Sweden international Julia Roddar joins London City Lionesses for undisclosed fee

We’re delighted to announce that Julia Roddar has joined London City Lionesses for an undisclosed fee from Swedish Damallsvenskan champions Hammarby IF, subject to the usual regulatory processes.

Julia Roddar, London City Lionesses (Image: Simon Lapwood)

The Sweden international has put pen to paper on a two-year contract at Hayes Lane and becomes the fifth player with senior national team experience to join the Pride this summer.

Roddar, 32, holds a wealth of elite-level experience on both sides of the Atlantic and helped Hammarby lift silverware in each of her two seasons with the Stockholm-based side.

“I decided to join because I could see that it’s an exciting time for London City,” said the Swedish Cup and Damallsvenskan-winning midfielder, “the Club’s goals for the future match mine and I feel like I can bring my experience to the team and contribute on the field.

“I’m a player that always encourages everyone to do their best and lead from central midfield. I always try to have a positive influence, telling people to be brave and to be themselves. I win my duels and I like to play the ball forward to my teammates – they can score.

“In football, the most fun you can have is winning the league – being able to do that as a group is a really exciting experience because we all work so hard, including the staff, and it’s so important that we come together and do that as a team. I hope that I can be someone who helps us reach that goal.”

Roddar followed the collegiate route to start her senior career, spending four seasons in the NCAA at the University of Wisconsin-Maddison (2011) and Florida Gulf Coast University (2012-14).

Julia Roddar, London City Lionesses (Image: Simon Lapwood)

The Falun-born midfielder returned to Europe upon the conclusion of her studies and immediately made her mark at the professional level by helping Kvarnsvedens IF achieve promotion to the Damallsvenskan.

Transfers to Göteborg FC and the Washington Spirit followed for Roddar, who made key contributions enroute to winning the 2018-19 Swedish Cup, 2020 Damallsvenskan, and 2021 National Women’s Soccer League Championship.

Roddar departed the Spirit upon the expiry of her contract, signing a three-year contract with Hammarby.

The 1992-born playmaker quickly became a fan-favourite in Stockholm, playing a standout role as Hammarby won the 2022-23 Swedish Cup and 2023 Damallsvenskan.

Roddar’s 13-cap international career includes a silver medal from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and a bronze medal at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

“Julia has excellent experience with the Swedish National Team, one of the great teams in women’s football,” said head coach Jocelyn Prêcheur, “she has been successful at all of the major competitions and we need this experience as we build a winning culture here.

“Julia brings lots of physical and technical qualities. Already, after two days, I have noticed her tactical quality, as she is always in the right position. She is the perfect example of what we need to build a strong team – an experienced player who can perform very quickly, as we also try to build for future.”