EAA member Danmarks Sportsfiskerforbund’s youth initiative “Anglers of the Future” is already delivering strong results after just one year. With a 31 % increase in junior members, over one million digital impressions, and fully booked youth camps, the project shows how angling can successfully engage the next Danish generation. Read more about the project’s impact and key achievements.

Project background

“Anglers of the Future” was introduced as a three-year project with a clear objective: to encourage children and young people (up to 18 years of age) to spend more time outdoors and discover recreational fishing. The ambition is to make angling as accessible and appealing as other mainstream leisure activities in Denmark such as football or swimming.

Launched in late 2024, the project has quickly established itself as a strong model for engaging children and young people in recreational fishing, outdoor activities and nature appreciation.

By combining local activities, digital outreach and community-based engagement, the initiative demonstrates how angling can become a natural and attractive leisure activity for the next generation.

The project is supported by the Danish Outdoor Council and implemented by Danmarks Sportsfiskerforbund, in close cooperation with its junior committee, instructors’ association and a dedicated youth panel.

Key project objectives include:

Improving access to angling through both physical and digital initiatives;
Strengthening regional and local youth networks;
Building bridges between generations within angling communities.

The European Anglers Alliance (EAA) previously reported on the launch of the project at European level (LINK).

Key results after 1 year

After one full year of implementation, the project has not only met but exceeded several early expectations:

🎣Strong growth in youth participation

600 new junior members have joined Sportsfiskerforbund’s member clubs, corresponding to a 31% increase in young members since the project begain in November 2024. Which was selected as a 3-year project objective – which was thus already met in the 1st year!

When the project was launched, the goal was clear; more children and young people should experience the joy of fishing, community and nature. This substantial growth demonstrates the project’s appeal and resonance among children and families.

“It’s a huge milestone. We can see that it’s sprouting everywhere – both in the associations and on the internet. The children are curious, they want to learn to fish, and they want to be part of a community” says project manager Marie Brandt.

In addition, local angling clubs in the country have done an enormous amount of work to make this progress possible. Our sport/hobby – as well as the project in Denmark – absolutely needs more people volunteering as instructors in those local clubs. Many of the barriers to teaching fishing to new enthusiasts must be lowered by offering additional training courses for volunteers, structured teaching programmes they can follow, and complementary initiatives. In short, teaching must be made easier – which is not an easy task and both the project in Denmark and the EAA must continue working on this.

📱 Impressive digital outreach

Digital communication has been a central pillar of the project’s success.

The project’s communication and online engagement initiatives have surpassed one million impressions across social media platforms including Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Facebook — an important milestone in inspiring and mobilising young outdoor enthusiasts.

The project has created profiles under the name Fiskeakademiet on Instagram , Facebook , TikTok and YouTube , and shares content across all channels. The highest number of followers is achieved through the active presence on TikTok – which is highly popular among young people.

The project has also created a website with inspiration, knowledge, courses an overview of junior departments under the association, practical information, contact, and many other information for both the target group of children and young people, as well as volunteers & associations.

Website performance:

10,211 visitors between May and October 2025;
17,846 total visitors since the website’s launch.

Access the project website via this link

Camps, Community and other activities

A wide range of activities — from fishing camps and local events to instructor training and collaborative initiatives with clubs, schools and municipalities — were organised by the project to create opportunities for young people to connect with nature and each other. These events help foster community, build (social) skills, friends and create lasting memories beside the water.
During the first project year, two major youth camps were organised:

Pike camp
- 20 participants, plus a waiting list of 10 additional applicants
- Held at Rolandhytten with a dedicated team of instructors
- Highlight: a spectacular meter-long pike that became the camp’s defining moment
FAK Week
- 52 young anglers participated
- 18 different species caught
- More than 500 fish landed, setting a new project record
- Activities included fly tying, casting practice and gear maintenance

The 2026 Trout Camp is already fully booked and registrations now limited to a waiting list.
Below you can find a small selection of pictures from the two camps.

Societal recognition & political visibility

A further sign of the project’s societal impact came in August 2025, when two young anglers from the Copenhagen Fishing Club were invited to meet Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen at Roskilde Fjord.

The conversation was part of the Prime Minister’s 18 walks around the country, where she met citizens to discuss what is on their minds.
During the meeting, the young anglers shared their enthusiasm for recreational fishing and their hopes for the future of fish stocks with the Prime Minister — a powerful demonstration of how the initiative is amplifying the voices of young anglers and raising the profile of fishing and environmental stewardship in broader societal conversations.

Keeping momentum and looking ahead

EAA member Danmarks Sportfiskerforbund emphasises that these results represent only the beginning of a broader transformation. Building on the strong first year, future efforts will focus on:

Broadening accessibility and inclusivity, especially increasing the participation of girls in fishing; Danish EAA member – Danmarks Sportfiskerforbund – believes that a large part of getting more girls into fishing is about changing the narrative around who an angler is. This narrative can have a significant impact, especially when we normalize seeing girls (and women) in our depiction as an angler/recreational fisher.
- Project leader Marie Brandt: “In Denmark – and by means of the project – many girls/women are very aware that they are breaking norms – adding a great, additional pressure to what is essentially just taking on a new, exciting outdoor hobby.”
- “We are well on our way, but we must continue to make fishing accessible to everyone – regardless of gender, age or background” – Marie adds.
- Several EAA members have been launching projects to increase girl/women participation in angling. More on this can be found here:

Continuing the rollout of local offers and activities tailored to young people’s interests;
Expanding outreach efforts to inspire even more families to discover fishing together; and
Further collaboration with Danish tackle dealers, the industry organization Danish Angling and Anglers Denmark.

As project manager Marie Brandt highlights, the real success lies in the joy and curiosity we see among children — once they experience fishing, nature and friendship together, a lifelong interest truly can take root.