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AFP, ZURICH, Switzerland
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Swedish supporters’ group the Soft Hooligans have brought their chants, drums and message of inclusion to Switzerland to support their national team at UEFA Euro 2025, to promote good vibes in the stands and better conditions for women’s soccer.
The idea for the Soft Hooligans came about in 2017 when Kajsa Aronsson, 61, and her daughter, Estrid Kjellman, 29, attended the Women’s Euros in the Netherlands.
“It was just so incredibly dead. We shouted sometimes, we cheered, and people looked at us as if we were completely crazy,” Kjellman said.
The Soft Hooligans cheer for Sweden ahead of the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 Group C match against Germany in Zurich, Switzerland, on Saturday.
Photo: AFP
“We joked that we were hooligans, and then we were like: ‘But we’re not like other hooligans, we’re soft hooligans,’” she added with a big smile.
The young woman then created a Facebook group to spread their message.
“In the beginning, there was no defined cheering section,” Aronsson said.
“We had to build everything from scratch and get people to want to stand in the stands. Early on, it wasn’t even that much fun to attend the games. You were on your own,” Kjellman said.
Eight years later, with the Women’s Euros under way in Switzerland, the atmosphere has changed significantly, the two women said, sitting in front of a ski lift in an Alpine landscape wearing caps with the slogans “More Women in Football” and “Soft Hooligans.”
“There are many more Swedes here. I think there’s a big difference with the other teams, too,” Kjellman said.
“In England, there were several matches where the opposing team basically had no supporters. Now I think most teams have some kind of organized supporter group,” she added.
A change they welcome enthusiastically.
“We definitely cheer for Sweden the most, but then you support women’s football and want there to be more atmosphere, better football, better conditions,” Kjellman said. “The culture in the stands is also a big part of making it more and more interesting to go to women’s football matches.”
The Soft Hooligans stick to some core values.
“Everyone should feel welcome,” Kjellman said, underlining the inclusive and LGBTQ-friendly nature of the group.
“There are many families and children in the stands,” Aronsson added.
However, the movement is not without its detractors.
“We receive mocking comments about our name,” Kjellman said.
“But we choose not to focus on that,” her mother added.
Kjellman lamented the ever-present political aspect of the women’s game.
“Women’s football is still very marginalized. In Sweden, we’ve come a long way, but there’s still a long way to go,” she said. “In other parts of the world, girls don’t have the opportunity to play football at all.”
The two women are optimistic about younger generations.
“Women’s football is much more accepted today. Now we have children who have [Spanish double Ballon d’Or winner Aitana] Bonmati as their favorite football player,” Kjellman said.
For the more immediate future, the Soft Hooligans are hoping for a Sweden victory in this year’s Euros.
In the stands, their massive banner proclaims: “41 Years Since Last Time” on one side and “Bringing the Gold Home” on the other, referring to Sweden’s triumph at the inaugural Women’s Euros in 1984.
They are through to the quarter-finals after a completing a perfect group stage campaign with a 4-1 win over Germany on Saturday.
“I have never, as a national coach, experienced the kind of support we had,” Sweden coach Peter Gerhardsson said. “There was a whole section that was completely yellow with a little bit of blue, and we had people above our bench, so we were enclosed in a cool way.”
Sweden stay in Zurich for their quarter-final against reigning champions England.
“It feels great that we are playing here again on Thursday, almost like home advantage,” Gerhardsson said.
