Umea IK

Umea IK (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈʉ̌ːmɛɔ ˈiːkoː]) is a professional association football club based in the city of Umea, in northern Sweden, and currently playing Elitettan, the second tier of women's football in Sweden.

They were one of the most successful football clubs in the world in the early 2000s, winning seven Swedish championships between 2000 and 2008, four Swedish Cups (2001, 2002, 2003 and 2007) and the UEFA Women's Champions League twice, in 2003 and 2004. They also reached the Champions League finals in 2002, 2007 and 2008. A number of Swedish and international stars played for the club during that period, most notably Brazilian star Marta.

Umea IK play their home games at Umea energi arena (formerly known as Gammliavallen) in Umea. The team colours are black and yellow. The club is affiliated to the Vasterbottens Fotbollforbund.

History

Established in 1917 as a general sports club, the women's football section began competing in 1985 in the Swedish fourth division. In 1986, they won the division and were promoted to the third division. In 1991, the club began paying its players, 35kr per game, and implemented a more regular training schedule than other Swedish teams in the hopes of turning the team into a European contender.

In 1996 the team reached the Premier Division (Damallsvenskan) only to be relegated the following year. In 1998 they were promoted again. The years following the second promotion saw an enormous amount of success for the club, winning seven Swedish championships in 9 years (2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008). In the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup, five out of the starting eleven on the silver medal winning Swedish national team played for Umea IK. In 2004, Brazilian star Marta signed with the club. The club went unbeaten in the 2006 Damallsvenskan season.

After their last championship title in 2008, the club's fortunes faltered, with several high profile players leaving and the club being forced to restructure itself to avoid ba

This page also has a version in other languages :  Умео ИК (russian)