Former HR manager, now team leader for the SKF teams
Carina Nilimaa is team leader at Aschebergskolan.
She eats, sleeps and stays at Aschebergsskolan. The twelve team that stay there are her responsibility, and that is a role she embraces.
– It's a rewarding job that gives you something back, says Carina Nilimaa, team leader at Aschebergsskolan.
Carina has studied Human Resources and has worked as a manager in that field. When she's not a team leader with Gothia Cup she educates others in HR and hold seminars on that subject.
– I don't have a connection to the school system and I've never played football myself. I do enjoy watching football though, especially during championships. If I had time I would have liked to watch the games in Gothia Cup, she says.
She got her job as a coincidence. She applied for work at Arbetsförmedlingen after living abroad for a few years.
– I didn't know what the job was but I applied anyway. At the interview I said I wanted to work with international teams and got placed here.
Living at Aschebergsskolan are the teams who won the tournaments in their countries and who are staying here for free. It is Carina's second year attending to them.
– My first year was 2019. I enjoyed it and wanted to return this year. Since they wanted to keep the team leaders and school hosts for the SKF-teams I got placed here, she says.
The team consists of a team leader, a school host and an attendant. Carina is very pleased with her team and points to the fact that people like her are what makes the tournament possible.
– You get to do a bit of everything with the SKF teams. Whatever they need I try to help them with. So do the school host and attendant. Together we run the show, Carina says.
When asked if the kids are behaving themselves, she laughs.
– They do, actually. We do have a bit of a love story going on though. One of the girls teams has fallen in love with one of the boys teams. So there's a bit of drama there.
During her time at Aschebergsskolan Carina and her co-workers have supplied the teams with joy and creating a sense of community.
– On Sunday we had a few activities in the schoolyard for the SKF teams. They got to spend time together with some singing and dancing. It created a sense of community and brought them closer together. You could tell they really appreciated it, she says.
Carina is noticeably tired after an intense week but still keeps a positive outlook on returning next year.
– After some time I'll probably be ready to return. Right now I yearn for sleeping in my own bed again. I've been here 24/7 since last Friday. It's a lot of work but working with people from different cultures is a reward in itself, Carina says.
