Mr. Arild Åge Hovland Celebrates 9 Years of LIM — A Legacy Ready for National Implementation
May 6, 2026 WAS A MAJOR MILESTONE FOR MR. ARILD ÅGE HOVLAND COMPLETING 9 YEARS OF LIM. HIS LEGACY IS A SAVINGS OF NOK1.000.000 FOR PUBLIC HEALTH.
LIM is a solution for children staying physically active, building a sustainable ecosystem within local society, preventing youth crime, and securing integration for immigrant families — where both parents and children are welcomed into the local community through sports as a powerful vehicle for belonging.
Rooted in social capital, volunteerism, community collaboration, and the importance of SUPER ROLE MODELS, Mr. Hovland’s LIM needs to be shared to every politician, business owner, and key decision maker in Norway.
With profound gratitude and deep appreciation for Mr. Hovland’s contribution to Slettebakken, Bergen, he has also provided the solution for how LIM may be implemented nationally. We salute Mr Hovland for providing A PUBLIC HEALTH SOLUTION FOR OUR SOCIETY THAT DESPERATELY NEEDS URGENT ATTENTION.
6 OUT OF 10 CHILDREN QUIT SPORTS BEFORE TURNING 18 YEARS OLD. GIRLS PARTICIPATION IN SPORTS IS AS LOW AS 8% IN SELECTED AREAS WITHIN OSLO.
Experts report that inactive children through puberty ruin lives for a lifetime.
So how much does it cost to implement LIM to ensure ALL CHILDREN thrive socially, academically and performance wise?
The answer: NOK140 per day, per child or NOK240K per school per year, a total of NOK1.2Mill per year, activating more than 300 children at LIM.
Meteva Sport og Helse is taking an active role in a collective social responsibility as a matter of urgency, by sponsoring LIM at five schools in Bergen, providing 300 children LIM at a cost of NOK240K per school per year, a total of NOK1.2Mill per year.
By the initiative The NextGen Neighbor Network we are also visualizing what LIM is, the benefits and the impact it has on the local society; creating a sustainable eco-system that benefits all. LIM to all children in Bergen would cost between 30-36Mill. Super Role Models from sports frequently visiting LIM gives the children PHYSICAL role models every week, instead of DIGITAL role models on TikTok and SnapChat.
LIM IN NUMBERS
The cost is approximately 140NOK per child, per day at LIM
By sponsoring LIM at 10 schools, providing 600 children LIM at a cost of NOK240K per school per year, a total of NOK2.4Mill per year.
A LIFE OF EXCELLENCE
Mr. Arild Åge Hovland has shared a life of excellence.
Excellence in business.
Excellence in family.
Excellence in sports and community.
Excellence in social responsibility.
Mr. Arild Åge Hovland started a movement of compassion in the southern district of Bergen. Much long before public reports began speaking out about the need for prevention, belonging, and social capital, this man quietly built what many now regard as one of Norway’s most effective community models for youth inclusion. Through decades of persistent and deep human decency work, Mr. Arild Åge Hovland created the LIM Project—short for Homework, Sports, and Food. This innovative after-school program would later be recognized and awarded with the King's Medal of Merit in 2024.
Although Arild Hovland worked most of his professional life at DNB—ultimately serving as Director for DNB in Denmark——his true legacy lives in the everyday lives of the children, youth, and families he has strengthened throughout Slettebakken and beyond.
Hovland’s roots in community work stretch back to the early 1970s, when he was simultaneously a player, coach, and board member for SK Trane. Even then, at only 23 years old, he demonstrated an extraordinary combination of leadership and loyalty.
For over five decades, he guided the club through challenges ranging from lack of facilities to recruitment struggles, always driven by the same instinct: find a solution, involve others, and build forward together.
When SK Trane lost its recruitment base in Nattlandsfjellet and Sædalen—areas that largely ranked at the top of Bergen’s living-conditions index—the club was left with the Slettebakken area, where residents were mostly on the opposite end of the scale, with a high proportion of immigrant families. Arild saw the families needed something more—and began the work that would define his legacy and decades of service. They needed structure, belonging, consistent adults, and opportunity.
Responding With A Solution
He responded with a solution that would redefine community-based youth work in Norway.
In 2017, LIM was launched. Free of charge and provided after school for children in their own neighborhood, with safe, accountable, and reliable adults. Its philosophy was simple, but its impact profound:
Homework help to give children stability, mastery, and confidence.
Sporting activities to promote health, friendship, integration, and joy.
A nutritious meal to ensure no child participated on an empty stomach.
Consistent adults who greeted them, guided them, and stayed present.
What began as a collaboration with Slettebakken School quickly expanded. Arild ensured that students could try sports beyond football. Soon LIM included over 15 different sports, made possible through partnerships with multiple clubs in the area. For youth not interested in actively participating in sports, other opportunities were available including helping the elderly and being of service for seniors suffering with dementia.
Impactful Results
The results were undeniable. LIM has become a public health engine:
Children who started LIM without any sport participation ended up joining at least one club.
Children already active in one sport often began two.
Clubs reported stronger membership, better integration, and deeper community ties.
Let’s honor Mr. Arild Åge Hovland’s legacy of social responsibility and pay it forward by implementing LIM throughout Norway. It's a golden opportunity to increase corporate social responsibility (CSR) where employees could volunteer at the local LIM projects on a regular basis.
