DGI and housing group take clubs to isolated residents

DR reports that sports organisation DGI and BL, Danmarks Almene Boliger, have partnered to support hyperlocal clubs and activities near social housing. The aim is to make it easier for residents to join sports and leisure activities by removing barriers such as distance.

The partners are strongly inspired by Nørrebro United, a football club that holds training sessions in courtyards and on street pitches. A quarter of its members live in disadvantaged urban neighbourhoods.

Activities could include pétanque, football and Bulgarian dancing. Rather than relying mainly on local sports halls and football pitches, the initiative will also use residents’ community centres, green spaces and other nearby meeting places for children, young people, families and older people.

BL director Bent Madsen said taking activities close to people’s homes could make it easier to take part in clubs and community life. He said organised activities were important for quality of life and for how people manage in general.

Residents in social housing are more likely to report loneliness and show signs of social isolation than residents in other types of housing, according to an analysis by the University of Southern Denmark. DGI national chair Charlotte Bach Thomassen said active communities had strong benefits and that the partners wanted to address those trends.

One in four school-age children does not take part in an extracurricular activity, and the share is higher in social housing, according to DGI and BL. The partners said distance can be a significant obstacle.

Asked whether very local clubs risk becoming closed off, Thomassen said they must remain open and welcome newcomers. The partnership is initially set to run until 2030.