The women's hockey has always lived under scarce resources and when a logistics company this fall became the league's first major sponsor in history, it was cheered loudly.

The agreement was one-year, but the intention was a longer collaboration.

Then came the corona crisis and everything turned upside down.

The talks have been on the ice for a while, but in recent days the negotiations have intensified and are now locked. The parties are expected to present the agreement within the next few days, and TT can tell you that it is worth a million.

- Above all, it feels good when many people predict that the corona pandemic will hit hardest against women's sports, says Lindeberg to TT.

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Recently, ladies basketball giant Luleå's club director Christer Sehlin said in an interview with TT that "I am worried that we will be thrown back 15 years in the conditions for women's sports".

For women's hockey, the newly signed agreement is likely to prevent such a decline.

- It's tough for all clubs, but it's a bit mixed up how it looks right now. We have clubs where the men's business is a strong driving source, both in SHL and hockeyall Swedes, and then we also have independent clubs. So it remains to be seen how big the difference this autumn will be compared to before, says Lindeberg, adding:

- In the end, I still think that women's hockey stands strong because we do not have such high salaries.

The plan: September start

The sponsor says in a statement that it wants to continue to contribute to a more equal sport even in difficult times:

- When the entire sports movement is facing tough economic times, it feels natural to continue to show how much we believe in women's hockey. Our ambition has always been to contribute to a more equal sport in Sweden, while of course we have had business reasons. We are very proud of the work we have done together with SDHL so far, and with this contract extension look forward to seeing the women's hockey take new big steps forward, says CEO Jonas Lindell.

SDHL has not released a game schedule yet, but hopes to start the league in September. The last season had to be interrupted after the first World Cup final, where the series sovereign HV71 defeated Luleå, and no champion was crowned.

ARCHIVE: SDHL legend in tears as career ended (February 22, 2020)

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The tears after the news that the career is over Photo: Bildbyrån / SVT