Allsvenskan player sales against record levels

The Allsvenskan player sales rose sharply in price in 2022. Now 2023 looks to be at least as good, not to mention 2024 which started with record sales.

Now the association Swedish Elite Soccer has extended the agreement with the analysis company that helped them reach record levels in recent years.

– We are satisfied with the development, but it can be much better, says Goalunit’s founder Caesar Gezelius.

In a glass cage in central Stockholm, four young men at the company Goalunit sit and analyze soccer data from around the world. Since 2021, they have been collaborating with Swedish Elite Soccer, which passes on the information to the clubs and their academies. Since the collaboration started, the Allsvenskan’s total player sales have gone from approximately SEK 300 million to just under SEK 600 million annually.

– It’s not about data about individual players, but more about how we should think from a strategic perspective. How should you build your squad over time to increase the club’s market value and thus be able to get as much sport as possible on the pitch, says one of Goalunit’s founders, Caesar Gezelius.

– We look at clubs and leagues that overperform and underperform according to their financial conditions and analyze what they do well and poorly.

The goal is SEK 800 million

At Swedish Elite Soccer, the collaboration with Goalunit is called “Project 500” where the goal is to increase player sales in Allsvenskan by SEK 500 million over time. That would correspond to an annual player turnover of SEK 800 million.

– I have a feeling that we are starting to realize the potential that exists, says Svante Samuelsson, who is the sports director at the association Swedish Elite Football.

However, Sweden still lags behind comparable European countries.

– We can be much better, says Goalunit’s co-founder Caesar Gezelius.