Federation Name: Swedish Baseball & Softball Federation
Federation President: Mats Fransson
Elite League: Eliteserien
Team Manager: Ulf Steinvall
Federation Web Link: http://www.baseboll-softboll.se
Sweden 2009 IBAF Baseball World Cup Roster
Current world rank: 26
Best World Cup result (year(s)): 15th place (1994)
Most recent World Cup (result): 2005 (16th place)
How it advanced to World Cup: Host nation
Most recent international competition (result): 2007 European Championships (6th place)
History of baseball in Sweden
An independent people, the Swedes originally took to baseball without the aid of Americans trying to export the game to Scandinavia. Instead, locals were instrumental in the genesis of Swedish baseball at the dawn of the 20th century.
a
Initial reports of the sport in Sweden date back to 1904 in the southern town of Gothenburg. Six years later, baseball’s first high-profile Swedish supporter – and future IOC president – would introduce the game in the north.
a
a
The Olympic connection
In 1910 the first baseball club in Sweden, Västerås Bäsbollklubb, was formed by ASEA CEO Sigfrid J Edström, who was a great sports supporter. Edström brought with him equipment from his business trips to North America and provided the Västerås club with both equipment and opponents, as they played exhibition games against U.S. companies such as Bethlehem Steel Company who was visiting Sweden.
a
But the biggest game that Västerås played was the exhibition game on July 15th, 1912, during the Summer Olympics in Stockholm. The opponents was the United States Track and Field team, among these eight medallists from the 1912 Olympic Games.
a
The U.S. provided Västerås with a pitcher and catcher from their squad. Wesley Oler, a high jumper from Yale University, was drafted to catch and one of the U.S. medalists Ben Adams, who had won a bronze a week earlier in the standing long jump, agreed to pitch for the Swedes. Despite this, the U.S squad was too strong, winning 13-3 in six innings in the first showing of baseball on Swedish soil.
a
a
The early days
At the end of World War II, the first roots of baseball was planted in and near Stockholm. 1944 the first club was founded, and was followed by several others in the following years.
a
In the early 50’s the first international games were played, when Finland wanted to learn baseball for the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki. The finns beat Sweden, 9-4, in the first international game ever played by a Swedish national selection.
a
Future U.S. emigrants such as Willy Wahlin and Sune Lundberg founded the Swedish Baseball Federation in 1956, which then consisted of five clubs. Solna was inaugural champions, and the Swedes also played two “internationals” against the Canadian fleet at Traneberg and the U.S. Navy at Östermalms IP – with 500 spectators following the last game.
a
In the early 60's baseball grew northwards and the oldest active club, Leksands BSK, was founded in 1962 by the three Leander brothers (Ove, Rune and Kjell) - and the family is still nowadays involved in baseball in many ways.
a
Also in 1962, the SBSF became a member of the European Baseball Federation and makes its debut in European Championship play in Amsterdam on July 21-29. Sweden loses all four games, against Netherlands (0-14), France (11-14), Spain (0-16) and West Germany (5-11).
a
Sweden brought in coaches from abroad even in the early days. People who made a huge difference in the development of Swedish baseball include Bill Arce, Ron Brown, Glenn Gostick, to name only a few of the many who did huge effors for the development of Swedish baseball. This gave results, as the players got better and better, and in 1964 Sweden won its first game in European Championships, beating France 5-0 in Milan, Italy.
a
1965 marks the year when the first official field, Skarpnäck, is built in Sweden after two years of labour. The field was later moved to make room for housing but the old location can be seen from the current field's grandstand.
a
Leksand is the early powerhouse, winning six straight Championships from 1967-1972.
a
In 1973 the federation took another big step as we were allowed membership with the Swedish Confederation of Sports, thereby making public funds available for the programs and also allowing for the competitions to official Swedish Championships.
a
(to be continued)
Team Videos
