Youthful vigour gives Göteborg the edge

IFK Göteborg are hoping that a commitment to Swedish and Scandinavian talent will serve them well as their UEFA Champions League odyssey begins on Tuesday.

Local produce
While the Allsvenskan has been an increasingly popular port of call for players from all over the world, champions Göteborg have been specialising in local produce. They do not have a single player from outside Scandinavia, and boast only three from outside Sweden, Danish Goalkeeper Kim Christensen and Icelandic defenders Hjalmar Jónsson and Ragnar Sigurdsson.

Governing ethos
"We believe in nurturing young players and giving them a chance," explained sporting director Håkan Mild. "Developing young players and building a team with them is the way forward. Buying foreign imports or established Swedish players can work but often proves too costly. The risk of buying a young player with potential is lower than that of losing money on an unsuccessful foreign player."

Expensive decision
Göteborg know all too well about the perils of investing in foreign talent. The 1982 and 1987 UEFA Cup winners invested heavily in the late 1990s and early 2000s but got their fingers burned. A financial crisis ensued, and forced them to shift their focus to homegrown talent. That move paid off in 2007 as they earned their first title since 1996.

Young talent
Last year the club gave 15-year-old forward Niklas Bärkroth his first team debut, while 17-year-old midfielder Jakob Johansson made nine appearances. That policy has continued in the 2008 campaign, with 18-year-old right-back Sebastian Eriksson playing six games while 17-year-old forward Robin Söder scored the winner in his second match against Djurgårdens IF on Saturday.

Latest arrival
Eriksson, Bärkroth and Söder have all been included in the party that heads for San Marino on Tuesday to play in Göteborg's UEFA Champions League first qualifying round opener at S.S. Murata. That trio will be joined by another teenager eager to make his name under coaches Stefan Rehn and Jonas Ohlsson, 19-year-old midfielder Erik Lund, newly arrived from Aston Villa FC.

'All about experience'
"It's all about experience," explained former Göteborg, Sweden, Servette FC, Real Sociedad de Fútbol and Wimbledon FC midfielder Mild. "Going to Europe and playing against teams from other nations can only help their development." With the club recently setting up a school for footballers aged eleven upwards, the stage is set for more teens to blossom in Gothenburg in the years to come.