“I dream of becoming a creative writer”
|Niklas Sardorf represented Denmark at the Wroclaw Cup in Poland. Image: HWC/Rebecca Corbett
“I flew over to the rehab centre; I actually remember it being one of the best times in my life. They accepted me as I was. ”
Niklas Sardorf represented Denmark with Ombold at the Wroclaw Cup in Poland in July 2022.
25-year-old Niklas Sardorf from Copenhagen sprints around the pitch, he’s quick and nimble on the ball and clearly a talented player.
It surprises me to find out he’s got arthritis in his knee and ankle, when it flares up, he can barely walk, let alone run and play football. He injects medication into his stomach every two weeks to manage the pain.
“I hope that my body will allow me to play this kind of football, especially with Ombold. It’s an amazing organisation. They are helping a lot of people.”
Niklas first came across Ombold when he finished rehabilitation and returned home, a few of his friends were playing and invited him to go along.
He’d played at a very high level as a youth player, his dreams to become professional were halted when he got a knee injury at 14.
“I played in some of the best youth leagues in Denmark. I got an injury and then football disappeared from my life.”
By 17, Niklas had left home, he couldn’t live with his family anymore.
Sadly, the housing that was supposed to protect him and give him a stable base did the opposite. Forced to move every few months, Niklas lived in six different places in the space of two-three years. He also made friends with people who were experimenting with drugs.
One year later, he started to take them himself. What started as an experiment quickly spiralled out of control and began a seven-year cocaine addiction.
“I got so hooked that I spent all my money on it, I didn’t have any money from the start of the month to the end of the month. I was broke. I became homeless. I was staying at friends, sometimes with family – as long as I wasn’t on drugs. I was sofa surfing. It was a really hard time.”
“I was very surprised how open minded the people were. They accepted me as I was”
Asking how Niklas overcame his addiction, he explained: “It’s a long process – first you have realise you have a problem and then to accept that you have a problem. Then I went to the government in Denmark and told them I had this problem, and I went to rehab for the first time when I was 21. I had been in active addiction for three years at that point.
“In Denmark you have to go to the rehab centre and talk to them and they evaluate if you need to be in rehab centre or if you have to be in daily programme. It depends how big your problem is.
“I went to rehab on the island in Denmark. So, I flew over to the rehab centre. Actually, I remember it being one of the best times in my life. I learnt so much. I was very surprised how open minded the people were. They accepted me as I was, I felt welcome and accepted.
“I was so happy when I came home from there, but I made some mistakes and I saw some old friends – I didn’t know that much about addiction at that time, and I went back to active addiction – to abuse.”
It took multiple attempts for Niklas to overcome his addition. After a final stint, he came back to Copenhagen and found Ombold.
“I played a lot of street football for fun when I could, when my body allowed it. I think there were 3-4 years before Ombold when I hadn’t touched a football.”
|Niklas Sardorf was back in action at the Wroclaw Cup in Poland. Image: HWC/Rebecca Corbett
“I think there were 3-4 years before Ombold when I hadn’t touched a football”
Playing after such a long break was an initial shock for Niklas.
“My head thought I could play like when I was younger, but my body couldn’t and wouldn’t follow but I got it back quickly.
“I’ve been in the national team, because of Covid we haven’t got a Homeless World Cup, but I’m proud to represent Denmark in these competitions.
“The highlight was the game in the quarter finals against Lithuania, both teams – we had a good fight. We have four men down, who are now injured. Now we are playing for 5th/6th place.”
Denmark finished 6th in the Wroclaw Cup after a dramatic clash with Poland in their final game of the tournament.
For Niklas, now his attention is on the future; “I hope that I will get that [arthritis] under control, living a clean life. I dream of becoming a creative writer.”
Ombold is our partner in Denmark, they use football to support people who are socially isolated and overcoming addiction to reintegrate into society and rebuild their lives.
Words: Rebecca Corbett