Hou Hallen GB
Hou Hallen
Intro
Hou Sports Centre was opened in 1991. The centre is a non-profit institution and built entirely by volunteers and backed solidly by the whole town.
Hou Sports Centre was opened in 1991. The centre is a non-profit institution and built entirely by volunteers and backed solidly by the whole town.
It took ten years to raise the money and to build the centre.
Following the statutory general meeting in 1981, work to raise the DKK 7 million needed for the project was begun. To kick-start the fund-raising, it was decided to sell off the old sports ground by Strandgade. This caused a certain amount of commotion, but the decision to sell turned out to be the right one. The sale of the sports ground to Odder Municipality raised DKK 1 million. Furthermore, deeds of gift were offered for sale in Hou totalling DKK 600,000.
Odder Municipality donated an identical sum to the project, and the rest of the money was then raised through a mortgage bank. To make ends meet, two board members had to secure the loan with their own properties – in one case without the spouse knowing anything about it!!! It was a fine gesture and, fortunately, all went without a hitch.
For the first three to four years, the centre was run by volunteers, who did the cleaning as well as manning the kiosk. In 1995 a centre manager was employed.
In 2012, Hou Sports Centre was extended with the low building facing the football pitch.
The extension houses a fitness centre, a treatment room for massage or physiotherapy, a children’s playroom, and a junior club all in all adding up to a comprehensive leisure centre. The fitness centre enjoys solid support from the local community with more than 350 members.
That’s not bad for a small town totalling just over 1500 inhabitants.