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TEAM
STROMMEN AND CHANGE 27th October
2009
There is a well-known saying that nothing can be certain except for change.
Toppserien League Nears End:
Certainly this is true at Team Strommen in these last few weeks of
the Toppserien season, and in the weeks before the
finals of the Norway Cup.


Team Strommen welcomes the two Clubs promoted to the Toppserien
league in 2010: Donn and Linderud
Team Strommen's last regular match of the season is against bottom
of the 2009 table, Fortuna-Alesund. However, the Fortuna Club has a loyal
following and is looking to end the season in style. They are
planning to set a new European record for attendance this weekend,
even though they will be relegated in 2010.

The old record was 9, 416 spectators and this attendance was recorded
in a match in Sweden between Linköping and Umeå.
Fortuna's plan is that everyone in Ålesund city will know about the
record attempt. There has been excellent marketing with good
coverage in local newspapers, on Sunnmøre TV and Radio Ålesund. TV2
has also said that they will be at the game.
The Fortuna Club has promised to print up flyers and "wallpaper the
city." The cost of admission to the Color Line Stadium is a
contribution - anything from 50 cents to 1,000 kroner, and there
will be great door prizes.

Changes in women's soccer in Norway
Most Toppserien 2010 women's Clubs are seeking better marketing in
2010, more paying people in the stands, and more consolidation with
established Men's Clubs to allow better Club profitability and
player contracts.
For Team Strommen, this means, among other things, that the team
will change name to the LSK Women FK - the Lillestrøm SK
Women Soccer Club. In 2010 the women's Club will remain a separate entity, but
it will work in cooperation with Lillestrom Soccer Club, and the aim is
eventually to be completely integrated with this Men's Club. Next
season the women will wear their yellow jerseys full-time, instead
of just for away matches as occurred this season.
Better marketing and attendance figures will allow the women's game
to become financially more stable, and allow better professional
contracts. As an example, reports show that the total salary for all
the women's team at Arna Bjorner in 2009 was only $ $128,715 Cdn ,
while for the Sandviken women's team it was only $ 87,000 Cdn. By comparison,
one men's player Erik Huseklepp earned $1,060,860 Cdn. Of course, the
men bring in larger crowds, more money and more interest, and the women's game
must seek to do the same.
Of
course, some Toppserien women players receive no salaries at all, while others
at the top of the game like Erika Skarbo of Arna Bjorner earned
$35,000 Cdn from her Club. She also received a salary
from the Norwegian National Team. With the lure of WPSL contracts,
more money in the European Leagues and the UK Women's League planned
for 2011, Norway is seeking to set up more professional structures
and salaries to attract and keep its top players.
Team Strommen's Junior Team:
A bright light for the future of the Club has been the
performance of its Junior team this year. Team Strommen won the
Junior Women's Norway Cup 2 - 0 against Trondsheim-Orn.
The Norway Cup and Preparation
The highlight of the Norwegian soccer season will be on 7th
November, with the finals of the Norway Cup at the National Stadium.
As part of the preparations, Team Strommen took on the LSK
Junior Boys team. The practice was excellent for learning to play at a much
faster, and more physical pace. The women may even have surprised
the boys by scoring the first goal against them.
The women's team hung in well and launched some good attacks, but they did
lose the game eventually. More matches are scheduled as part of
the build-up to the finals.

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