After winning the Gothia Boost Tour the girls from Gimonäs Umeå IF train even harder
In the autumn, the coach Annika had decided to meet her girls team from Umeå at McDonalds, then they were surprised with a wind orchestra, confetti and music - the team had won the Gothia Boost Tour and their participation in the Gothia Cup this summer. Now the team longs for the summer and the trip to the Gothia Cup and Gothenburg.
A few months have passed since the the girls from Gimonäs Umeå IF were surprised at McDonalds, but the day of the surprise is fresh in the memory. Annika Rhodin, who is the team's coach, says that the win has given the girls a memory for life and encouraged them to train even harder. She has also heard from many of the girls' parents and everyone thinks the surprise was so much fun.
The whole day was a success, the surprise, the food, the music and the confetti it's something we'll never forget, it's a memory for life! - Annika Rhodin, coach at Gimonäs Umeå IK G14
There is still a thick layer of snow covering the streets of Umeå when we talk to Annika in the end of March. The team has then not had the opportunity to start training football outdoors because there are no pitches available and training indoors is not an option because the time slots in the sport halls are prioritized for indoor and elite sports. Some of the girls in the team have participated in a technical football training that is available for girls during the winter, where they also get the chance to meet players from other clubs since the training is open for everyone. Everyone is waiting for the snow to melt so they can start training together again, then there will be three training sessions a week and matches. On the weekend after our conversation, the team had a kick-off where they first went bowling and then went to see the elite team Umeå IK's ladies play.
When we ask what the Gothia Boost Tour win has meant for the team, Annika says that some girls who were hesitant about continuing to play football chose to stay in the team thanks to the win. Another girl who may not always have been the most hard-working in training had said that she would now train much harder to prepare for Gothia Cup. According to Annika the win has really affected the team in a positive way. She also says that it was great that the surprise came in the autumn because now the girls have something to look forward to.
At this age, there are many who quit sports according to the statistics and the pandemic has made it easier for them to quit, especially for those who think that the whole thing with matches and tournament is more important than the football itself. - Annika Rhodin, coach at Gimonäs Umeå IK G14
Now the team long for the summer and the trip to the Gothia Cup and Gothenburg. They look forward to everything - to play football, the opening ceremony, a visit to the amusement park Liseberg, to swim in the sea and to stay in the school accommodation together. Staying at school would have been an obvious choice even if they had signed up without the Gothia Boost Tour win because the experience of staying everyone together, hanging out with players from other teams and countries is what makes the tournament feeling complete.
