In small Danish towns, it is often the associations that keep the local communities alive. A new study from the Center for Research in Sports, Health, and Civil Society at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) shows that the activities of these associations play a crucial role in both preserving and developing rural areas. In rural areas with between 1000 and 3000 inhabitants, 33 percent of those surveyed believe that their association always engage in significant local tasks. “The engagement in small towns is significantly higher. It is necessary to make things happen,” says Evald Bundgaard Iversen, associate professor and center director at SDU.
The importance of the associations extends far beyond sports and recreational activities. In the town of Oddense, northwest of Skive, the local sports association has played a central role in re-establishing a grocery store after the local Dagli’Brugsen had to close. “We are each other’s prerequisite. If one disappears, it has a significant impact on the other,” says Alfred Brunsgaard, chairman of Oddense Sports Association, which has 540 members in a parish with 1100 residents.
The Danish Sports Federation (DIF) also views the results of the study positively. “It is a great accolade to the volunteers, emphasizing the enormous value they provide not only to the members but also to their local communities,” says Thomas Bach, vice chairman of DIF.
Although the associations make a big difference, Evald Bundgaard Iversen points out that there are limits to what civil society can achieve. “Civil society can do a lot, but it cannot reverse the general trend from rural to urban areas,” he says, adding that the pressure still tends towards larger cities.
The government is expected to soon present a new initiative for rural areas, which could have a major impact on the future of these regions.