos Esterling, sports manager at accounting firm EY in Sweden thinks.
– We have seen international investment, unfortunately it will only increase compared to Swedish football. It should not be seen from men’s football as a cost, but as an investment, he says.