The event is situated in Hammerum right in the middle between Herning and Ikast in the heart of Jutland on the football pitches at Hammerum-Gjellerup Hallen, Frølundvej 41, 7400 Herning. There is a highway all the way to Hammerum from e.g. Aarhus, Odense, Copenhagen and the Danish-German border which is less than 100 minutes away.
The event always takes place at the last Saturday in August. Hence the next event is Saturday August 31st, 2024 with match start approx. at 9.30 and medal ceremony approx. at 17.30 / 18.00.
The matches are played according to the same rules as used at Parasport Danmark’s events, but shorter matches, as there are many matches during the day. Exactly how many depends on the number of teams. We will basically play matches at all levels – that is, 8-a-side football in the A, B and C levels and 5-a-side football in the D, E and U15 levels. However, for matches to be played at a given level, at least three teams must be registered. If that – which we do not anticipate – is not the case, we offer the team to play at another level. If there are many registered teams in one level, we divide the level into two levels after the initial round to ensure the greatest possible equality and to enhance the chance to win a medal. All teams advance from the preliminary round to the knockout matches. The rules and a guide to find the right level can be found under About.
All players and coaches on the teams that finish No. 1, 2 and 3 in all ranks get a medal, and the winning team also gets a big, nice trophy. If a team loses a playoff match there is still a single placement match to play, and all teams get a small trophy with their placement engraved, so there is something to fight for.
We reward the fighters of the year at every event – one in 8-a-side football and one in 5-a-side football. Coaches can nominate players from other clubs and referees can also nominate players. Ballots are distributed on the day of the event. In addition to a trophy, the two fighters will also receive a gift card for a Danish sports store worth DKK 1,000 and PUMA Denmark sponsors a pair of football boots to each fighter.
Although everyone plays to win medals and trophies, FAIR PLAY is a necessity, so we strongly urge you to comply with the rules for distributing the players on the teams, so we e.g. don’t see teams at E level with well dribbling players.
We do not want the referees’ independence to be in doubt. That is why we use trained and experienced referees from Herning Referee Association. Many of the referees have refereed at our competitions for several years, so they are experienced when it comes to disability football. This is also the reason why we often get feedback from coaches that our referees do really well and that they have a good understanding of the players’ challenges.
No matter how good a referee is, sometimes he or she will assess a situation in a different way than you, so always remember that referees do their very best to make the right decision every time. So, count to 10 and always speak nicely to the referees – they actually spend their free time refereeing our matches and their payment is quite symbolic. And we especially expect the coaches to be good role models and ensure a good tone towards referees and opponents.
In the 2023 edition, 475 players across 50 teams from 24 Danish clubs and three Swedish clubs and one Norwegian club participated in Denmark’s largest football event for children, young people and adults with physical disabilities, mental disabilities or general learning difficulties.
The starting point for the event is that we want a lot of happy football players in action but many in our target group do not have much money available. Luckily, with the help of sponsors, we have succeeded in making participation in the event completely free. The price of DKK 0 includes free lunch for all participating teams. Sommerbold på heden is football and competition and especially community, and in memory of a wonderful day all participants get a souvenir to take home – i.e., a drinking can.
Primarily to make it easier for Zealand teams and foreign teams to participate, there is free accommodation for players, coaches and relatives at the state-of-the-art community school (Lindbjergskolen) right next to the pitches. It is possible to stay overnight from Friday to Saturday with breakfast on Saturday, and if you stay overnight from Saturday to Sunday there is dinner on Saturday and breakfast on Sunday. Teams arriving on Friday evening also get a snack box to kickstart the weekend.
If you prefer to stay at a hotel, the Scandic hotel chain provides you with a special event discount – for more information contact info@sommerboldpaaheden.dk.
Bridge tolls (Storebæltsbroen + Øresundsbroen) are refunded after the event on presentation of receipts, but max. DKK 3,000 per club. Norwegian clubs and other clubs arriving to Denmark by ferry are reimbursed ferry expenses corresponding to bridge fees as if they were a Swedish team.
A participation deposit of DKK 500 per team must be paid upon registration. The participation deposit is returned after participation in the event. In case of no-show or cancelation after registration deadline the deposit is not returned. When registering with an overnight stay at the school, a school deposit of DKK 500 per team must be paid – the school deposit is returned after the event, when the room is left undamaged and as clean and tidy as it was taken over.
