The case in summary • The street teams provide an annual benefit to society of 430 million, according to a social accounting prepared by Oslo Economics for the Football Foundation.• The street teams give many people a sense of community and belonging for people who are fighting drug addiction, social anxiety, and other psychological challenges.• It is 30 top football clubs that have street teams, from Tromsø in the north to Kristiansand in the south.• They contribute to a better quality of life and increased life expectancy, reduced costs in the health service, the police, the courts and correctional facilities, increased value creation, volunteering and voluntary work, and reduced tax financing costs. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. This is revealed in a recent social accounting prepared by Oslo Economics for the Football Foundation. Tore Knutsen has been an enthusiastic member of Sandefjord’s street team since 2016, and is not the least bit surprised by the numbers. – It gives each and every one of us enormous joy in life. The street team means everything, he says. Tore Knutsen has lived a hard life. Things are now in order, which he believes the street team in Sandefjord should take much of the credit for. Photo: Nils Fridtjof Skumsvoll / news Livsnødvendig – But listen, then! You have to go in, you understand. There is training in Sandefjord. Knutsen roars sternly but encouragingly at his teammates on the street team who are warming up on the football field at Bugårdsparken. Tore Knutsen leads the way in the warm-up. Photo: Nils Fridtjof Skumsvoll / news They are women and men of all ages. One of the players gasps for breath. The next runs on almost unaffected. Third man trips over his own legs on the mat. – Up again. You can’t lie there and carry yourself, jokes the coach, Roger Iversen. Together with Petter Olsen, Roger Iversen is the prime mover for the street team in Sandefjord. Photo: Nils Fridtjof Skumsvoll / news The player is quickly helped by a team-mate, and sends a pretended look in the direction of the man with the whistle, before he starts laughing. Some struggle against the pursuit of addiction in their everyday lives. Others struggle with social anxiety, or other psychological challenges. Many are basically a bit on and off with both parts. The common denominator is the need to belong to a community. Starting the day together – It’s a motley assembly with different skills. But first and foremost, it’s a fantastic group, says Iversen, who started the team in Sandefjord together with Petter Olsen in 2016. The training days start with a good breakfast at the Sandefjord stadium. Tore Knutsen and Kirvil Paulsen are in place. The atmosphere in the dressing room is impeccable. Here the team is represented by Kirvil Paulsen, Tore Knutsen and Christopher Borgersen. It had been many years since Tore Knutsen had been in a football wardrobe when he became part of the city’s street team in 2016. Kirvil Pulsen keeps the cage clean. Kirvil Paulsen is very happy with the street team in Sandefjord. Tore Knutsen is ready for another session. There are currently 30 top football clubs that have street teams. From Tromsø in the north to Kristiansand in the south. The health benefits alone are estimated at NOK 280 million annually. – In addition, there are several other gains that are difficult to quantify, says Erik Magnus Sæther. He is a social economist at Oslo Economics, and is one of several who have produced the report. Their calculation is based on the number of players, and for example how many get a job or receive an educational offer. – We have valued this in krone value from public supervisors, which are used by the Ministry of Finance, among other things, he says. The calculation from Oslo Economics Photo: Matilde Sunde Solsvik / Matilde Sunde Solsvik Health – better quality of life and increased waiting time: 280 million. Reduced costs in the health service: 55 million. Reduced costs in the police, courts and correctional facilities: 30 million. Increased value creation – education and work: 40 million. Hard work and voluntary work: 12 million. Reduced tax financing costs: 15 million. Unpriced gains: Coping and belonging. Better life for relatives and gains for local communities. Roger Iversen is not surprised that the street teams save society large sums of money, but is happy that it is quantified. – It is clear that it means something, he says to news. Drunk alcohol in the classroom For Tore Knutsen, life has been a rollercoaster ride. It has often been rather far between the peaks. Tore Knutsen is ready for another round on the track in Sandefjord. Photo: Nils Fridtjof Skumsvoll / news But he has always loved football, and made his debut in the A team of Tollnes in Skien as a 16-year-old. It might have gone the way of the youngster on the football field at the time, had it not been for the fact that he had already managed to become an alcoholic. Home-brewed in a thermos in the classroom is usually a bad starting point for performing with the ball. – They couldn’t use someone like that on the pitch, sighs the 64-year-old. Thus he lost the last lifeline he had in life at the time. Everything revolved around drugs. Alcohol was soon followed by drugs in various forms. – I have been very low, he says seriously. The street teams can be found under the umbrella of 30 clubs across the country. Photo: Nils Fridtjof Skumsvoll / news He has lost many along the way. Including the brother, who died after an overdose. Knutsen himself managed to become drug-free 21 years ago, but has struggled a lot with his psyche afterwards. At one point it looked really dark. – I didn’t know if I wanted to live anymore. That’s when the street team came as a saving angel. He thanks them and other good helpers for not going back to drugs, but on the contrary back to the football pitch. Life has taken on a new meaning. – I have learned to talk about feelings. It means a lot to someone like me. – Maybe football does something with the physical form as well? – Of course. I have COPD. If it hadn’t been for football, I probably wouldn’t have climbed the stairs here. Kirvil Paulsen is the goalkeeper on the street team for Sandefjord. Photo: Nils Fridtjof Skumsvoll / news Kirvil Paulsen, today’s goalkeeper, has similar experiences to her teammate, and says she has a lot to thank the street team for. – This is a place that is only here and now, as it were. We talk about what we are going to do tomorrow. Not what we have done before.
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The street teams provide social benefits of 430 million a year – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
