SEF Trophy – a place for the Swedish elite

With 32 Swedish teams with boys born in 2004, the SEF Trophy is a tournament to develop young talent into future professional players. A way forward for Swedish elite football.

For a third year in a row the SEF Trophy will be a part of the Gothia Cup. The tournament takes place in Alingsås, a smaller city 40 minutes from Gothenburg, and is arranged by Swedish Elite Football and its network Tipselit. The 32 Swedish teams, consisting of 15 year old players, are all picked from the network, with the aim to develop Swedish elite football. In the crowd on Mjörnvallen, Alingsås, during the match between Karlslunds IF HFK and IFK Göteborg is Peter Wennberg, coach for the national team of Swedens Boys 18.  
“The most valuable thing about this tournament is that the players get to test themselves against other good teams from all over the country. A big difference from the regional series and a positive opportunity to develop your individual mind set”, he says.

Peter Wennberg enjoys the tournament, as a coach there is always something to lay your eyes on.
“Every game of football is interesting, and the SEF Trophy always includes some unexpected results and the possibility to find new interesting players”, he says.

Gothenburg might be the centre of Gothia Cup, but there is a lot happening outside of the city. Something Anders Hurtig, who is in charge of the of the tournament in Alingsås, think of as a positive development for the whole contest.
“The tournament attracts a lot of attention in Alingsås, and we got both locals and people from other places here watching. It’s a very calm neighbourhood and familiar environment”, he says.

For this year’s edition of the SEF Trophy we find some new rules related to the age of the players. In Gothia Cup the teams are usually allowed to include two older players in the squad, however, that’s no longer the case in the SEF Trophy. And it seems like the change is being well received.
“I’ve been talking to 30 of the 32 to coaches and everyone seem to agree that it’s a good idea. It evens the odds between the different teams”, says Anders Hurtig.

IFK Gothenburg is one of the teams who after their latest win are qualified for Play Off A. Player Sasha Krajisnik do believe they have the chance to go all the way, although the competition is good, and his reaction towards the SEF Trophy is positive.   
“It feels very good to be a part of it, especially in terms of development”, he says.