The return of the Kårmästerskap

After a two-year break due to the pandemic, the prestigious Kårmästerskap finally took place on May 4th. For the first time since 2019, six of Lund’s student organizations competed for the sought-after trophy.

On a sunny spring day, excited fans gathered at the side lines of Smörlyckan IP to support the competing teams. Many sat on cosy blankets in the green, but artificial, grass. The atmosphere on the football pitch in the North of Lund got cheerful as the tournament games took their course. Chants could be heard sporadically.

The Kårmästerskap premiered in 2014. It is an important tradition for the student life in Lund and sees different unions compete for the title yearly. The winner is awarded a Golden cup.

“Football means a lot for the student life in Lund. I think it is one of the most common interests to have outside of university studies”, says Lukas Björkheim. He is part of the Sports Committee at Juridiska Föreningen, who organized the 2022 Kårmästerskap.

“I think a lot of us were pretty excited to get the tournament going again” Björkheim continued. “We as a collective have to keep the tradition going, with the support from the community.”

Some fans brought banners and flags to show their support. No matter who they cheered for, no matter the union, the supporters enjoyed the games together below the spring sun.

“It’s nice to support my union in the tournament”, said Anton, who supported team HTS (Humanistiska och Teologiska Studentkåren/The Student Union for Humanities and Theology). “Of course, we would like to win, but it’s mostly about having fun.”

Some of the supporters had been at the football field since the first morning game. Others dropped by throughout the day to use the relaxed atmosphere for a study break.

To play in the knock-out phase of the tournament, the teams had to qualify in the group stage. There, each of them played two games, with the pairings decided by a draw beforehand.

Group stage

Round 1
Lundekonomerna – D-Sektionen: 10-1
LUPEF – Medicinska Föreningen: 3-2

Round 2
HTS – D-Sektionen: 1-1
Juridiska Föreningen – LUPEF: 5-1

Round 3
Lundaekonomerna – HTS: 4-1
Medicinska Föreningen – Juridiska Föreningen: 0-5

Lundaekonomerna and Juridiska Föreningen were the only teams unbeaten in the group stage. Despite the cheerful atmosphere, the games were highly competitive.

“We played well together”, said Celina Wilmert, who played as defender for Juridiska Föreningen. “Everyone’s playing really well, it’s tough. But we solve this as a team and we’re doing really well.”

The match for 5^th place

D-Sektionen – Medicinska Föreningen: 4-5 after penalties

The fight for fifth place went into a decisive shootout. Leo Törngren went on to score the winning goal for the medical students.

“It was a great game”, said the central midfielder after celebrating the win with his team. “We talked about it afterwards and joked that it was like the game Barcelona against PSG [in the Champions League]. PSG came back with four goals and it felt the same way for us.”

Meanwhile, the goalkeeper of D-Sektionen, Joel Pistora, had to reflect on a narrow defeat. “We had our good and bad parts in the end”, he said.

The spectators witnessed plenty of goals and stunning saves from both keepers. “I ate some Chicken Nuggets and was at a Ball [the night before the tournament, editor’s note] and slept like three hours. That’s why I ended up in goal”, he joked when asked about his preparation for the games.

Semi finals

Lundaekonomerna – LUPEF: 5-1

Juridiska Föreningen – HTS: 6-0

HTS’ coach Andreas Aronsson was dressed, according to himself, in a mix of the legendary managers Zinédine Zidane and Jürgen Klopp. His grey suit was complemented by a dark red HTS cap. One might say that he and his team lost their semi-final in style.

“It was a tough game”, Aronsson reflected on this team’s defeat. HTS midfielder Alfons Nordlund added that the players lacked energy at some point. However, the coach was pleased with their overall performance in the tournament. “They gave their all”, he said.

“We qualified from the group stage, which we’ve never managed to do before. Our slogan is ‘We lose less and less’”, Nordlund added laughingly.

The fight for third place

HTS – LUPEF: 0-5

“The team spirit wasn’t hard to get”, said Sofia S., who plays as offensive midfielder for LUPEF. “When we came here, everyone was really pumped.”

However, Sofia admitted that her team wanted to win the tournament. “But it was great to be [here] and to hang out with friends”, she said, adding that football is always fun.

Final

Lundaekonomerna – Juridiska Föreningen: 3-0

While the game was even for most of the time, Lundaekonomerna eventually managed to break down their opponent’s defence. The result reflects a strong performance, which sealed them not only the win, but the Golden trophy.

“It was the toughest game so far” admitted Lundaekonomerna’s team-captain Axel Jidorf. “We were very confident and excited. It was nice to win this for the union and since we won all our four games, it was really deserved as well.”

Vera Woelfer, who played on the left wing for Lundekonomerna, was also happy with her side’s performance: “We worked as a team and had a common goal and that was to win.”

The tournament was proof for the great need for community after the experiences throughout the pandemic. “There has to be a big platform in football in general, which I think there is”, said Lukas Björkheim. “But we also have to do these highlights to promote the game, for everyone to get together.”

After an exhausting, but eventful day, some fans and teams have already left Smörlyckan IP when the economics students were awarded the trophy. However, this doesn’t lessen the victor’s happiness about the big win the final. The golden cup matches the colours in the sky, they raised it towards the fading sunlight.