A Swedish girls football club has decided to raise money by producing and selling calendars featuring girls as young as 15-years-old in “athletic poses”.
The models were chosen from among several girls from the recently merged Emtunga and Tråvad football clubs in western Sweden who volunteered to pose for the calendar.
“We thought it would be something fun and a bit feminine with sort of a ‘we can do it’ theme,” player and Tråvad club secretary Jeanette Nilsson told The Local.
The calendar’s overarching theme is athletics and features girls in a variety of sporty settings, but with a feminine twist.
One image features a young woman mountain climbing in high heels, while another shows two girls wearing dresses sparring in a boxing ring. There is also a shot of a group of girls playing golf clad in leather.
“We didn’t want some boring calendar with team pictures and images of playing fields,” said Nilsson
“We wanted to show some attitude.”
According to Nilsson, reaction to the calendar has been largely positive despite questions raised by some about the appropriateness of featuring underage girls in a wall calendar.
While she understands that some may not agree with the project, Nilsson emphasized that the 20 players who posed for the calendar all volunteered to do so and were comfortable with the project.
“We feel confident about what we’ve done. It’s our thing and we were aware of the consequences,” she said.
The calendar showcases club members ranging in age from 15- to 43-years-old and all those under the age of 18 were required to have permission from their parents.
“The players and parents were aware of everything ahead of time,” said Nilsson.
According to Nilsson, none of the pictures are overtly risqué although “some show more skin than others”.
A total of 1,000 calendars have been printed up and are being sold for 50 kronor ($6). There are also plans to auction off a number of posters based on images from the calendar.
The proceeds are primarily going to fund a team trip “somewhere fun”, said Nilsson, similar to last year’s in which nearly 40 players traveled to Barcelona.
In addition, the team is devoting 10 kronor from the sale of each calendar to the Swedish Childhood Cancer Foundation (Barncancerfonden).
“We really thought it was important to support them too,” said Nilsson.
If sales are any indication, the calendars are already a hit, as nearly 700 have already been sold.
“If we sell out, it’s quite possible we’ll have to print up more,” she said.
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