When Sirius meets Kalmar FF on Saturday, they will do so as Allsvenskan leaders in a nearly full home stadium. It is therefore not at all surprising that Henrik Rönnlöf Castegren thinks that life as team captain of Sirius is “better than ever”.
13 points and a 14–5 goal difference after five rounds impress and resonate both in Swedish football and at home in Uppsala.
It's a completely different thing compared to when I came here in 2023. You see blue and black scarves every now and then in everyday life. People come forward and express their appreciation for what we're doing and what it does for the city itself. People haven't been spoiled by this sense of community and the feeling that football can give, says the 30-year-old Castegren from Östergötland.
Last year, the Mjällby team was the talk of the country. The Blekinge team came through like a steamroller and took 75 points and a convincing Swedish Championship gold, after previously finishing fifth at best.
Won against top teams
Sirius has been seventh in the Allsvenskan at best (2017), but under coach Andreas Engelmark's leadership has not exactly landed at the top of the table by accident this year. Rather, they are there despite a very tough game schedule so far. Both Hammarby and Malmö FF have been defeated and the only point loss came in the 2–2 away match against Häcken earlier this week.
Clearly, the club from the country's fourth largest city is mentioned as a serious title contender, even though there are 25 rounds remaining.
It's of course great fun to talk about Sirius, but I won't give any funny answers. If we start to look ahead and lose our footing and forget what our next task is, then it will be difficult, says team captain Castegren.
At the same time, he notes:
I don't feel we've been all over the place about our performances after any match. We haven't hit the ceiling. We know we're going to score goals; it's just that we need to close games down. You can feel that if we go to Hisingen and score two goals, then we're going to win.
In 2011, when Sirius was in Division 1 and had not played in the Allsvenskan since 1973, Kim Bergstrand and Thomas Lagerlöf were recruited as coaches.
Then the journey upwards began.
From then until now, we have not failed with a single appointment to a leadership position. That is one of the keys to what we have achieved, says Ola Andersson, himself perhaps the biggest key person behind the success.
“Fucking good”
He left the role of sporting director after a heart attack in 2023, but remains a project manager at heart at the club. He looks with pride at what has been purposefully built up at Sirius, with the club's academy and how a successful recruitment philosophy has brought many millions into the coffers.
"It's a university that educates in town - and we're going to educate football players. That's what the identity is. And now we've educated players really well in recent years," says the 59-year-old who made a name for himself outside Uppsala as an AIK midfielder and TV pundit.
Are you feeling any football fever in town?
The academic blanket lies over Uppsala, the city is too intelligent to get a fever, Andersson laughs.
But we've certainly changed a lot in town, just look at how the fan base has grown. And it's clear that there's a rush when you've taken 13 out of 15 points.
Facts: IK Sirius
Founded: 1907.
Seasons in the Allsvenskan: Makes its 13th (1969, 1973–1974, 2017–2026).
Home stadium: Studenten (capacity 11,167).
Coach: Andreas Engelmark. Took over for last season and was questioned after a weak start. But during the fall Sirius was one of the best-performing teams in the series, which was enough for a ninth-place finish.
This year's matches: Degerfors (away) 3–0, Hammarby (home) 2–0, Västerås (h) 4–1, Malmö FF (b) 3–2, Häcken (b) 2–2.
Top scorers: Isak Bjerkebo 5, Robbie Ure 4.
