Exchange of Soccer Players

"Move your body, stretch your mind" is not only a title of the European Year of Education through Sport but also a title of one of the projects carried on by the city of Karlskrona in 2004-2005.

Taking part in competition and meetings in different countries around the Baltic Sea allows to find new friends and to learn about each other and our way of living. When travelling with our groups, we take the opportunity to make a mix of education and sport activities.

What are the differences for girls to play soccer in Sweden and Lithuania? In 2004 an interesting project with girls from Karlskrona, Sweden and Klaipeda, Lithuania as leaders has been started. Soccer is very popular in Sweden and an idea was to find out what we can learn from each other.

The first step was to send five girls to Klaipeda in the summer of 2004. For a week they were training in Klaipeda and also made new friends. They discussed activities in the project and how to coordinate the project. The girls from Karlskrona have learnt about sport organisational systems in Sweden and in Lithuania, as well as about youth programs for the members of the European Union. Such questions as why are you a member of Lyckeby Soccerclub or the problems with drugs in Sweden and Lithuania were also discussed.

On 25-30 December, the team of 25 persons from Klaipeda is invited to Karlskrona to take part in the indoor soccer tournaments. They will compete with about 200 teams in the ages from 8-18. The last event in the project will take place in the summer 2005 when all the players from Karlskrona are going to Klaipeda to take part in the similar event. At the end of the project an exhibition presenting the worked out results will be organised in the premises of the Municipality of Karlskrona.

The project is sponsored by a Swedish foundation of King Gustaf V which supports youth and education projects.