Star Interview: Anders Maki
Linkopings fc General Manager

 

December 2009 and after all the missed games, talk of players leaving for bigger bucks, the economic crisis, the rise of an English league..Linkopings won the Swedish Damallsvenskan for the first time in their history. They also did the treble showing the rest of Sweden and Europe that they are truly one of the best teams in Europe..on the field. There from the days when it was just a dream and one of the big reasons for the success is Anders Maki. Making sure that everything runs smoothly and they stay one of the best 'off' the field. Previewing our 'Big Money' Issue Anders Maki talks with Tiago.

Tiago: Could you explain your role at the club and what this entails?

Anders: I am the General Manager which is the operational manager of the club.
I need to see that as well the income side with sponsorships and attendance
develops as the production side with the football organization with coaches,
players and team staff.

Of course, it is a management job so to my help I have for instance a
marketing manager and a sports manager on each side.

How did you get involved in female football all those years ago?

I have been playing ice hockey with the Linköping team and in 2003 we
started a collaborative organization between male hockey and female
football. I am the deputy manager in the hockey team as well which In fact
is a bigger part since the hockey organization is much bigger. But during
2003 I was elected to be the manager of our football team.

What major changes have you seen on and off the field at Linkopings FC?

To make a great team in professional sports you need a good organization,
good values built in that gives continuity in the organization and team and
you also need resources, financial stability to be able to develop the team
and give players a better environment to work in. We have tried to develop
this each year a little bit and have been accurate in having the financial
income to match the cost.

So there has been a lot of small changes each year to build the
organization, the team and the commitment from sponsors and fans. So far we have been successful in our goal, to make the team a little bit better each
year.

Winning the League, Cup and the Supercup Triple this season must have been the icing on all those years of hard work?

Yes, of course it is a milestone but we were not that far away in 2008. We
have won the cup in 2006 and 2008 before. But we are really proud of winning the triple 2009.

How do you now build off these great wins on and off the field?
This (the triple) is both beneficial and crucial for the club's future. We will have a better
position on the sponsor market and we will attract athletes. However we also
have to show up and produce results at the top level to defend our titles. Also players in a winning team are of course under the eyes of other professional teams for recruitment.

 

Success for European clubs now seems like a double edged sword. How do you survive when your best players ( Seger + Asllani ) are leaving for nothing to America?

Charlotte Rohlin will stay, she signed a new three year deal with LFC. However Seger and some more, might try their wings abroad.

I think we should be proud of developing players to that level. In six years with LFC the following players came to us and made a debut in the Swedish national team AFTER signing with LFC; Hedvig Lindahl, Caroline Seger, Maria Karlsson*, Maria Aronsson*, Charlotte Rohlin*, Kosovare Asllani and Petra Larsson. The one with marks are also natives of Linköping.

We will for sure develop new players for our team so even if some players leave..we will continue working.

...One day they might come back.

Read the rest of Anders Maki's exclusive Interview with Tiago and the thoughts of other Presidents, General Managers, Directors, Players and Coaches in our BIG MONEY issue!!...coming June