William Silfverberg - Sweden's 42nd Great Player | Player Profile
William Silfverberg profile: the BK Kärnan shooter who won Swedish Masters singles gold in 2017 and became just the 42nd player named a Swedish boule 'Stor Spelare' in 2023.
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Nationality
Shooter
Role
1997
Born
Career Achievements
William Silfverberg - Quick Facts
| Full name | William Silfverberg |
| Born | 1997 |
| Role | Shooter |
| Club | BK Kärnan (Helsingborg) |
| National honor | "Stor Spelare" (Great Player) #42, Swedish Boule Federation (2023) |
| World titles | 0 |
Sweden's 42nd Great Player
William Silfverberg is one of the most honored players in modern Swedish boule. In July 2023, at the Boule-SM in Kalmar, he became the 42nd player in the sport's Swedish history to be named a "Stor Spelare" (Great Player) by the Svenska Bouleförbundet - a lifetime distinction that had not been awarded to anyone for 14 years.
Career Overview
Silfverberg announced himself as a teenage prospect early. In 2013, aged 15 and "not yet 16," he won the Swedish Championship in Precision Shooting, open class, beating 20-year-old Ali Abdi Aden of Stockholm in the final at that year's SM-veckan - having reached the semifinal two years earlier and the final the year before that. The same year, he received the first of two Prins Bertils minne (Prince Bertil's Memorial) scholarships from the federation; he won the award again in 2022.
His signature result came in 2017, at the Swedish Masters singles championship in Vetlanda. Playing for BK Kärnan, the 19-year-old Silfverberg beat Johan Skagerlund of BK Strand and the tournament's defending champion, Rickard Nilsson of Coccinelle, both by an identical 13-3 scoreline, before facing Jessica Johansson in the semifinal on the event's center court and winning again, 13-3. In the final against Thomas Wiede, Silfverberg raced to an 11-3 lead only for Wiede to mount a dramatic comeback that tied the match at 12-12, before Silfverberg closed it out for the title - a win reportedly so physical that he could barely accept the post-match victory embraces because of a neck strain.
Silfverberg went on to become a fixture of Sweden's men's national team, capped in the squad as early as 2021 alongside Ivar Liljegren, Simon Åkesson, and Ali Abdi under captain Emil Nilsson, and selected again for the 2023 European Championship in Albertville, France, where the federation's captain described him as "extremely stable and one of Sweden's tactically smartest players." By the time of his 2023 Stor Spelare honor, his national-team résumé stood at 135 senior caps, two European Championship bronze medals, and a Nordic Championship gold - enough to clear the honor's threshold of 100 matches and 150 accumulated points.
Playing Style
Silfverberg's breakthrough title came in precision shooting, and his federation captain's description - "tactically smart" and "extremely stable" - points to a player valued as much for game management as raw shooting power. His 2017 Masters run showed both: three lopsided 13-3 wins to reach the final, then the composure to close out a match after his opponent had clawed all the way back to a tied score.
Achievements and Honors
- "Stor Spelare" (Great Player) #42 - Swedish Boule Federation, Boule-SM Kalmar, 2023
- Swedish Masters (SM) Singles champion (2017)
- Swedish Champion, Precision Shooting, Open class (2013)
- Two European Championship bronze medals and a Nordic Championship gold (national team career)
- Prins Bertils minne scholarship (2013 and 2022)
Legacy
William Silfverberg's path from a 15-year-old precision-shooting champion to just the 42nd "Stor Spelare" in Swedish boule history - a title that had gone unawarded for 14 years before him - reflects a career built on sustained national-team service as much as individual titles. His 2017 Masters run, in which he beat a defending champion, a future European medalist in Jessica Johansson, and came through a nerve-wracking final, remains the signature moment of a career the Swedish federation has twice recognized with its own scholarship.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is William Silfverberg?
William Silfverberg is a Swedish boule (petanque) player from BK Kärnan in Helsingborg. In 2023 he became the 42nd player in Swedish boule history to be named a 'Stor Spelare' (Great Player) - a lifetime honor last awarded 14 years earlier - recognizing 135 senior national-team caps, two European Championship bronze medals, and a Nordic Championship gold.
What did William Silfverberg win at the 2017 Swedish Masters?
He won the singles (Masters) title at Sweden's national championship week in Vetlanda, aged 19. He beat Johan Skagerlund and defending champion Rickard Nilsson 13-3 each, then beat Jessica Johansson 13-3 in the semifinal, before winning the final against Thomas Wiede after leading 11-3 and surviving a comeback that levelled the score at 12-12.
What is a 'Stor Spelare' in Swedish boule?
It is a lifetime honor from the Svenska Bouleförbundet (Swedish Boule Federation) for players who reach 100 senior national-team matches and 150 accumulated points, with bonus points awarded for World and European Championship medals. Only 42 players have received it in the award's history; recipients get a special medal and a lifetime exemption from license and championship entry fees.
How old is William Silfverberg?
He was born in 1997. He first reached national prominence at 15, winning the Swedish Precision Shooting title in the open class in 2013, and won his Masters singles title at 19 in 2017.
Which club does William Silfverberg play for?
He plays for BK Kärnan in Helsingborg, the club he represented as a junior and where he won his 2017 Masters singles title.