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 2019.
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.
Domestically, the 2017 Masters singles title was the first of three: Silfverberg retained the SM Öppen Singel crown in 2018, still playing for BK Kärnan, and won a third in 2022 - what the federation's own report called his "third title in singles since 2016," after he had taken bronze in the event in 2016. He also won the SM Öppen Trippel title in 2021 with Simon Åkesson and Jonny Patron. Ahead of the 2023 season, Silfverberg joined the newly formed Rabeluob Petanque Club alongside Åkesson and Liljegren, taking Öppen Dubbel silver with Åkesson at the 2023 SM and reaching the Öppen Trippel round of 16 in 2024. By the 2026 SM in Gothenburg he had returned to BK Kärnan, again reaching the Öppen Trippel round of 16 alongside Åkesson and Viktor von Eggers Patron.
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
- Three-time SM Öppen Singel champion (2017, 2018, 2022)
- SM Öppen Trippel champion (2021), with Simon Åkesson and Jonny Patron
- 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 2019)
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, but it proved to be the first of three SM Öppen Singel titles rather than a one-off. A club move to the newly formed Rabeluob and back to BK Kärnan has not slowed him down: he was still reaching SM Öppen Trippel knockout rounds as of the 2026 championship.
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 other Swedish Masters titles has William Silfverberg won?
The 2017 title was the first of three SM Öppen Singel golds: he retained the crown in 2018, still playing for BK Kärnan, and won a third in 2022 - after taking bronze in the event in 2016. He also won the SM Öppen Trippel title in 2021 with Simon Åkesson and Jonny Patron.
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 currently plays for BK Kärnan in Helsingborg, the club he represented for his 2017 and 2018 Masters singles titles. Ahead of the 2023 season he joined the newly formed Rabeluob Petanque Club alongside national teammates Simon Åkesson and Ivar Liljegren, playing for Rabeluob through the 2023 and 2024 SM before returning to BK Kärnan by the 2026 SM.