Oslo City’s partner Vålerenga kicked-off the season debut for Norwegian top football at Oslo City the other week with competitions inside the shopping center and outside. "An indoor center, with interesting shops, and lots of people - is a good combination to increase visibility”, says Erik Espeseth, General Manager of Vålerenga. With over 40,000 visitors at Oslo City on Saturdays, it was a fantastic match with an Oslo City "take over" before the football league starts.

During the event many children and young people came to meet their football heroes up close. A pop-up store, Vålerenga’s supporter store Sjappa, was also opened. The pop-up store will be open at least the coming month, maybe longer!

According to Erik Espeseth, Vålerenga has had a strong social commitment for years. Vålerenga against racism, for example, was founded 26 years ago. The community department in Vålerenga Football, which focuses on substance abuse and the opportunity to join “Gatelaget” (football team for substance abusers where a better everyday life can be achieved) was also represented with a booth. When it comes to “Gatelaget” specifically, there are many in Våleranga’s and Oslo City’s catchment area who struggle with substance abuse and substance abuse challenges.

We wanted to give them an even better opportunity to get back to a normal everyday life, and a low-threshold offer such as some football training from time to time - has proven to be an effective tool, says Erik Espeseth. We definitely have an intention of a long-term cooperation with Oslo City, which fits well into our strategic plan. Oslo City is a nice meeting place for the city’s residents. We also believe that a collaboration with Vålerenga Fotball Elite is positive for Oslo City and is a collaboration that can be further developed.

The cooperation is a good example on how Steen & Ström work with our Act4Good initiatives to unlock our visitors’ potential and an example of where we are connected to communities in which we operate. We are very much looking forward to continuing the cooperation with Våleränga whose sustainability work is important for the community, and to offer Oslo residents not only shopping opportunities but also a meeting place, concludes Elisabeth Lohk, Shopping Center Manager at Oslo City.