Swedish Fans Bring Ultras Culture and Tifos to Women’s Football, Heading to Manchester

Hammarby has established numerous attendance records in recent years. When Manchester City welcomes Hammarby to the Joie Stadium for their Women’s Champions League match on Tuesday, the local fans may encounter an unexpected spectacle. Regardless of whether Hammarby competes at their modest Kanalplan home ground in Stockholm’s Sodermalm district, at the capital’s 28,000-seat Tele2 Arena, across Sweden, or internationally, the team consistently draws a level of fan engagement seldom observed in women’s football. While their 9-0 loss to Barcelona on matchday two garnered media attention, it was images and footage of the visiting Hammarby supporters that achieved the greatest popularity on social media platforms. Approximately 350 “Bajen,” the moniker for Hammarby supporters, occupied a section of the Estadi Johan Cruyff. Upon the players’ entrance to the field, the Swedish fans presented a green and white choreography and vocally overshadowed the home crowd. Their vocal support persisted for the entire match. Around 400 visiting fans are anticipated in Manchester. Hammarby’s fanbase exemplifies a potential future for women’s football support, though this phenomenon is relatively recent. Its origins trace back approximately a decade when Hammarby enthusiast Ulf Stenback, alongside a group of companions, established the “Bajens Tjejtjusare” group, intending to provide the women’s team with the same fervent vocal encouragement as the men’s squad. Hammarby fan Daniel Hommrich informed BBC Sport, “In the beginning it was very much the social aspect which was the main reason to go to matches, just like with other sections of the club such as handball or hockey.” However, the situation dramatically escalated following Simon Sandstrom’s engagement. Sandstrom, who previously served as a capo—a fan responsible for leading chants—for two Hammarby ultras organizations, was present at a women’s match accompanied by his young daughter. Sandstrom recalls, “My daughter looked at me with sad eyes and asked: ‘Dad, why isn’t anyone singing? Why isn’t there any drums? This is boring’.” He felt sympathy for her and responded without much deliberation, “well, let’s change that’.” Sandstrom founded the “Bajenkompaniet,” a supporters’ organization exclusively for the women’s team. During the subsequent home match, he ascended the pitch-side fence and directed his newly formed group, which included veterans such as Stenback and former ultras. He recollects, “We were singing the whole game and after that more and more people joined. Every game we had new men and women joining.” Simon Sandstrom had pledged to his daughter that he would enhance the matchday atmosphere at Hammarby women’s games. The initiative rapidly gained momentum, and soon Sandstrom was arranging pre-match pub gatherings and coordinating excursions to away fixtures. Two other supporters established a dedicated group for producing ‘tifos,’ the expansive choreographies showcased by fans prior to kick-off. Such displays were unprecedented in women’s football. Sandstrom commented, “I can’t find words for how important that has been for the development of Hammarby’s supporter culture, and increasing the number of people coming to the women’s games. The tifos have been seen all over the world.” In the ensuing years, match attendances experienced a dramatic increase. A significant moment occurred in October 2021, when over 18,500 spectators watched Hammarby defeat local rivals AIK at the Tele2 Arena, the home ground for the Hammarby and Djurgardens men’s teams. Furthermore, in June 2023, 17,623 fans were present at the Swedish Cup final, witnessing Hammarby conclude a 28-year period without a trophy. On the concluding day of the previous season, over 7,000 supporters undertook a 300km round trip to observe Hammarby’s 2-0 victory over IFK Norrkoping, which secured the club’s second Damallsvenskan title and its inaugural qualification for the Champions League. Later that same day, thousands commemorated this historic accomplishment at Stockholm’s Medborgarplatsen. The number of Hammarby fans attending away games is growing. The expansion of backing for the women’s team has developed naturally, stemming from extensive community engagement and collaborative efforts. Although supporters have organized autonomously from the club and finance their own choreographies, banners, and pyrotechnic displays, Hammarby’s ‘one-club’ ethos has undeniably been beneficial. The implementation of shared social media profiles for both the men’s and women’s teams expanded the latter’s visibility, while numerous club sponsors extend their support to both squads. Furthermore, close coordination with the club’s support liaison officer and ticketing manager has facilitated the growth of the fan base, and referring to the team simply as Hammarby, rather than Hammarby women, conveys the most unambiguous message. Hommrich stated, “I think in recent years the club has proven that it’s an honest philosophy. There’s a genuine pride over the team and its development.” Captain Alice Carlsson, who was featured in the ‘tifo,’ reportedly declined several lucrative contract proposals from European clubs during the summer period to continue playing for Hammarby. Although Hammarby did not successfully defend their league title this season, the team is currently embarking on a new European campaign. A crowd of 12,062, marking a record for a Women’s Champions League qualifier, observed Martin Sjogren’s squad suffer a 2-1 home defeat in the first leg of their play-off match against Benfica, who were quarter-finalists in the previous season. One week subsequent to this, in Lisbon, Cathinka Tandberg’s goal in the 95th minute clinched a 3-2 aggregate triumph, securing the team’s first-ever entry into the group stage. Prior to their group-stage inaugural match—a 2-0 victory against Austrian club St Polten at the Tele2 Arena—the players were greeted onto the field by an enormous tifo depicting captain Alice Carlsson inserting a Hammarby flag into the center of a European map. Over 14,000 tickets have been purchased for the upcoming home matches against Manchester City and Barcelona. Midfielder Julie Blakstad commented before the journey to Barcelona, “The backing we have from the stands is unique. It really helps us in matches, especially knowing many fans travel to support us.” Ultimately, this collective effort by Sandstrom, Hommrich, and thousands of other Hammarby supporters advances the ongoing pursuit of gender equality within a domain that continues to require it urgently. Sandstrom stated, “I have three daughters – I want them to have the same dreams as the boys.” “My heart is burning for equality in football. I want the women’s teams to play for the same amount of people and I want to have big singing stands with capos, drums and big tifos. In Hammarby, female players can live that dream right now,” he added.