Men’s team, News | 16 Oct 2023
He was a supporter in his younger days, became an assistant coach in VSK, moved up to head coach and then manager – now Kalle Karlsson is extending his contract with the club.
– It is an honor to be able to represent the football club in my hometown, says manager Kalle Karlsson.
Kalle Karlsson is ready for another two years in VSK Football – a simple decision according to himself.
The new contract is written for two years. The role will continue to be as head coach and manager for the men’s team.
How does it feel?
– It feels great! It is an honor to be able to represent the football club in his hometown and to have the opportunity to continue the journey we have started.
Easy or hard decision?
– Simple decision. It is hard to think of a more motivating task for me as a Westerner than trying to take this club forward and we who work together in the coaching team have a lot of fun together.
You have been head coach since August 2, 2021 – how far do you think you have come on the journey?
– We have come very far, I think, considering where we started. When we took over, we started at square one. We took over a squad that was relatively weak, we had sold five players in the summer, we had a thin organization, a strained economy and we had difficulty attracting the crowd back after the pandemic.
– Autumn 2021 was about saving the contract and we solved it thanks to a heroic effort against Helsingborg away in the last match. Then we could start building long-term and we have done it step by step.
With almost two and a half seasons at the helm and with almost the same team around him, there has been a clear continuity in the work.
– It is important to have a long-term perspective both when it comes to what strategy you put in place, how we are going to build the squad – really everything. Continuity in the coaching staff is also important. We have had to work together for a couple of years now and are coordinated, also with the physical team. This allows us to maximize our resources. Continuity has been important both on and off the pitch.
– Therefore, it is gratifying that assistant coach Alexander Rubin and goalkeeper coach Johannes Petersson have extended their contracts. Both have done an incredible job in their roles and they are both highly contributors to the success.
Kalle Karlsson starts a chant in front of the heel after the victory in the away match against AFC Eskilstuna earlier this fall.
One of your demands in the negotiations with VSK was that the club should support Tifo activities among the various supporter groups with SEK 25,000 – you got your demand through.
– It’s great fun with the development that we’ve seen in the stands starting from last autumn and then continuing this year. The stand culture is on the rise in VSK and it is fundamental for us to develop as a club. I hope that the penny can contribute to making it even better. And if it gets better, even more people will become interested and connect to the stands and then the club will earn back the money. Then you are inside the virtuous circle where everything spins, says Kalle Karlsson.
In closing, what is your best memory of the season so far?
– Oh, there are many fun memories and I hope that the best ones remain to be experienced. But if I have to say something that has been, it has to be the win down in Helsingborg in round three. It was early in the season, there and then there were different crossroads for the season, but when we won at Olympia it felt like one of the heaviest scalps that VSK Football has taken in recent years. A club with a solid history and a huge budget compared to VSK. Then it turned out that HIF was not the top team everyone thought – but we didn’t know that at the time. When we won down there, I got confirmation that it can be a good season, says Kalle Karlsson in conclusion.
2023-10-16 05:07:50
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