This Small-town Team In Sweden Was A Women's Soccer Powerhouse. Then Europe's Big Clubs Took Over

Sprinkled around its small, shared office are trophies and mementos signifying the not-so-distant glory days of Swedish women's soccer team Ume IK.

On one wall is the No. 60 jersey worn by its greatest ever player, Brazil superstar Marta. Across the corridor is a bookcase crammed with European and Swedish silverware and medals. Gathering dust in the corner of a room nearby is a trophy for the 2003 UEFA Women's Cup, the precursor to the Champions League.

Indeed, it's only 21 years ago that the team from this small northern city virtually unknown outside Sweden was a back-to-back European champion.

Now Ume is adjusting to its new status in women's soccer - languishing in Sweden's second division, playing before average attendances of around 400 spectators, and battling debts.

A transformation of the women's game in Europe is well under way. As attendance figures and TV ratings rise, big-money clubs already well established in men's soccer - think Barcelona, Real Madrid, Chelsea - are taking over the show.