IFK Kalmar v Hovshaga AIF, Swedish women's division 2

 

IFK Kalmar 2-0 Hovshaga AIF
Swedish women's division 2, South-east Götaland (Tier 4)
Saturday 19 September 2026, 13:00 kick-off
Gröndals idrottsplats, Kalmar
Crowd: 52 (plus 2 big dogs)

IFK Kalmar was founded in 1970 and since 2005 it has only fielded womern's and girls' teams. I've seen them before but haven't taken photos or written about them so today is a good chance to change that. They play at a lovely ground on the north side of town as I hope my photos demonstrate.

The club has had a dramatic rise and fall in recent years. Only 3 years ago they were relegated from the top league and have since slithered down to the regional division 2 in the fourth tier of the national pyramid. In 2023 they were close to bankrupcy with debts of 1.8 million SEK and dreams of grandeur collapsed as they were relegated and sold most of their players. They eventually avoided going bust with contributions from the council and supporters but have been forced to start over with hopefully more realistic ambitions and finances. 

Today they have a secure position in the middle of the league well out of relegation danger but too far from the top teams. Their current form is not great with one win and a draw from their last five matches. They play in dark blue kits.

Today's opponents, Hovshaga AIF come from Växjö and are almost certain to be relegated unless they win all their three remaining matches and other teams lose all theirs. Hovshaga were founded in 1986 and have both men's and women's teams as well as several other sports. They also play in all-blue but today turned out in their away kit of white tops and blue shorts.

The ground

An attractive ground that only a few years ago hosted matches in the top flight of Swedish women's football. The entrance is in the south-east corner and today consists of a simple table with the QR-code for mobile payments (50 kronor). Outside the kiosk was a barbeque for the hot dogs and burgers. The north side has a large clubhouse with changing rooms and kiosk all painted appropriately in blue and white. The team benches are also on this side. Behind the east end is a large sports complex and home to the town's tennis club. The south side features two open wooden stands with five rows of plastic bucket seats that are in need of a serious clean-up with a power hose. I wouldn't recommend sitting here if you're wearing your best white disco trousers. The ground has floodlights.

The game

The dogs gaze longingly towards the barbeque

A lunchtime kick-off on a dull and overcast autumn day. IFK Kalmar deserved to win this rather scrappy game with few serious chances. The hosts looked sharper in the first 15 minutes or so but neither team could string many passes together or hold possession for long. The only chance of note was when Kalmar's nippy forward Alma Muharemovic broke through but she was forced wide by the keeper. 

Kalmar took the lead after 19 minutes. A corner was headed clear but only as far as midfielder Selma Ström who hit a looping shot from the edge of the box into the net. It wasn't particularly hard and she looked rather surprised that it went in but they all count. The rest of the half was fairly uneventful and neither keeper was troubled so the hosts went in at half time with a narrow lead.

The second half continued in the same vein and play confined to the midfield. Then after 54 minutes Alma Muharemovic scored with a lobbed shot from outside the boz and over the keeper for 2-0 and that really wrapped the game up. The visitors fought well but when they did get a chance the ball flew harmlessly past the post or over the bar. The hosts could have extended their lead on a couple of occasions. Silje Jörgensen forced a good save from Hovshaga keeper Björnfot and a few minutes later a free kick from Ström was tipped over the bar. In the dying moments of the game the visitors had their best chance of the game when a free kick from captain Ebba Nilsson hit the underside of the bar.

Not the best game I've seen this season but there was no lack of effort from the girls. Tomorrow I'll go and watch Kalmar FF again but they've already been covered twice here so I'll leave my notebook behind.