Stattena IF

Stattena IF is a Swedish football club from Helsingborg. The club spent two seasons in the top-tier Allsvenskan, 1927–28 and 1929–30. The original Stattena was one of two clubs that merged in 1907 to form Helsingborgs IF. The current club was re-established on 24 March 1922, and a women’s section was added in 1971.

The club began as a local neighborhood team from the Stattena district, originally a village outside the city. This likely fueled a historic local rivalry with Helsingborgs IF. Stattena’s men’s team has played in various levels of the Swedish league system. Home matches are held at Olympiafältet. The modern team colors are blue and white, but they once wore blue and yellow striped shirts with blue shorts. That kit was later taken over by local rival Eskilsminne IF, which previously played in light and dark purple stripes with white shorts.

During their Allsvenskan years in the 1920s and 1930s, Stattena had a nearly Southern European-style support group that watched training, debated lineups at beer cafes, and met the team at the train station after away games. Opposing fans sometimes faced a rain of beer bottles. When star player and future national team member Knut Kroon was sold to arch-rival Helsingborgs IF, he could barely appear in town.

In the 1929–30 season, during a Helsingborg derby at Olympia, Helsingborgs IF won a penalty. Taker Axel Alfredsson said, “I put hatred behind the ball. Stattena has got to lose!”—a remark that captured the rivalry, even as Helsingborgs IF won the title and Stattena was relegated.

Five years after its formation, in 1971, the women’s team reached the Damallsvenskan. More recently, it played at that level in 2003, 2004, and 2009. Stattena IF is affiliated with the Skånes Fotbollförbund and is a member of the Helsingborgs Fotbollsklubbars Allians. The club has 900 members and 20 youth teams (11 boys, 9 girls). It also partners with Filbornaskolan to offer top female players a four-year secondary education combined with football development.

Notable players include Anders Linderoth, Knut Kroon, Pia Sundhage, Caroline Seger, Zećira Mušović, Erla Steina Arnardóttir, and Nancy Augustyniak Goffi.