Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Female Football Player - Hedvig Lindahl, Sweden

Rut Hedvig Lindahl, born 29 April 1983 in Katrineholm, Sweden, and raised in Marmorbyn is a professional football (soccer) goalkeeper who currently plays for Kristianstads DFF in Damallsvenskan.

At the age of thirteen Lindahl decided to focus on becoming a professional football player. This was after she had been selected to Katrineholm - Flen - Vingåkers "zonlag". Previously Lindahl had played both as a forward and a goalkeeper, but decided to focus on the latter position. Lindahl was selected to play on the Sörmland team (a temporary team where the best football players in Södermanland in the same age group were allowed to play).

Lindahl's national team career began in 1998 when as a part of the Sörmland team she participated at the Elite Girls Camp in Halmstad. There she was selected for the Allstar Team, where the best football players born -83 participated. Each fifteen-year-old footballer was measured on a five-point scale. Lindahl received the highest score (5 out of 5), which is rarely awarded.

Lindahl was on the U21 national team as of 1998 and has since also progressed to the full Swedish women's national team.

Lindahl's started her career at Gropptorps IF, outside Katrineholm in Södermanland, a boys' team Since then, Lindahl played in both Torp IF, DFK Värmbol, Tunafors SK, and the following damallsvenskan clubs:

In 2001, Lindahl was drafted for Malmo FF, where Lindahl played for three seasons (2001-2003). There was strong competition from the national team goalkeeper at the time Caroline Jonsson. Despite her position as second goalkeeper, Lindahl gained the confidence of the then national team coach Marika Domanski Lyfors, which led to Lindahl's debut in the women's national team (2002) and World Championship silver in the U.S. (2003).