Former national team player Victoria Sandell and referee Tess Olofsson are presented today as ambassadors for the UEFA F17 European Championship 2024 in Sweden. The championship will be played May 5-18 in Malmö and Lund.
– Playing a championship at home is an absolutely fantastic experience. I am convinced that together with the host cities Malmö and Lund we will deliver a joyful and memorable championship, says Victoria Sandell.
UEFA F17 European Championship 2024 in Sweden is approaching. Preparations continue for the tournament which will be played in Skåne in May. Now it is clear that Victoria Sandell and Tess Olofsson will be ambassadors for the tournament.
Victoria Sandell is a blue-yellow legend with 166 caps, sixth most in the history of the women’s national team, and 68 goals, which places her in fifth place among the women’s national team’s all-time top scorers. She has played a total of ten championships with Sweden: four EC, three WC and three Olympics. She has two silvers from EC 2001 and WC 2003. In WC 2003 she was also awarded the Silver Ball as the second best player of the entire tournament and was also included in the tournament’s All Star team. Sandell has also won the Diamond Ball on two occasions and also has four SM golds and three cup golds with Älvsjö AIK and Djurgården/Älvsjö. Nowadays, Sandell is part of the women’s national team’s leadership staff.
– When I was asked to be an ambassador for the championship, I had many wonderful flashbacks to both championships that I myself have played with the women’s national team, but also to when I was an ambassador for the EC application in 2013. I know about the process around a championship on home soil, how much work is required and how many zealots are working on this. I am completely convinced that together with the host cities Malmö and Lund we will deliver a joyful and memorable championship. And for the players, to play a championship on home soil is something few are blessed with, I played the home European Championship in 1997 with the women’s national team and it was absolutely fantastic. It was a matter of course to accept this assignment, says Victoria Sandell.
Tess Olofsson became a FIFA referee in 2015 and has a solid track record with an international touch. In the summer of 2023, she refereed her first WC, the EC debut took place the year before. She has passed several milestones in Swedish football. Like when she became the first female referee to referee a Swedish elite match on the men’s side, and then became the first woman to referee a match in the Allsvenskan on the men’s side. She has also been named Sweden’s best judge on five occasions. And as recently as February, she refereed this year’s final in the women’s Nations League between Spain and France. Formerly successful goalkeeper in both Malmö FF and the girls’ national team.
– It feels very honored and I feel great pride in being an inspiration to younger judges by being an ambassador for this championship. To be able to inspire and help others in their development and achieve their dreams and goals, just like I have done, says Tess Olofsson.
As ambassadors for UEFA F17 European Championship 2024, Victoria Sandell and Tess Olofsson will attend various activities around the championship and help create awareness of the tournament by being the face of the championship.
As the host nation, Sweden is directly qualified for the UEFA F17-EC 2024. The other seven participating nations will qualify during the month of March. Between May 5-18, Europe’s eight best nations will gather in Malmö and Lund, where they will settle for the EC gold. The top three countries in the tournament also qualify for the U17 World Cup, which will be played in the Dominican Republic in November.