MADS BØGH – FROM TALENT DEVELOPMENT TO LEAGUE DEBUT
Photo: HØJ Elite
March 2026 – Aalborg
Young Mads Bøgh stands focused on the sideline, watching some of the world's best handball players run past him just a few metres away. He rubs resin onto his fingers like it's second nature, while head coach Anders Thomsen gives him his final instructions.
In a few seconds he'll be sent out onto the court in front of 5,000 spectators for his league debut – against the Danish champions and Champions League side Aalborg Håndbold. Behind this moment lie countless hours of training on the court floor – both at the club and most recently with the league squad.
Mads Bøgh was quickly spotted on HØJ's talented U19 team when he joined the club as an 18-year-old, and since the start of 2026 he has been training regularly with the league men's team.
Here's the story of Mads Bøgh.
April 2026 – Ølstykke
"I started playing handball at age 7 at HK73. It's always been fun for me, but it really started to get serious when I went to SØS (Sydøstsjællands Idrætsefterskole). After SØS I was at Ajax, and now I'm sitting here in Ølstykke-Hallen, which I'm absolutely thrilled about.
At first I trained with the team now and then, then it became one session a week, and since the turn of the year it's become a regular thing. I'm really happy about that, and I can already feel that it has developed me enormously – both physically and in terms of my speed and pace, and I also feel I've become a whole lot smarter about handball.
You can't keep doing the same things you did as a youth player in the same way anymore. There has to be thought behind it, and it's just fantastic to be able to soak up knowledge from such skilled and experienced players as we have in the squad."
Debut against the Danish champions
"Honestly, I couldn't have wished for a better place to make my debut. It was very surreal, and it felt like I had a bubble around me. I remember being really focused on the job I had to go out and do.
Luckily I had some great teammates around me who were right there the moment I got tapped on the shoulder and told to get ready. "Remember, there's a reason you're here." I was, and still am, truly grateful for that support. The night in Aalborg was the high point so far, and I'll happily admit that I still have to pinch myself a little. Because it was huge!"
Strong performance against Fredericia
"Then when we went to Fredericia, it was with a slightly different feeling in my body. I got more time on the court and could really show what I was capable of.
It was awesome to score my first league goal, and it meant an incredible amount to me that my parents and my brother were in the stands, so they could experience it all alongside me. I was bursting with pride, truly, but also really gutted that we unfortunately lost the game."
Handball dreams
"I've always had dreams, and for me they're allowed to seem unrealistic too. I dare to dream big and I believe in myself. My ambition is to train with purpose and ideally as much as possible. I want to be the best version of myself, and whether that ends up being in the Danish Håndboldliga, maybe the Bundesliga or something else entirely, we'll see. There's no point getting too far ahead of myself – for me it's one day at a time."
The special community
"There's a lot of talk about this "community in a class of its own" at HØJ, and I just have to say that it's completely true. Because it really IS something special. All the managers, team leaders and volunteers. They've all meant an incredible amount to me, also in terms of my development as a person. I feel I've become both a better person and a better handball player. The club and the community have contributed to that in particular.
And I've got a good piece of advice for all our fantastic youth players running around the hall and dreaming. Keep at it, keep at it, keep at it. Be patient and make your training a priority. The chance will come to those who work hard. Because it was never written in stone that I'd be standing where I am now."
We say a huge thank you to Mads Bøgh, and we look forward to many more great experiences together in the future.
Mads Bøgh – part of the HØJ family
