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There’s a Football Team in Norway that’s a Pioneer for Social Outreach and Does Things a Little Bit Differently.
As part of their corporate social responsibility, most football clubs have outreach programmes and actively work in their local communities. However, there’s a football club in Norway that you mightn’t have heard of that arguably pioneered one such programme.
Fredrikstad FK currently sits in the second tier of Norwegian football, but the club has been around for over a century and was fairly successful in the 40s, 50s, and 60s.
FFK Street Team
In 2011, Fredrikstad FK set up its Street Team, the first in the country. Five days a week, those struggling with addiction can eat and train together under a coach at the club. Now, this kind of idea isn’t that big as there are now dozens of clubs in the country with programmes like this, but Fredrikstad FK was the first in the country.
The club is very proud of this initiative – and it should be. It provides a positive experience for 10-20 players every day and provides hours where those struggling with addiction would otherwise be feeding their habit.
500 players have had their lives turned around and are either in paid work or education since 2015. Nearly 100 players ended up in paid work in 2021 and the programme continues to help the local community.
Fredrikstad Fotball Invest
Fredrikstad FK is also supported by Fredrikstad Fotball Invest (FFI), a company that gathers investment and supports the club without owning or running it.
For most football clubs to be successful, they need money and this company uses support from people who love the club to provide club management with the means to achieve their lofty goals.
After all, Fredrikstad FK is technically Norway’s second-most successful club, but its success came a lifetime ago.
For locals like Tor Anders Petterøe, one of the biggest investors in FFI, Fredrikstad FK deserves more success and investing through FFI is the way to do it. With his son, Michael Andre Petterøe, and through their media company Golden Touch Media AS, they’ve invested more than any other stakeholder group.
This isn’t a charity, either. Shares in the company are bought and the money from the shares is used to invest in the football club.
One of the ways FFI currently does this is by owning a 30% stake in the club’s players. When buying and selling players, FFI is responsible for 30% of the players’ fees and 30% of the earnings when they’re sold.
While the company actively encourages investment from people who love the club, it doesn’t necessarily want people who are just looking for investment opportunities. You have to be willing to invest first before you can enjoy any of the benefits.
This is likely why FFI uses local and national press to get the word out. This is a project for those who love Fredrikstad FK and are willing to put their money where their mouth is. They trust the club’s management to get the club where it needs to be and they’re not looking to buy the club or strip it of its identity.
Photo by Eivind Hauger on Flickr
