Frederiksbjerg in City of Aarhus has always had a special place in my heart. The reasons are manifold; almost seven decades ago I encountered this world in Montanagade 55, st.tv. – back then in the 1950s a poor working-class neighborhood with two-room apartments heated with kerosene and coke and with a toilet in the backyard. Six years ago I returned “home to Aarhus” after 38 years on the “away field”, where I moved into Joh. Baunes Plads 6, where five-room apartments with designer kitchens, wine racks, electric cars and summer houses are “indispensable” for me and my neighbors’ everyday lives. In addition, Frederiksbjerg also offers a food market on Ingerslev Boulevard every Wednesday and Saturday, lots of cafes and restaurants in Jaegergaardsgade and fantastic specialty shops in MP Bruuns Gade and on Skt. Pauls Kirkeplads.
Dalgas Avenue – the only football field within Ringgaden
The National Exhibition in 1909 was very decisive for the development of Aarhus. At the beginning of the last century, only 80,000 inhabitants lived in Aarhus Municipality, while today the number is more than 370,000. Historically, the population of Aarhus has grown much faster than in Denmark as a whole, which can be attributed in particular to the development of the railway and the port, as well as the city’s location with a forest and beach “right outside the door”. The first football tournament in Aarhus was held in 1902 on the exercise ground at Galgebakken, but after the National Exhibition, Aarhus City Council decided to establish football fields on a larger area at Dalgas Avenue. And relatively quickly, both Aarhus Gymnastics Club (AGF – founded in 1880 and with football from 1902) and “the Worker’s Sports Club” (AIA – founded in 1918) got their own fields and “primitive” clubhouses on Dalgas Avenue. Football in Denmark was class-based in larger cities such as Aarhus. “Workers’ clubs” were established, who were dissatisfied with the conditions in “bourgeois” clubs such as AGF, where especially chairmen and board members were recruited from the city’s largest businesses. Both AIA, Idrætsklubben Skovbakken (founded 1927), Fuglebakken (founded 1938) and Aarhus Fremad (founded 1947) were established as “workers’ clubs” with “the whites” from Fredensvang as the “hereditary enemy”. The same applied to the “Sports Club for Workers Aarhus” – colloquially ASA – which was founded on 22 April 1933.
ASA – “We embrace all members and support talents in a fun and trusting football environment”
ASA was founded in the interwar period as part of the Social Democrats’ declared goal of abolishing the bourgeoisie’s patent on sports. One of the club’s first chairmen was Orla Hyllested (1912-2000), who was also mayor of Aarhus Municipality from 1971 to 1981. For almost 100 years, ASA has been a strong cultural and social meeting place for Aarhus city centre children, young people and seniors. And in particular, many students who have moved to Aarhus from all over the country have benefited and enjoyed ASA’s social club environment. The club’s football department currently has more than 900 members, divided into 50 teams. I am particularly impressed by the number of girls and women’s players and teams in ASA – from U8 to the club’s 1st division team, which this spring has been very close to qualifying for the Gjensidige Women’s League – i.e. among Denmark’s 8 best clubs. The club’s best senior men’s team in the Danish series has also made great progress in recent seasons. On Wednesday evening, the team will meet Hørsholm-Usserød IK in the first of two matches for division team status.
Despite the sporting success of the club’s best team, ASA’s core values remain a committed community with time and space for all members. These values have been made visible through two special projects, among other things. In 2022, ASA chose to invite Ukrainian refugee children into the club for weekly football training. Children fleeing the horror of war were given the opportunity to experience Aarhus’ hosting in the very best way through play and ball games. The “FC Demens” project is another example of the club’s social activities. With financial support from, among others, the Health Insurance “Danmark”, Tryg-Fonden and the National Board of Health and Welfare, the club offers people affected by dementia a tailored offer of football activities. Research has documented that physical activity can mitigate and alleviate the negative effects of the development of the disease in people with dementia. And in particular, a social community can counteract loneliness and strengthen quality of life and sense of identity, which can otherwise be threatened by the disease.
Aarhus Municipality with a large financial backlog for clubs
In a few months, there will be elections for city councils and municipal boards in Denmark again. In recent years, Aarhus Municipality has been mentioned in almost all of the country’s media for a disastrous process regarding the establishment of a new, modern football stadium. A process where municipal expenses have been exceeded by astronomical figures and where political decisions have been opaque and decision-making meetings held without written minutes. I hope that in the coming years, Aarhus City Council will prioritize the renovation of existing sports facilities and the establishment of new facilities, as well as increase the financial operating subsidies for clubs such as ASA, and not use more resources on limited companies that operate professional football.
