Europa Cup final: Sofia Reidy stresses importance of Hammarby fans ahead of BK Häcken showdown | OneFootball

Sofia Reidy and Hammarby are ready for their return clash against BK Häcken in the UEFA Women’s Europa Cup final. Hammarby find themselves 1-0 down on aggregate after a solo goal from Felicia Schröder gave the Gothenburg-based club a slim advantage.

Ahead of the return fixture on Friday, the defender spoke to the media and stresses they are in a ‘special’ situation following Saturday’s encounter. Almost 7,500 fans packed into the Stockholm Arena to urge their team on to a home victory.

However, like most times in football, things don’t work out the way you plan. Despite a dominant attacking performance which saw Hammarby clock 14 attempts, a swift counter-attack from BK Häcken awarded them the lead.

The importance of the Hammarby supporters

Hammarby have long been known to have one of the strongest and most passionate fanbases in women’s football, and they will need to be in full force to help their side come from behind to win the inaugural Europa Cup.

“I think it’s so cliche to say, but they’re really our 12th player,” Reidy told the media ahead of the final. “They give us so much energy, and we always feel like they have our back. So being down one goal, I just feel like it’s good for us to have the fans supporting us.”

Most notably, some Hammarby fans may not have to travel far with the Europa Cup being contested by two Swedish sides. The 22-year-old defender believes this is evidence of the strength of the Swedish league — the Damallsvenskan.

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“I think that’s a receipt that Swedish football is still good and one of the better leagues in the world, maybe. So it’s just special to play, and we’re playing them a lot in the season, also here in Sweden, so it’s just fun. We know each other well.”

Reidy also believes it would be ‘special’ to win the tournament in its maiden year. UEFA introduced the tournament ahead of the 2025/26 season to give more teams the chance to test themselves against European opposition, and has produced some great matchups so far.

Paying back the Hammarby fans

Not only do the side need the fans to come out in full voice in the final, but Reidy views Friday’s fixture as opportunity to reward the fans for their unwavering support as well as ‘meaning everything’ to the players.

“Our supporters, they’re as passionate as we are. So I think that [winning the cup] is the least we can do. And hopefully we will give them a win on Friday,” she said.

Alongside heavy fan support, the final will be special for another reason. The final will be held in Gothenberg, the hometown of Reidy. Having her friends and family in the stands will make the game more ‘special’ and despite having ‘four tickets’, she’s sure more will attend.

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‘When you play for Hammarby, you want to win titles’

Hammarby have a rich success of producing top talent and winning trophies. The club have won two league titles — most recently in 2023, before finishing second last season. The 2024/25 season also saw the club take home silverware as they won the Swedish Cup for the fourth time.

Having signed for Hammarby in 2025, Reidy admits players have ‘high demands’ of themselves when they represent the club.

Winning the Europa Cup would be even more significant when you take the average age of the squad into consideration. In the first leg of the final, Hammarby’s average age was just over 24 years old, yet young talent continues to perform.

“I think it’s super fun,” said Reidy. “I think that Hammarby wants to develop and give young people chances, and I think they’ve really done that. You have to have a balance between young players and maybe more mature players, so that’s perfect that Alice [Carson] comes in and has played a long time [for the club].”

Despite this, the club places no weight of expectation on the young and emerging squad, but rather relish giving ‘young players chances’, which has led to a ‘super fun and exciting’ time for the club.

Looking ahead to the Europa Cup final

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The 22-year-old admits they did a lot of ‘good stuff’ in the first leg and just ‘small changes’ are required as they head into their return fixture against BK Häcken.

Fellow Sweden international Schröder decided the first leg by a narrow margin, scoring the only goal of the tie. Reidy plays with Schröder on the international stage and admits she’s a ‘really nice person’, but is an ‘annoying’ player to come up against.

“She’s quick, and you never know what she’s gonna do next. You always have to be prepared for the unexpected when it comes to her,” she said. “She’s a really good player, very talented, and has good qualities. So it’s just fun to play against those kind of players.”

Limiting Schröder is no mean feat and the backline must ‘reach quicker’ to prevent a repeat of the first leg.

“I think we need to stop the counter-attacks higher up in the pitch. We know that’s a good weapon they have, and if we’re able to prevent it, even before it happens, I think that’s the best solution to it. So I just think that we need to react quicker, and just try to have the ball as much as possible and win it back the second we lose it,” said Reidy.

The inaugural UEFA Women’s Europa Cup will conclude on Friday 1st May as Hammarby travel to BK Häcken trailing by one goal. Kicking-off at 16:00 (CET) viewers at home can stream the match live on the UEFA website, as well as their YouTube channel.

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