sportlag

Sportlag is a term used in Swedish to denote a group of athletes who compete together as a unit in a given sport, typically organized within a sports club or association. The concept covers teams at all levels—professional, amateur, and youth—and a wide range of sports such as football, hockey, basketball, handball, or athletics.

A sportlag usually includes players, a coach, a team manager or administrator, and sometimes medical and fitness staff. The club handles registration, training facilities, travel, equipment, and financial matters. The team trains regularly and competes in leagues, cups, and tournaments organized by national or regional federations.

Many clubs maintain several sportlag for different age groups or sexes, and the term highlights the team as a single competitive unit rather than individual players. Governance typically follows the club's statutes and the rules of applicable leagues and federations, including eligibility, transfers, disciplinary rules, and season schedules.

Etymology and usage: “lag” means team in Swedish; “sport” clarifies the athletic context. Related terms include “idrottslag” (athletic team) and the English “sports team” or “sports club.” While used mainly in Sweden, similar concepts exist in other Nordic languages, sometimes with equivalent words.

See also: sports club, idrottslag, team (sports).