Sven Bergqvist

Sven Olof Lennart Bergqvist (20 August 1914 – 16 December 1996) was a Swedish football and ice hockey player, known for representing Hammarby IF in both sports. He also played bandy and handball. Bergqvist is one of only three athletes that has competed in the highest Swedish division in four different sports. He had 35 caps for the Sweden men's national football team between 1935 and 1943, and received the honorary award Stora Grabbars Märke from the Swedish Football Association. He played 55 games for the Sweden men's national ice hockey team at the World Championships and the 1936 Winter Olympics, and was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 1999.

Early life Sven Bergqvist grew up in a working-class home in a southern part of Stockholm known as Södermalm. He had several siblings and frequently acted as a ball boy during the football matches of the local club Hammarby IF during his youth, studying his idol Victor Olsson. At the age of 14, in 1928, he began his football career at Hammarby IF.

Athletic career Football

In 1932, at the age of 17, he debuted in Hammarby's senior football team.

Bergqvist remained as a prolific player at Hammarby until 1946. During this period he was a part of a successful promotion campaign to Allsvenskan in 1939. Between 1944 and 1946, he also acted as a player-manager of Hammarby. In his second cap, on 30 June 1935, Sweden defeated Germany in a memorable victory.

His nickname "Svenne Berka" originated from the supporters of Hammarby, who shortened his full name in accordance to the then reigning Stockholm dialect. Alice Babs referred to Bergqvist as "Svenne Berka" in the song "Vårat gäng" during the 1940s.

In 2004, he was voted as Hammarby Fotboll's fifth biggest profile throughout the history of the club. He is also a recipient of the honorary award Stora Grabbars Märke, which is handed out by the Swedish Football Association.

Ice hockey Bergqvist was also a prominent ice hockey defender, debuting for Hammarby Hockey in 1932, also aged 17.

He represented AIK during one season in 1935/36, before returning to Hammarby. In total, he made 209 appearances for Hammarby, scoring 63 goals.

He played 55 games for the Sweden men's national ice hockey team during his active career. He appeared in three major tournaments for his country – the 1935 World Ice Hockey Championships in Davos, the Garmisch-Partenkirchen 1936 Winter Olympics and the 1938 World Ice Hockey Championships in Prague – but failed to win any of them.

After his playing career, he made one season as the manager of Hammarby Hockey in 1946. He is a recipient of the honorary award Stora Grabbars Märke, which is handed out by Swedish Ice Hockey Association. Only two persons have been awarded the badge in both ice hockey and football.

Other sports At the early age of 16, in 1931, he made his debut as a bandy goalie in Hammarby Bandy's senior team. He played another four seasons in the highest Swedish division before quitting. He also represented the Sweden national bandy team.

Bergqvist's injuries however did not stop him from continuing to exercise sport at an elite level. He took up archery and was chosen to represent Sweden at the 1960 Summer Paralympics in Rome, but had to decline due to financial reasons, since he would have had to pay all expenses himself.

Upon the construction of the Tele2 Arena, Hammarby Fotboll's new home stadium, Bergqvist was honoured with a nearby square being named after him. "Svenne Berkas torg" in Johanneshov was subsequently opened in July 2013.