LykkeLiga - "The Happiness League"

Aalborg Kidz keeps growing and the players love playing handball. They also love being part of a team and there are hugs and high fives in abundance during every monday practice. One day, star player and self proclaimed captain of the team Jakob asks Rikke: “We are getting good. Who are we playing?”

There is no answer. Even though there are a few other teams around, the players are typically grown ups and the teams are geographically far apart. “We need to start a league” Mikael insists "and we need to find funding". “How on earth are we going to start a league?” Rikke asks. She is used to the bureaucracy of national sports unions. This time, there is a simple answer: “We´ll just post it on facebook!”

And so, LykkeLiga is born. With a catchy name, grandiose communication and a strong voice on facebook, LykkeLiga has tailwind from day one. Soon, the first teams pop up around the country.

As a part of the communication on facebook, Rikke is recording short videos together with her daughter Magda. In one particular video, Magda and Rikke talks about playing handball. “I am no handball player…” Magda says coyly to the camera. “I am a handball STAR!” The video is a viral hit - shared almost 10.000 times and reaching nearly 1 mio views. Not bad in a country with 6 mio inhabitants. Soon - most people in Denmark knows about LykkeLiga, and the traditional media followed suit with several stories about “The happiest league in Denmark”.

Simultaneously, the funding comes through. With big donations from the danish government and 2 large nonprofit funds, LykkeLiga is able to found a formal organisation and make Rikke Director. Mikael takes on the role as chairman of the board.

Since then, LykkeLiga has been growing steadily. Today, teams are all over the country - even in Greenland and Faroe Islands. In all, 850 players in 55 teams.

In January 2019, LykkeLiga received the “Danish Sports Award” at a live transmitted TV-gala celebrating danish sports stars. In July 2019, newly signed sponsor Hummel (Danish sports brand) presented their cooperation with LykkeLiga at the IHF World Congress, thus showcasing the project in front of the supreme international body of handball, and 204 national representatives.

August 2019 brought international attention as a facebook production team visited Denmark to shoot a video about LykkeLiga. The video is featured in the facebook owned “Community Voices” page on the social network.

In January 2020, national TV-station TV2 featured a 2-episodes series about LykkeLiga. The series portray 3 of LykkeLigas star-players including Rikkes own daughter Magda. The TV-series once and for all cemented LykkeLiga as a household name in Denmark.

Today, LykkeLiga has an audience of more than 50.000 people on social media, thus considerably larger than the professional handball leagues in Denmark. During 2019, LykkeLiga had more than 20 mio impressions on social media making it one of the strongest voices in the country displaying life with intellectual disability.

More importantly, parents all over Denmark are starting to insist that their children with intellectual disabilities, wear LykkeLiga shirts when out and about. Reports from parents show, that LykkeLiga is making life easier for the players: "When people see the LykkeLiga logo, they know how to handle our children. And they know it is ok to give them a high five!" LykkeLiga has become somewhat of a self-fulfilling prophecy - actually creating happiness in the lifes of players and the people who love them.