The Copenhagen BS goalkeeper devotes his life to helping youngsters inside a youth detention centre in Denmark
It is difficult to miss Mik Wallin Skott, the man between the posts for Copenhagen BS, whether it is on the beach soccer field or off it. He is an enormous, muscular Viking of a man, with his arms and back covered in tattoos, and a long beard on his chin; his is the fierce look of a warrior.
But beneath the gruff exterior and barrel-like chest, beats a big heart. This much is clear, as he spends much of his time, working to improve the lives of young people in a youth detention centre, trying to inspire them to fight, and overcome, the challenging circumstances they live under.
Life inside the Sonderbro Sikret Institution is not easy. “You never know what kind of day you will have.” Sometimes, Mik and the rest of the staff find themselves in dangerous situations. “From time to time we need to get involved in fights, and sometimes we even suffer attacks with improvised weapons, like knives made out of toothbrushes. Fortunately, we have always managed to solve the problems.”
Despite the difficulties and the tough environment, Mik loves his job, especially when “forms a connection with one of the boys or girls. It’s when they listen to me, and I manage to inspire them somehow to find a reason to move on and lead a better life. This is what gets me up every morning.”
The will to help those in difficult situations is what drives him in life. After he graduated in Social Education at the Professionshoejskolen Metropol UCC (Metropolitan University College) in Copenhagen, he joined the Sonderbro Sikret Institution, and he dreams of developing new social education programs to keep helping people through sport.
A pioneer on the sand
Alongside his life as a Social Educator, Mik also had time to become one of the pioneers of beach soccer in Denmark, as he was one of the players who formed a part of the first Danish national team, which made their debut in Sweden in 2013. He is also one of the founding members of his club side, Copenhagen BS.
The Danish keeper came across beach soccer a couple of years previous to this debut, after finishing his football career due to a groin injury. He played with Danish giants Brondby’s for many years, reaching the senior team at a very early age, but luck turned its back on him.
“With the injury, I saw myself struggling all the time, and I no longer enjoyed playing”, he explains. He swapped the goal line to the touchline, as he began to coach youth teams. Coaching helped him stay connected to football, and he wanted to make the most of it, even getting the UEFA A License. But at some point, his job and his coaching career became incompatible. Then, in 2013 he had his first test on the sand, in a local competition in Copenhagen.
It was not until a couple of years later that he had the chance to experience beach soccer at its highest level, when he took part in the Euro Winners Cup with Copenhagen BS in Catania. “We were amazed by the level of the teams. We were unlucky to be drawn in the same groups as big teams such as BSC Chargers of Gyongyos, with Mauricinho and Bruno Malias, and we literally had no chance. But it was a great experience and a huge learning curve.”
Little by little the team has been increasing their level, and ended up with a laudable top-8 finish in the World Winners Cup, held last October in Turkey. “We look forward to continuing to improve our beach soccer, and steadily obtain better results.”
Bonding through beach soccer
Actually, beach soccer represents a focal point of connection for Mik and the boys and girls at the centre. “They show real interest in my beach soccer, and even watch the games on TV or with me when I come back. They even make jokes when I concede many goals. It’s funny.”
Being a beach soccer player for the national team only adds to the respect that the youngsters have for him. “They see me as a sportsman, something many of them would like to be, and that makes me closer to them. There is even one boy, 17 years old and good football player, that wants to try beach soccer as soon as he leaves the institution.”
Sport often has this strange power of breaking down even the most unyielding of barriers, and Mik has used beach soccer as a way to earn the trust of the young people in his care. “They can see I am on their side most of the time, I am there to help them, and I make it very clear that we are all equal, we are all human beings and that we need to take care of each other.”
“This is why my main goal is for them to understand that they need to be passionate about something. This is the best way to find the proper path in life.”
Whatever your path or your objective is, having a Mik Wallen Skott by your side will always come in handy. Beach soccer will always be happy and proud to have this kind of person within our ever-growing family.
