Tennis is more than courts —
it is the people around them.
We have reviewed annual reports from twelve of the largest tennis clubs in Oslo and Bærum. None of them have a plan. Konglungen does.
Konglungen Tennis Club is slightly off the beaten track. We have one court. Yet we do things that clubs with ten times our resources are nowhere near.
Elina Krantz started stand-up Norway from a small pub in Bergen. No one believed in the project. Today Latter at Aker Brygge is an institution — not because the building is special, but because the place stands for something. We are on the same journey.
We can be fast, personal and bold. Large clubs resemble old ships with heavy anchors. Konglungen is a small boat with a rocket engine.
Pizza & Tennis, Beers & Tennis, Wooden Racket Tournament, national doubles tournament. These are things others talk about — we do them.
“You have to go there at least once. It is different.”
— What we are building towardsWe have reviewed annual reports and strategy documents from twelve of the largest tennis clubs in Oslo and Bærum. The picture is alarming.
None of the clubs analysed have a plan for cross-club play, the padel wave or artificial intelligence. Stavanger has halted its indoor hall project. OTK is building a new hall — without padel. Holmenkollen TK lost 148 members. The market no longer sustains pure tennis facilities automatically.
Padel is not the problem — padel is the light shining on the problem. People want low barriers, social activity, flexible booking. «I am playing tonight» instead of «season slot week 14».
They cross club boundaries, book wherever there is availability and play with whoever they want — regardless of membership.
What can be sorted now in one meeting will cost ten times more in two years.
CourtBuddy solves exactly what Norwegian tennis needs — and no one else has it.
and no one can ignore.
A vibrant social hub for racket sports and community in western Oslo, where culture comes before facilities, technology removes friction and Konglungen sets the standard for what a modern Norwegian tennis club can be.
The underdog that does things others do not dare. Social events that create identity and belonging.
The missing infrastructure of Norwegian tennis. Matching across clubs. Drop-in without seasonal commitment.
Not a competitor — a partner. A lever for the entire region.
Tennis and padel under one roof. Social zones. Low barriers and accessibility over prestige projects.
FK Bodø/Glimt did not win by buying stars. Kjetil Knutsen built a culture where players became better than they ever thought possible. When Glimt beat Roma 6–1 it was not luck — it was system.
Konglungen is built on the same principles:
We build an environment where people want to be — then the talent follows naturally.
Clear processes, a defined annual calendar, accountable roles. Nothing depends on one person.
Konglungen is a «we», not an «I».
We do not give up. We are tough — like work trousers and a properly built deck.
Marcus Aurelius: the obstacle is not the stone in the road — it is the stone you build your staircase from. The distance is part of the myth.
“The future is not tennis or padel. It is tennis and padel, under the same roof, with the same people and the same cup of coffee in hand afterwards.”
— Strategy document, Konglungen TK 2026- Launch CourtBuddy collaboration with at least two neighbouring clubs
- Host national doubles tournament at Konglungen
- Anchor the vision document with the board
- Begin dialogue on the western Oslo network
- CourtBuddy live in five clubs
- Pilot padel court or multi-court
- Formal western Oslo collaboration with joint action plan
- Double the number of social events
- Konglungen as reference club for NTF on cross-club booking
- Visible growth in active players and volunteers
- Stable finances built on activity, not just membership fees
- Known as the innovation club in Norwegian tennis
- The lighthouse for what a small club can do with big thinking
- More than 300 active players and a thriving local community
Norwegian tennis is about to realise that the train has already started moving. Konglungen does not need to wait — we are already on our way.
“What often makes these places succeed is that they become known for something larger than the place itself.”
— Reflections on Konglungen TK, April 2026