Sweden officially set to kick off August 15 – unless COVID-19 situation changes

The Swedish American Football Federation, SAFF, has announced that it will officially allow all football games in all divisions including the four-team Superserien, the top division in Sweden, to commence August 15.

The four teams playing in the Swedish Superserien are the defending champion Stockholm Mean Machines as well as the Carlstad Crusaders, Uppsala 86ers and Orebro Black Knights.

The Swedish season had been scheduled to start on April 4 but as throughout the rest of the world, the COVID-19 pandemic put everything on hold. The Swedish federation initially announced that no football would be played until at the earliest August 15 without setting a firm date. A preliminary schedule was proposed in mid May.

SAFF has now officially set August 15 as a start date and that any games prior to that, including friendly, exhibition and preseason games, will not be sanctioned.

There is one caveat.

Should the Public Health Agency of Sweden, the Swedish Sports Confederation, or any other government authority revise guidelines or general advice and make changes owing to COVID-19, this decision will be adjusted accordingly.

SAFF, along with all other sports federations in Sweden, has been ordered to develop protocols for games and competitions. These protocols are designed to minimize the risk of the virus spreading between players, coaches and officials.

According to the prevailing guidelines from the Public Health Agency of Sweden, all games will be played without an audience in closed arenas/fields. If these guidelines are changed, the protocols will also be updated in accordance with the new guidelines.