The reputation of fledgling manager Freja Holm was on the rise after she led Alingsås IF to an immediate promotion from Sweden’s second tier in 2027. She now faced a tough test to keep her team in the top tier, given they only managed 12 points and one win in their previous attempt.
Indeed, Holm’s Elitettan success attracted interest from top-tier side Kristianstad, who invited her for an interview and quickly offered their vacant role. However, despite it being a first professional opportunity, having checked the club’s best players, Holm didn’t feel it was a huge step up and was put off by the dreaded mention of financial ruin in the interview. So she stayed loyal to Alingsås.
That loyalty was rewarded as the board swiftly requested a meeting with the manager, discussing the option to go professional. Holm accepted, and the club announced plans to turn professional in January 2028.
The new season began with 12 players departing at the end of their contracts. Holm’s big target was a new goalkeeper, which arrived in the form of 5ft 11in (which is tall in the women’s game) Macedonian Ajsa Kalac. She was joined by exciting English winger Lexi Lloyd-Smith from Bristol City, midfielder Sara Frigren from Brommapojkarna, Australian playmaker Isabella Accardo and Paraguayan centre back Vanessa Arnaboldi.
Holm believed she’d added plenty of quality to the squad for their step up to Damallsvenskan. And the addition of midfield quality convinced her to switch up last season’s successful 3-4-3 to a 4-3-3, with Accardo and Frigren playing in behind Chilean playmaker Anaís Álvarez.
Alingsås Return To Damallsvenskan
In an intriguing twist of fate, Alingsås began the season with a home game against Kristianstad, who Holm rejected in the summer. They started superbly as striker Carol Baiana headed home after 15 minutes and Lloyd-Smith announced herself with a wonderful 20-yard strike into the bottom corner. They played really well and Frigren passed inside for Álvarez to wrap up the win on 73 minutes, despite a worrying late comeback. A far less eventful first away day followed as they earned a 0-0 at Piteå. But they started well again at home to Vittsjö, with Baiana heading in left back Emmy Blomberg’s corner and an Ina Österlind cross. Lloyd-Smith made it three just before halftime and, with that, they doubled the win tally they managed in their previous top-flight campaign after just three games!
The solid start continued with Baiana and Lloyd-Smith earning a 2-2 at Örebro and Baina, before centre back Ellen Andersson scored in a 2-0 win at home to Brommapojkarna and Álvarez’s delicious early strike was enough to down reigning champions Häcken 1-0. And that latest win saw Alingsås surpass the 12 points they managed in the entirety of their previous Damallsvenskan season after six matches!
That flying start coincided with Holm passing her Continental B licence in early May, and the board duly handed her another new two-year contract on £190 per week. Her players celebrated that new contract with Baiana bagging a first-half hat trick at Malmö, before Andersson headed home a corner and Baiana added her fourth to send her side top of the league!
Alingsås finally lost 2-1 at Rosengård and again 3-2 at home to Djurgårdens. Lloyd-Smith earned a point at Linköping and Baiana did the same after a slow start at AIK before a bore 0-0 at home to Växjö. That took Alingsås five games without a win but still looking very solid in 4th place after 12 games heading into the month-long winter break. They’d only lost twice and conceded a joint league-low 13 goals, and Baiana was the league’s top scorer with 11 goals.
Holm was delighted with how Alingsås had stepped up to the big test of competing in Damallsvenskan, and any fears of relegation looked long gone for this season. Her big task now was to build on that start and, having gone five games without a win, try to avoid falling down the table. And, remember, the club would turn professional in January, so it was imperative to stay in the top tier.
Could semi-pro Alingsås continue to compete with Sweden’s biggest clubs? Join us on Friday to find out!
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