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| Full name | Athletic Football Club Eskilstuna | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2007 (2007) (as "Athletic FC") | ||
| Ground | Tunavallen, Eskilstuna | ||
| Capacity | 7,800 | ||
| Chairman | Håkan Ringkvist | ||
| Manager | Tony Andersson | ||
| League | Ettan Norra | ||
| 2025 | Ettan Norra, 8th of 16 | ||
| Website | www.afc-eskilstuna.se | ||
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Athletic Football Club Eskilstuna, also known as AFC Eskilstuna or simply AFC, is a Swedish professional football club based in Eskilstuna. They compete in Ettan, the third highest tier of Swedish football, and play their home matches at Tunavallen. AFC Eskilstuna are affiliated to Södermanlands Fotbollförbund.
The club was formed in 2007 as Athletic FC and formed a close cooperation with FC Väsby United in 2012. Athletic FC replaced Väsby United in the league system the following year, forming AFC United. During the 2016 season it was once again decided that they would switch their name, identity, as well as locality. Choosing to move to Eskilstuna, about 110 kilometers west of Stockholm, they are since known as AFC Eskilstuna.
Background
AFC United
AFC United was founded when FC Väsby United increased their cooperation Division 3 club Athletic FC in late 2012.[1] They played their home matches at Skytteholms IP in Solna until the end of the 2016 season. Athletic FC was founded in 2007 and became part of AFC United in 2012. In 2012, Athletic FC played in Swedish football Division 3 Norra Svealand which is the fifth tier of Swedish football.[2] Athletic FC was affiliated to Stockholms Fotbollförbund.[3]
AFC Eskilstuna
During the 2016 season the club management decided to uproot and leave Solna and move to Eskilstuna and Tunavallen before the 2017 season. They also changed their name to AFC Eskilstuna.[citation needed]
The team were winless, having only acquired 4 points from the opening 12 matches and were firmly rooted to the bottom of the league table.[4] Michael Jolley was announced as new manager on 13 June 2017.[5] Under Jolley's coaching they took 15 points from the next 16 games.[6] A 3–1 victory over Malmö FF on 19 August 2017 in particular provided the biggest shock of the season in Allsvenskan.[7] However, they were eventually relegated to Superettan on 23 October 2017 following a spirited fight when Jönköpings Södra IF defeated Kalmar FF 2–0, meaning AFC Eskilstuna could no longer reach the qualifying position.[8] Jolley departed ways with AFC Eskilstuna on 9 January 2018 by mutual consent, after being unable to agree on the future direction of the club.[9]
On 15 January 2018, Nemanja Miljanović became the manager, after their relegation to the Superettan.[10]
AFC Eskilstuna Academy
AFC Eskilstuna Academy was founded in 2017 and aims to develop young football talents from Eskilstuna and the surrounding regions. The academy is certified by Swedish Elite Football (Svensk Elitfotboll) with one star, indicating that it meets high standards in player development, coaching, and organizational structure. Under the leadership of acting academy director Faisal Hassan, player development is conducted in close collaboration with the club’s first team. Home matches for the academy teams are mainly played at Skogsängens IP.
The academy has also achieved international success in the Gothia Cup, winning in the following years:
2022: Victory in the B17 category after defeating Dalkurd FF 1–0 in the final.
2024: Victory in the P17 category after defeating Swindon Town FITC 2–0 in the final at Ullevi.
These achievements highlight the academy’s role not only in developing players but also in enabling them to compete successfully against top youth teams internationally.
Season-to-season
| Season | Level | League | Pos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athletic FC | |||
| 2009 | Tier 9 | Division 7 Stockholm D | 4th[a] |
| 2010 | Tier 6 | Division 4 Stockholm Norra | 5th |
| 2011 | Tier 6 | Division 4 Stockholm Norra | 2nd (P) |
| 2012 | Tier 5 | Division 3 Norra Svealand | 6th[b] |
| AFC United | |||
| 2013 | Tier 3 | Division 1 Norra | 10th |
| 2014 | Tier 3 | Division 1 Norra | 1st (P) |
| 2015 | Tier 2 | Superettan | 8th |
| 2016 | Tier 2 | Superettan | 2nd (P) |
| AFC Eskilstuna | |||
| 2017 | Tier 1 | Allsvenskan | 16th (R) |
| 2018 | Tier 2 | Superettan | 3rd (P) |
| 2019 | Tier 1 | Allsvenskan | 16th (R) |
| 2020 | Tier 2 | Superettan | 9th |
| 2021 | Tier 2 | Superettan | 9th |
| 2022 | Tier 2 | Superettan | 8th |
| 2023 | Tier 2 | Superettan | 16th (R) |
| 2024 | Tier 3 | Ettan Norra | 11th |
| 2025 | Tier 3 | Ettan Norra | 8th |
- ^ In 2010, Athletic FC took over the place of Atletico Husby FF in Division 4.
- ^ In 2013, Athletic FC took over the place of FC Väsby United in Division 1.
Players
Current squad
- As of 1 September, 2025[11]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Attendances
AFC Eskilstuna have had the following average attendances:
* Attendances are provided in the Publikliga sections of the Svenska Fotbollförbundet website. [12] |
Achievements
League
- Superettan
- Runners-up (1): 2016
- Division 1 Norra
- Winners (1): 2014
Cup
- Svenska Cupen
- Runners-up (1): 2019
References
- ^ "Väsby United byter namn till AFC United: "Ett naturligt steg"". fotbolltransfers.com (in Swedish). 7 December 2012. Archived from the original on 28 July 2012. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
- ^ "norra Svealand - Division 3 – Fotbollsserier 2012 – Fotboll – everysport.com". Archived from the original on 5 November 2012. Retrieved 12 September 2011.
- ^ "Kontaktuppgifter och tävlingar – Athletic FC – Svenskfotboll.se". Retrieved 12 September 2011.
- ^ "AFC Eskilstuna 2017: Table: Round 12". worldfootball.net. Archived from the original on 10 June 2017.
- ^ Dale, James (13 June 2017). "Michael Jolley leaves Burnley to become AFC Eskilstuna boss". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 3 March 2018. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
- ^ "AFC Eskilstuna 2017: Table: Round 28". worldfootball.net. Archived from the original on 3 March 2018.
- ^ Tynander, Rasmus (19 August 2017). "AFC Eskilstuna 3–1 Malmö FF". SVT Sport. Archived from the original on 3 March 2018. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
- ^ Kjellmer, Jakob Runevad (23 October 2017). "Jönköpings Södra IF 2–0 Kalmar FF". SVT Sport. Archived from the original on 3 March 2018. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
- ^ Mattsson, Sebastian (9 January 2018). "The coach leaves: "Big disappointment"". Expressen. Stockholm, Sweden. Archived from the original on 3 March 2018. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
- ^ Malmkvist, Alexander (15 January 2018). "Sportchefen blir huvudtränare i AFC: "En fantastisk person"". Fotbollskanalen. Archived from the original on 5 March 2018. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
- ^ "A-Laget". Retrieved 7 February 2025.
- ^ "Kontaktuppgifter och tävlingar – Svenska Fotbollförbundet – svenskfotboll.se". Archived from the original on 9 June 2009. Retrieved 2 December 2010.
External links
- Official website (in Swedish)
- AFC Eskilstuna on WorldFootball
