How Hammarby Fotboll reinvented their training program – and doubled participation

The starting point: a club ready to grow

Hammarby Fotboll is one of Stockholm’s largest football clubs. With more than 4,000 active players, 800 youth coaches, and over 200 youth teams, it operates on a remarkable scale.
Yet there was a problem. In 2024, only 36% of coaches participated in any form of training during the year. By 2025, that figure had dropped to 26%, a concerning decline.

Daniel and his team conducted a thorough analysis, interviewing both participants and non-participants. The findings were clear:

- Accessibility: In-person sessions at 6:00 PM on weekdays required coaches to travel to the club office and spend several hours away from work and family.

- Structure: Coaches had little visibility into their learning journey. Training progress was managed through Excel spreadsheets—a logistical nightmare

‍- Motivation: Training was perceived as cumbersome and difficult to complete.

Instead of accepting the situation, Daniel and the club leadership saw an opportunity.

The solution: blended learning designed for real life

The club could not simply move everything online. Football is a practical sport, coaches need to demonstrate techniques and concepts on the pitch, not just read about them.

The answer was blended learning: a combination of online learning and in-person sessions.

This led to the creation of Kunskapsakademin (The Knowledge Academy), a learning platform built in Learnifier designed to:

• Bring all training into one place
• Reduce administration through automation
• Improve accessibility with online courses
• Create a clear learning structure for coaches

A key success factor was the integration with SportAdmin, the club’s membership management system. Whenever a new coach was registered in SportAdmin, an onboarding course was automatically activated in Learnifier.

No manual administration. No Excel spreadsheets. Just a system that runs itself.
‍

Learning design for time-constrained coaches

Daniel and his team understood that volunteer coaches have limited time. They designed the learning experience accordingly:

• Short videos: 90 seconds to 5 minutes instead of lengthy lectures
• Written summaries: Key takeaways reinforced after each video
• Interactive knowledge checks: Coaches could test and apply what they learned
• Flexibility: Courses could be completed anytime—on the subway, at home after putting children to bed, or during lunch breaks

The first step—the introduction—required about 60 minutes online. The second step (leadership) combined self-paced learning with a Teams webinar. The third step (coaching) was delivered in person, combining classroom theory with practical sessions on the football field.

The results

The program launched in February 2025. Three months later, the results were crystal clear:

26% → 55% Participation

That represents an increase of more than 100% in just three months.

But the numbers tell only part of the story. Daniel highlights several qualitative outcomes:

• More time for sporting directors to support coaches on the field
• Faster onboarding for new coaches
• A cultural shift where learning became something positive rather than a burden
• Improved structure and visibility throughout the learning journey

The club’s goal for 2025 is 70% participation. At the current pace—nearly one percentage point per day—that target is well within reach.

Key success factors

1. A Clear Vision

The club clearly understood both the problem and the desired outcome. That created direction and focus.

2. The Right People

A dedicated project team with expertise in IT, content creation, and project management, supported by Sebastian from Learnifier as a trusted advisor.

3. Technology That Works

The SportAdmin integration transformed the system into a largely self-running process with minimal manual administration.

4. A Phased Rollout

Rather than launching everything at once, the club started with a pilot group. They launched the onboarding course first, waited a month, and then introduced additional courses, allowing time for feedback and improvements.

5. Strong Communication

The club clearly communicated why the change was necessary. Coaches understood the purpose and were therefore more receptive to the solution.

6. Learner-Centered Design

Every aspect of the experience was built around the coaches—their time constraints, needs, and preferred ways of learning.

‍

Lessons for your organization

If your organization faces similar challenges, there is much to learn from Hammarby Fotboll:

• Be curious. Understand user needs before choosing a solution.
• Be courageous. Breaking old habits requires confidence and experimentation.
• Take responsibility. Stay focused on the people you serve.
• Integrate your systems. Automation can save hundreds of hours and eliminate manual errors.
• Think blended. Not everything needs to be digital, and not everything needs to be face-to-face.
• Launch gradually. Start small, learn, and scale.

What's next for Hammarby Fotboll? 

Hammarby Fotboll is far from finished. The next step is expanding Kunskapsakademin to include parents and other parts of the organization.
But one thing is already clear: when the right technology, the right people, and the right learning design come together, remarkable things happen.
Going from 26% to 55% participation in three months is more than a statistic. It represents 800 coaches developing their skills, thousands of children receiving better training, and a club becoming stronger and more capable.

That’s what happens when you have the courage to start over.

‍