| Football in Finland | |
|---|---|
 Home stadium of club HJK Helsinki | |
| Country | Finland |
| Governing body | Football Association of Finland (Finnish: Suomen Palloliitto) |
| National team(s) | Men's national team Women's national team |
National competitions | |
Club competitions | |
League: Tier 1: Veikkausliiga, Kansallinen Liiga Tier 2: Ykkösliiga, Naisten Ykkönen Tier 3: Ykkönen, Naisten Kakkonen Tier 4: Kakkonen, Naisten Kolmonen Tier 5: Kolmonen, Naisten Nelonen Tier 6: Nelonen, Naisten Vitonen Tier 7: Vitonen Tier 8: Kutonen Tier 9: Seiska Cups: Finnish Cup Finnish Women's Cup | |
International competitions | |
Football in Finland is not, or at least has traditionally not been, the most popular spectator sport, which is in contrast to most European countries; it falls behind ice hockey, which enjoys a huge amount of popularity in the country.[1] Football tops ice hockey in the number of registered players (115,000 vs. 60,000[2][3]) and as a popular hobby (160,000 vs. 90,000 among adults and 230,000 vs. 105,000 among youths[4][5]). It is the most popular hobby among 3-18 year olds, whereas ice hockey is 9th.[5]
Football's standing is constantly increasing, especially among girls and women, where the yearly growth rate has lately been over 10 percent.[6] In season 2006–07 19.9 percent of registered players were female.[6] The Football Association of Finland (Finnish: Suomen Palloliitto) has approximately one thousand member clubs.[2] According to a Gallup poll, nearly 400,000 people include football among their hobbies.[4][5]
- ^ "Lajeja paikan päällä vähintään kerran vuodessa seuraavien määrä lajeittain 19-65-vuotiaiden keskuudessa" (PDF). Kansallinen liikuntatutkimus 2005-2006. Ministry of Education. 2006. Retrieved 13 February 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b "Suomen Palloliitto". Football Association of Finland. Archived from the original on 23 April 2011. Retrieved 13 February 2010.
- ^ "Info". Finnish Ice Hockey Association. Archived from the original on 27 February 2010. Retrieved 13 February 2010.
- ^ a b "Urheilulajien harrastajamäärät 19-65-vuotiaiden keskuudessa" (PDF). Kansallinen liikuntatutkimus 2005-2006. Ministry of Education. 2006. Retrieved 13 February 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b c "Urheilulajien harrastajamäärät 8-13-vuotiaiden keskuudessa" (PDF). Kansallinen liikuntatutkimus 2005-2006. Ministry of Education. 2006. Retrieved 13 February 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b "Jalkapallo kasvussa Suomessa ja maailmalla". refers to FIFA Big Count 2006. Football Association of Finland. 2007-06-19. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 13 February 2010.