The children of Espoo can now have the recent silver medalist of the Swedish ice hockey league accompany them to sports games.
Brynäs IF played last season Matilda Nilsson26, posted an announcement on Facebook last week in the Lintuvaara väki group, where he offered local families help with childcare and support for exercise.
The atypical announcement for a professional athlete has spawned several contacts, says Nilsson.
– Some mothers have messaged that they need help in everyday life. They are mainly those whose children would need daily exercise. I hope that people would dare to get in touch, even though the matter may be sensitive. You may not be used to someone offering help. I believe there is a threshold or even shame, even though there shouldn’t be. We are here to help each other, says Nilsson.
Nilsson says that there is a broader social agenda behind the job advertisement. Although the additional services are necessary for the female hockey player, her desire to help children and young people to exercise was a bigger incentive. In that, he uses the experience gained from his own sports career.
For years Nilsson has worked in schools in both general and special education in addition to playing ice hockey and during the summer holidays. As a substitute, he has been able to see the children’s school life up close. He has noted that spending recess has become passively staring at the phone.
– Of course, I wonder why children and young people in our society are doing a little worse at the moment. It started to worry me when I saw in schools how much technology affects. Daily exercise and yard games, which are the best and most versatile forms of exercise, will definitely be left behind. I wonder if the children’s daily exercise recommendations are really being met, says Nilsson.
FAQ Institute recommends, that all 7-17-year-olds should do versatile, brisk and strenuous exercise for at least 60 minutes a day. Children under 8 should be included in the day According to the UKK Institute at least three hours of exercise.
Nilsson’s observation about the school world is right. Only one in three of children and young people exercise enough for their health, according to the Suomi Liikkelle program launched by the government the snapshot states. About 40 percent of students have such poor physical ability that it makes it difficult to cope with everyday life.
Physical and healthy lifestyles are already adopted in childhood, and those who exercised intensively at a young age are more likely to live an active life as adults as well. In Nilsson’s opinion, parents are primarily responsible for getting children active, but it is also the role of schools to support active lifestyles.
According to the UKK institute, inactivity causes costs of more than three billion euros in Finland every year and increases the risk of several national diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Children’s immobility does not necessarily bring costs right away, but the consequences can be drastically seen decades from now.
– It is very worrying that society is in such a situation that it does not move. We come up with a lot of reasons that there is no time. In both cases, there are studies showing that even 20 minutes of daily exercise is beneficial for mental health, says Nilsson.
“The price of exercise must not be increased”
Finland’s new government will launch Finland on the Move program, whose goal is to increase physical activity in every age group. On the other hand, the government is also planning to increase the value added tax on sports services from 10 percent to 14 percent.
When the tax increases, many sports service providers also have to raise their prices.
– I think it’s a good idea that the government wants to get people moving. But I think the price of exercise should not be increased. It cuts off many low-income families, which is why I would like to help them. To be able to exercise and get to know exercise in general for a little less money. Sports belong to everyone, says Nilsson.
The price tag of the hobby is already too high in many families, especially when other living costs have also risen.
Nilsson regrets that the costs of his own sport of ice hockey have increased and that practicing the sport has not been possible in many families for a long time. Of course, the ice age was already expensive twenty years ago, when Nilsson, originally from Kirkonnumela, started playing hockey.
– In schools, I have heard when children talk that they would like to do some sport, but there is no money for it. It feels bad. I hope there is a good solution for that. I would love to be involved in saving the future of both hockey and all other sports. You can contact me! Nilsson laughs.
Nilsson has arrived for the interview at the school yard in Espoo. A mother and daughter, who say they live nearby, are kicking the ball on the field. The school yard is their favorite place for local exercise, where they often go.
Nilsson says that exercise doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. The mother and daughter’s ball game is a good example of the fact that you can exercise anywhere and on any budget.
– I urge everyone to get moving. You don’t need any equipment or membership, it’s completely free. Frisbeegolf is a pretty good sport in the summer. The most important thing is to enjoy it and have fun, says Nilsson.
Nilsson’s contract for next season is still open, but he says that he is interested in returning to Gävle. The ice hockey player has kept himself in shape with a versatile summer training program, which has included strength training, running, cycling and swimming.
According to Nilsson, his and Brynäs IF’s values matched well last season, as the club’s activities strongly reflect the support of sports activities for children and young people. The season that ended in the final was great anyway.
– I have been in contact with Brynäs, but it is still a bit open how I will do it. It was the kind of place that left a big good impression on the heart.
After his career, Nilsson wants to give even more of his time to children and young people.
– Special pedagogy is very interesting. I would like to start a company in the welfare industry specifically related to children and young people. However, well-being affects their future and the future of society as a whole. I would like to do some work for that, says Nilsson.