Erika Holst has signed a contract that extends over the 2030 season. She will take on the role of national team captain on May 1, 2026.
But putting the signature on paper required a lot of thought.
We have had a dialogue since last spring, Anders Lundberg (national team manager) and I. A few weeks ago, it landed on something that we were both satisfied with, she says.
What made you bite?
Partly that it is an honorable assignment, partly to come back to an environment where the best are. We will make sure to have the best leadership team to help the best players and drive to challenge the best in the world. It triggers me.
The 46-year-old chose to focus on her coaching career after a text message from her former national team colleague Kim Martin Hasson in 2021.
"Are you interested in becoming a coach? Please say yes", wrote the former goalkeeper and now sports manager for the SDHL team Frölunda.
Holst said yes. And in the spring, she led the team to the SM gold and this season the club has started with 15 straight matches without a loss.
An environment and daily life that she has decided to leave after the season.
Erika Holst comes from a solid player background, with the Olympic Games silver in 2006 as her main merit. As an active player, she made 327 national team matches and she became the first female player to be elected to the Swedish Hall of Fame
Current national team captain Ulf Lundberg will lead Damkronorna over the Olympic Games, a tournament that is played in Milan and which Sweden will start against Germany on February 5.
Born: April 8, 1979 in Varberg.
Clubs as a player: Veddinge, MB Hockey, Limhamn, Minnesota Duluth, Segeltorp.
National team matches as a player: 327.
Main merits: Olympic Games silver 2006, Olympic Games bronze 2002, World Championship bronze 2005 and 2007.
Merits as a coach: SM gold 2025.
Current: New national team captain for Damkronorna, and will take office before the 2026-2027 season.
