A day of sorrow

This post will be a little more personal than usual.
After several weeks of inactivity I had planned to write something about the ongoing Euro qualifiers. It could have been some words on the soon-to-be record holder Wayne Rooney or the injured Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Perhaps more in the style of this blog, it could have been about Ebba Wieder, Camille Surdez and the other young women struggling to qualify for the U17 Championship.
However, this day became a sad day in Swedish football. The Stockholm club IF Brommapojkarna, my club, announced that the captain of the top tier men´s team, Pontus Segerström had passed away during the night, 33 years old. It was just this August the brain tumour that ultimately ended his short life was discovered. He leaves behind a wife and two kids.
He also leaves behind a club in deep sorrow. Pontus Segerström was not just an ordinary player or even an ordinary captain. He was one of few "old" players in a club mostly consisting of youngsters between 18 and 24. Several referred to him as something of a father rather than a brother.
It has since long been clear that Brommapojkarna will be relegated this year. As always when tragedy strikes, the outcome of matches and series lose in importance. It sometimes even feels meaningless to play at all.
Still, we know that the remaining players WILL play again. Pontus´ teammates will face AIK on Sunday. The same day I will myself coach my 10 years old "Boys from Bromma" in this year´s last competition. We will play, because Pontus would never had wanted anyone in his club to refrain from playing the game he loved for his sake, and we will dedicate our efforts to him.
Later we will keep on playing week after week, year after year. Most of the time, we will struggle, win and lose without giving him a thought. Now and then, though, when the sun shines on the football fields in the western suburbs of Stockholm, his spirit will strengthen us and lead us to new victories.

IF Brommapojkarna (official website)