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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Sam Dalling in Stockholm

‘We start them early’: the small Swedish club that produced Gyökeres, Bergvall and Kulusevski

Viktor Gyökeres (left), Lucas Bergvall (centre) and Dejan Kulusevski pictured in their days at Brommapojkarna.
Viktor Gyökeres (left), Lucas Bergvall (centre) and Dejan Kulusevski pictured in their days at Brommapojkarna. Composite: Guardian Pictures; Bildbyrån/Shutterstock

“We’re building Swedish youth.” The sign adorning the main stand at Brommapojkarna is simple, authoritative and accurate. Beneath it, in the lashing rain, the men’s side are training. But while their top-tier status is important, that is far from the primary focus.

Twenty-four hours before the men’s game, BP’s 5,000-capacity Grimsta IP stadium hosted a celebration of the under-19s, who secured a first national title since 2008. Youth development is at the heart of the club and on Sunday the fruits of Vällingby, a suburb in west Stockholm, will be consumed 1,100 miles away in north London.

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