Women's EURO trophy tour begins

UEFA Women's EURO 2013 in Sweden is approaching fast and the seven host cities are about to get a sneak preview of the action when the official trophy visits them all.

The UEFA Women's EURO Trophy Tour begins on Saturday in Norrkoping city centre between 10.00 and 15.00CET before taking in Vaxjo, Halmstad, Gothenburg, Kalmar, Linkoping and Solna.

It will be at that last stopover, at the Friends Arena on 11 June, that the tour ends as the trophy will be handed over to representatives of Solna during half-time of Sweden's FIFA World Cup qualifier against the Faroe Islands. The final will be played at the same stadium on 28 July, 18 days after the opening games in Gothenburg and Halmstad.

At every trophy tour stop there will be a special local event featuring competitions, special guests and other activities. Tournament director Göran Havik said: "We hope there will be a lot of attention around each visit. UEFA Women's EURO will be a fantastic tournament and the major event of the summer in the host cities. The trophy tour is a sign that the tournament is approaching and that we are moving rapidly towards kick-off, which feels great."

In Norrkoping on Saturday, visitors will be able to pose for a photo with the trophy, watch freestyle football, and enjoy a guest appearance from national tournament ambassador and former Sweden forward Victoria Sandell Svensson.

Tour dates:
Saturday 27 April: Norrkoping (10.00–15.00)
Saturday 4 May: Vaxjo (10.00–15.00)
Wednesday 15 May: Halmstad (in conjunction with local dinosaur exhibition)
Saturday 18 May: Gothenburg (in conjunction with Gothenburg half-marathon, 13.00–17.00)
Saturday 25 May: Kalmar (12.00–21.00)
Saturday 1 June: Linkoping (in conunction with Sweden v Norway women's friendly)
Tuesday 11 June: Solna (in conjunction with Sweden v Faroe Islands at Friends Arena)