For most Aussies, football is a way of life, but for Samuel Lundström, it’s a bridge between two countries and cultures.

Born in Sweden to a Swedish mother and an Australian father, Lundström grew up in Malmö, a coastal city in southern Sweden, where snow covers the fields in winter, with ice hockey and soccer dominating the sporting landscape.

But with a Dad who is a passionate Adelaide Football Club supporter, Lundström has always felt connected to the Crows.

And last week, after years of playing footy with his local Swedish team, the Port Malmö Maulers, and many early-morning live streams of AFL games, Lundström watched his beloved Crows train live for the first time at Norwood Oval.

“I’ve only ever seen them once before back in 2019 from afar… We came to Australia and stayed an extra week-and-a-half just to be here to watch a Crows game,” Lundström said.

“Since then, the only time I’ve seen them has been on TV, so it was pretty surreal, especially seeing how good of athletes they are and how hard they train.

“It will push me to train even more, and I learned things that I’m taking back to Sweden with me.

“It was really cool to meet, for example Riley (Thilthorpe), because he’s someone I’ve looked up to for a while since he’s close to my age and plays the same position and managed to bulk up like crazy.”

Despite living almost 15,000km away from Adelaide, Australian Rules has shaped his upbringing in Sweden.

Lundström’s father, Danny, helped start a football club in their hometown before the now 20-year-old was born.

In 2002 when the Danish Australian Football League was restructured, three new clubs, including the Port Malmö Maulers, were formed and included in the DAFL (Danish Australian Football League).

Lundström has had a footy in his hand for as long as he can remember, and accompanied his Dad to training sessions, before being old enough to play in the League. 

“Ever since I was born, basically, my whole life has been surrounded by footy,” Lundström told AFC Media.

“I always went to as many training sessions as I could with the team, I was seven years old and I would train with the adults, and I learnt to kick and handball.

“I started playing for the Port Malmö Maulers with the adults when I was 16 and I play full-forward, ruck, in the centre, I play anything but I prefer up-forward.”

Although Lundström hasn’t been able to recruit many of his Swedish mates to play, he says the Port Malmö Maulers isn’t just a team of expats.

“We have a lot of Swedes, and Australians, but we also have one French guy, a few Americans, a lot of Irish, a lot of English - it’s quite diverse - it’s great,” Lundström said.

“I have tried to get my friends to join the team but it’s hard.

“Every person I meet I have to explain it from scratch because they’ve never heard of it, but once I explain it, they think it’s a fun sport.”

Lundström has also featured with Sweden at three Euro Cups - a nine-a-side Australian Rules tournament, whereby European national sides face off to be champions of Europe.

“The first year I played, it was in Ireland and that was really fun,” he said.

“Ireland and England usually have the best teams.

“I was pretty young and most of the players in my team I had never played alongside, I met them for the first time when I went over there.

“Then the last two years I played it was hosted in Germany, it’s a big tournament and it’s great because you get to know new people and play footy.”

Lundström, who travelled back to Sweden on Friday night after watching the Crows train, hoped to return to SA soon and watch another game live at Adelaide Oval.

“I just love footy, I love being around friends in the team and I just love that the sport includes everything - running, tackling, kicking - it’s so much fun,” Lundström said.

“I’d love to come back and watch a game and hopefully a win.”

Thilthorpe said he was impressed by how far the Crows community reaches and enjoyed meeting a fan from the other side of the globe.

“I didn’t know there was an AFL League in Sweden and to see how happy Samuel was to be at training was great,” Thilthorpe said.

“It was really cool to meet him.

“It’s pretty crazy to know someone from the other side of the world is watching your journey and it’s pretty special, really, I don’t take it for granted.”