Julie and Malthe love hanging out at the paddle club: *"Up here, you're just messing around instead of sitting on your phone."*

Julie and Malthe love hanging out at the padel club: *"Up here, you just mess around instead of sitting on your phone"*

The sound of tennis balls hitting glass walls and a faint smell of sweat fill the air as 13-year-old Malthe Friis Gammelgaard Frandsen arrives early at KIF Padel Klub in Kolding. He usually comes about half an hour before his training starts, giving him time to socialize with friends.

"I always try to get here about half an hour early. That way, I might play a bit of table tennis with some of my friends or head onto a court and hit around. We just have fun before training," he says.

His teammate, 14-year-old Julie Maj Thau, feels the same way. She appreciates leaving her phone in her sports bag and spending time with others instead.

"I often choose to come here before training because otherwise, you just sit and bury yourself in your phone. Up here, you just mess around and hang out with everyone else instead of sitting on your phone," she explains.

**Sports clubs as social spaces**

In 2023, we reported that two-thirds of young people aged 12 to 30 only see their friends once a week. However, it appears that sports clubs remain one of the places where young people still gather.

A study by the Danish Institute for Sports Studies shows that 59 percent of children and young people aged 7 to 15

Glen Nielsen, a lecturer in sports science at the University of Copenhagen, is not surprised by these figures. He points out that the facilities in sports clubs provide good environments for young people to meet, but it is primarily the sport itself that

"The activities within the sport are most crucial for young people continuing to engage in sports. However, one could argue that the surrounding facilities support the positive social relationships that exist," he says.

He also believes that social interaction is important in an era where more and more people communicate through screens.

"It is one of the most important factors for their well-being to meet others face-to-face and have positive relationships, feeling part of a community. This is very important for all people, but especially for young people, who can easily become lonely," says Glen Nielsen, lecturer in sports science at the University of Copenhagen.

**Sports still matter**

The face-to-face interaction with friends and the sense of belonging to a community are exactly what 14-year-old Julie Maj Thau enjoys about coming to the sports center.

"The padel center is a free space for me because you also learn to be yourself. People see you for who you are, and you don’t have to perform like you do at school. Here, you can feel safe and secure," she says.

The Danish Sports Federation (DIF) also emphasizes the importance of sports clubs as social spaces for children and young people.

"There are some incredibly strong communities for young people, so it really matters that sports aren’t just something you go to, practice, and then leave. It’s where you hang out and make friendships," says Karin Ingemann, development manager at DIF.

Back at the padel center in Kolding, Malthe Friis Gammelgaard Frandsen would rather be in the hall with his friends than at home.

"It’s cooler to be out here with friends and do the sport you really love," he says.

Warning: This article was translated by a Large Language Model, in case of doubt, you can always visit the original source.