Arvid Mellin

Arvid Mellin’s family moved to Stockholm in 1902. Born under the name Johansson, he adopted his mother’s name Mellin in 1908. His first two clubs were IFK Stockholm and IFK Norrköping. For the latter club he was fielded in the semi-final of the Kamraterna championship but after a protest by opponent IFK Göteborg it was discovered that he was not allowed to play for Norrköping in this tournament. The match had to be replayed without him, and he then joined IFK Göteborg. As a left-winger of IFK Göteborg, he made his debut in 1911. Mellin was part of the club’s senior team for three seasons and scored eight goals in 14 matches. He also had a short stint with IFK Uddevalla. Like several other active players from Sweden, he acted as a linesman in the 1912 Olympic football tournament.

Trained as a civil engineer like his father, from 1913, Mellin managed the bathing facility and its restaurant in Fiskebäckskil on the island of Skäftö. An avid tennis player, many years later he founded and built a tennis club there and co-founded a golf club. In addition to football, tennis, and golf he also played bandy in his youth and was district champion with IFK Göteborg in 1919.

Mellin married Nanny, the daughter of Anton Johansson, the secretary of the Swedish Football Association from 1905-21. The couple had one son.