Sweden’s women’s football team replaces names with motivational messages on jerseys

The new shirts were unveiled at the Algarve Cup, currently taking place in Portugal, where Sweden will take on Netherlands on Monday.

The Swedish team, which finished second at the 2016 Olympics Games in Rio, collaborated with the Swedish Football Association for the campaign, hoping that it will “inspire and motivate women to show that everything is possible”.

Names are no longer highlighted on the jerseys of Sweden’s national women’s football team. Instead, players were asked to choose a motivational quote that would inspire young women as part of an initiative launched by the Swedish Football Association. The new shirts were unveiled at the Algarve Cup, currently taking place in Portugal, where Sweden will take on Netherlands on Monday.

Jag har valt att lyfta citatet "I'm not bossy, I'm the boss" från @NinaAkestam för att uppmana alla kvinnor att våga ta plats, både på och utanför planen. #IDittNamn #swewnt

A post shared by hanna folkesson (@hfolke) on Mar 1, 2017 at 4:32am PST

 

“The initiative is first and foremost to, with the help of the national team, highlight the power that comes with doing things together, and the women’s team’s success is a good example of that,” said Niklas Bodell, communications director for the Swedish Football Association, as reported by The Guardian . “We also hope that it can inspire people to stand up for each other, notwithstanding who you are or where you come from.”

The Swedish captain, Lotta Schelin, who picked a message from the Swedish politician Gudrun Schyman that says “never look down on someone unless it is to help her up”, said: “The national team shirt is an important symbol and it constantly reminds us that we can win whatever game it is in whatever competitions.

“I think it is great that we can join forces with other strong women and that we together can show that everything is possible. There is always a need to show young women that it is possible to succeed and that no one should feel limited in what they can achieve and particularly not because of their sex,” she added.

The Swedish team, which finished second in the 2016 Olympics in Rio, beat Australia 1-0 on Wednesday in its first game of the Algarve Cup and drew with China on Saturday.