Swedish Champions in 2001, Stockholm side Hammarby IF is small but perfectly formed.
Hammarby IF Fotbollförening, more commonly known as Hammarby Fotboll or simply Hammarby is Stockholm’s most centrally located club.
The Söderstadion could have been anywhere in the United Kingdom – this could easily be Ayr United or Luton Town. Except this is not Scotland or England – its the Swedish capital of Stockholm.
Söderstadion was the home of Hammarby.
The smallest (arguably) of the Swedish capital’s great football sides, the Söderstadion saw its last game in June 2013.
The 1-1 draw against Ängelholm saw the curtain come down on its football life.
The Söderstadion – translated into English as Southern Stadium – was a very traditional football stadium.
It was built in 1966 some 8 years after the 1958 World Cup in Sweden.
With its tall floodlights that gleamed down on the surface, a football stadium had existed at the site since 1918.
Originally it fell under the name Johanneshovs Idrottsplats.
For many years the stadium was known for its location next to a neighboring indoor ice stadium. The massive white spherical roof of the ice arena dominated the skyline like an overgrown golf ball.
It stood tall adjacent to the Söderstadion giving the shape of the sporting area an unconventional feel.
That arena is now called the Avicii Arena after the DJ who tragically died through over work, but was originally known as Stockholm Globe Arena.
The address of the stadium hints to its locality – Arenavägen, 121 27 Stockholm-Globen.
Essentially the ground was the most modest of the three venues in Stockholm and had a small capacity of just 13,000. It was famous for its intimate atmosphere and the unusual chanting by fans.
Green and white flags were flown in an small stadium far removed from the current Tele2 Arena. But this was home and the fans would gladly have stayed.
The last game against Ängelholm saw a spectacular choreography organized by the home fans by way of thanks but also a goodbye.
Hammarby IF have moved only a few yards away to a more modern purpose built football arena – the Tele 2 Arena which they now share with rivals Djurgardens IF.
For fans of Hammarby this is the Nya Söderstadion.
The new ground design was inspired by three football stadia – the Constant Vanden Stock in Bruxelles proved inspirational. But the Parken and Brondby Stadiums in Copenhagen also provided inspiration for the shape of the Tele2 Arena.
