1986 was the year Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme was shot and killed on a public street in Stockholm, a reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded, and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev launched “glasnost” (openness) and “perestroika” (restructuring) – the first steps toward the collapse of the Eastern Bloc and the end of the Cold War. In Denmark, the “lean eighties” were marked by economic crisis, characterized by high inflation, huge unemployment, and massive balance-of-payments deficits. However, there were also events to celebrate; the Danish national football team delighted fans with its charming attacking style and a flurry of goals at the World Cup in Mexico, though the team ultimately lost 1–5 to Spain in the Round of 16. And on October 17, 1986, the first sports folk high school in Vendsyssel – The Sports School of North Jutland – was inaugurated.
The establishment of NIH – a long, tough journey driven by many fiery souls
In the 1970s, Broenderslev – a railway town of 12,000 inhabitants situated between Aalborg and Hjoerring – boasted a diverse sports club life. Among the town’s most prominent sports were handball, table tennis, badminton, and golf. It was therefore natural for local coaches and volenteers from these clubs – backed by strong political support from the city council – to dream of establishing a sports folk high school. The initial plan in the early 1980s was to locate the sports folk school outside the town center, near the BI Centre, which had opened in 1976. However, for various reasons, that plan was abandoned; instead, in a highly visionary move, NIH was situated in the heart of the town, with an upper secondary school, a park, tennis courts, the hospital, and the Broenderslev Sport Hall as its immediate neighbors. The sports folk school’s first principal, Tage Elkjær (1940–2024), was hired in 1984 to accelerate the process. Elkjær brought with him knowledge, experience, and a passion for boarding school and club life, gained at the sport’s folk high schools in Soenderborg and Ollerup. Strong, committed ties were quickly forged between the town’s residents, local sport clubs, and NIH. No task was too small or too large for the board, the support groups, the principal of school, or the staff during this pioneering era: concerts, community share issues, liaising with public authorities, selecting the architect and contractor, hiring staff, recruiting students, and drafting curricula and codes of conduct – along with a great deal more – were all handled through a shared, committed effort.
Three core values – a Nordic sports folk high school embracing both body and spirit
Three core values were established for NIH as early as the admission of the first student cohort in August 1986. First, all students were required to complete a coaching or instructor training program in either ball sports (football, handball, volleyball, and badminton) or gymnastics (tumbling and rhythmic gymnastics). Second, NIH was to welcome students from the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and the other Nordic countries: Norway, Sweden, Iceland, and Finland. And third, NIH’s non-formal education and boarding school life were to balance the spiritual – history, culture, poetry, song, and lectures – with the sports. In this way, NIH has consistently focused – in both word and deed – on the fundamental purpose of the folk high school movement: to offer non-formal education and community where the primary objective is personal enlightenment, non-formal education, and democratic development.
Plenty of “stellar moments” and very little “bickering and squabbling”
My first visit to NIH was in the spring of 1987 for a coaching course. I was particularly impressed by the excellent facilities: the sports hall, the lecture room, and not least the student rooms, which featured just two beds and an en-suite bathroom in every room. It was with these fond memories in mind that, in the autumn of 1993, I applied for the position of principal, succeeding Tage Elkjær, who had chosen to step down after ten years of pioneering work. My eight years as NIH principal became the second of five chapters in my professional life – a chapter filled with plenty of “stellar moments” and very little “argy and bargy.” These stellar moments included many enriching and educational conversations with talented staff and committed young people; intense debates on important societal issues; communal singing sessions; ski trips to Norway and Sweden; revues and parties; concerts featuring Bjoern Afzelius, Poul Krebs, and TV2; lectures by Ejvind Larsen, Sørine Godtfredsen, and Peter AG; family courses; and much, much more. However, the chapter also included conversations with vulnerable and unmotivated students regarding life challenges, absenteeism, and poor behavior. There were also discussions with teachers about logging hours and prioritizing boarding school duties, as well as concerns regarding a substantial debt to the mortgage credit association.
Are there a need and a place for NIH in the future?
For the past two decades, I have followed the Sports School of North Jutland (NIH) from afar with deep respect and great admiration. Today, both NIH and the other ten sports folk high schools have fewer ties to the club-based sports system than in the past. The range of sport activities has changed significantly as young people’s sports habits have shifted from traditional disciplines toward outdoor activities, adventure sports, beach sports, futsal, CrossFit, and fitness. It has been truly impressive to see how NIH has constructed new facilities to keep pace with this changing sports landscape. I hope and believe that many young people from across Denmark and the Nordic region will continue to choose a stay at the Sports School of North Jutland. After all, there is a greater need than ever for personal development – both physical and spiritual – as well as for strong democracies and communities based on mutual commitment, whether at the local, national, or international level. Keep up the good work, NIH!