Powher

Inequality in sport does not just lead to young women giving up their careers prematurely. Fewer active women today inevitably mean far fewer women continuing their careers as coaches or club managers tomorrow, which only exacerbates the inequality. But from autumn 2023 a significant change is coming.

POWHER is an initiative and platform created to once and for all reverse the trend of young women leaving sports. Big names such as Therese Johaug, Marthe Kristoffersen, Anna Haag and Maria Rydqvist are behind this initiative.

They not only have countless medals from Olympic Games, World Championships and European Championships between them. They also know what it’s like to be a young woman training at an elite level in a world dominated by men.

The initiative aims to provide role models, understanding and confidence for women to continue their sporting careers. Numerous activities are planned, ranging from shaping opinion and dissemination of facts to lectures, training days, training for coaches, a larger training camp in both Sweden and Norway, and the establishment of a brand-new scholarship.

“I look forward to sharing the knowledge and experience gained from my years as an elite sportswoman” says 14-time world champion and four-time Olympic gold medallist Therese Johaug.

Goodsport

The Goodsport Foundation is a public, politically independent non-profit organisation that uses sport as a tool to promote greater integration among young people.

Goodsport has been running its Night Football scheme since 2015, providing an organised form of spontaneous activity in deprived areas. It all began with football, but now it could just as well be dance, floorball or basketball. As the core concept, Night Football aims to prevent and combat exclusion, criminality and ill-health among young people by offering a meaningful sense of community in a safe environment with active and responsible leadership. It also creates role models when young people become leaders both on and off the pitch.

Night Football is a well-developed concept aimed at young people aged 13–25 and is run at night, from around 8 pm to midnight, on Fridays and Saturdays in sports halls across Sweden. The activity is organised primarily in areas that need greater security, integration and positive activities, and it offers a sense of belonging in a meaningful, alternative and safe arena for people from different backgrounds. Everyone comes together on equal terms and is treated with respect and love and made to feel welcome.

Goodsport runs Night Football in collaboration with local partners, with the foundation providing leader training, quality assurance and structure, while the local partners, which might be local authorities or associations, take care of the operational work. Figures indicate that the introduction of Night Football has led to a reduction in youth crime. In fact, on the nights that activities are held, the number of reported crimes has dropped significantly in several locations – a real saving for society on many fronts.

At the Swedish Sports Gala 2019, Goodsport received an award for its inspiring work. Read more about Goodsport

Fair Play – an award like no other

In 2019 Stadium initiated the Fair Play Award, in conjunction with the Swedish Sports Gala. This is the award where joining in and sharing sport with others are more important than actual performance.

Fair play has become a well-established concept that most people associate with sporting behaviour. However, fair play means much more than this, and is just as much about fairness, equality, equal rights, and the right to participate in sport. Fair play is as important in sport as winning or losing. The Fair Play Award is therefore given to an individual or an event that, through their actions, stands as a role model and clearly embodies the meaning of fair play. Stadium and the Swedish Sports Gala are behind the award, which was first presented at the 2019 gala.

Generation Pep

Generation Pep is a non-profit organisation in Sweden that works to spread knowledge and create engagement regarding the health of children and young people. The aim is to unite people, organisations and companies so that together they can empower all children and young people to live a healthy life. The Swedish Crown Princess Couple are behind the initiative, which is supported by leading Swedish companies, foundations and voluntary organisations. In 2018, Stadium began issuing its activity bag in partnership with Generation Pep.

Human Bridge and re:activate

Human Bridge is a Swedish aid organisation that focuses primarily on supplying health services in vulnerable countries with medical equipment and other materials. The mainly second-hand equipment comes from the Swedish health service and is renovated or reconditioned by Human Bridge before delivery.

The organisation also supports people caught up in humanitarian crises, for example with clothing and other basic essentials. Material aid is sent to around 20 countries.

Robert Bergman, Director of Human Bridge:

“The aid deliveries almost always include proper sports equipment from Stadium, giving children and young people a welcome distraction from their tough lives."

Find out more

Stadium Sports Camp

Since the first year in 1995, 120 000 youngsters have enjoyed active experiences for life together with others. With annual camps in Norrköping and Halmstad for four and two weeks over the summer, Stadium Sports Camp offers a total of 25 main sports. There has long been an even gender distribution among the participants. The organisation works actively to get children and young people participating, whatever their challenges or socioeconomic background.

Together with several other charities, foundations and companies, each year Stadium Sports Camp is able to offer free places to kids who, for various reasons, would not otherwise have been able to attend. The camp has also had a close partnership with the Friends Foundation since 2004, meaning that all camp leaders receive training in tackling exclusion and bullying and promoting equal sport for everyone.

Stadium Sports Camp AB is run as an SVB company (i.e. an enterprise with special profit-sharing restrictions). Any profit is reinvested or given back to the partner associations who help with the organisation. Since its launch, we have ploughed over SEK 60 million back into clubs and associations.

The activity bag

Since 2003, Stadium has distributed activity bags to first-graders to inspire a more active lifestyle and support schools in getting children moving. The project is part of Stadium’s Good Citizen work and is funded solely by Stadium. Almost 25 000 bags have been distributed to date.

The contents of the bag vary from year to year, but might include footballs, softball bats, ball pumps, cones, skipping ropes and basketballs. We hope that this equipment will get more children and young people exercising and inspire an active lifestyle from an early age.

In 2018 we began distributing the bags in partnership with Generation Pep. Click here to read more about the activity bag.