Sweden: instead of childeren, AIK invite elderly people to accompany the players onto the field

AIK Fotboll (Swedish first division) replaced the traditional concept of kids mascots, whereby childeren accompany players onto the pitch before the match, with senior members of the club for their championship match against Gefle IF (1-0, Matchday 22 of the Swedish Championship) at the Friends Arena (50,000 capacity) in Solna, near Stockholm (SWE), on 18/09/2016.

"We wanted to thank and honour our elderly fans, who are rarely seen in stadiums. AIK players were therefore accompanied onto the pitch by some of the oldest members of the club. We had much positive public reaction in the stadium, on our website and on social networks," said the Swedish club after the match.

Swede Lennart Johansson (86 years old), UEFA president from 1990 to 2007, was born in Stockholm, and was among those accompanying the players (see video below). As well as this initiative, discounts tickets were offered to senior citizens along with a shuttle service from retirement homes. Club AIK Fotboll, founded in 1891, celebrates its 125^th anniversary in 2016.

Players entering the pitch with their mascots