Football in Finland
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. Football tops ice hockey in the number of registered players (115,000 vs. 60,000) and as a popular hobby (160,000 vs. 90,000 among adults and 230,000 vs. 105,000 among youths). It is the most popular hobby among 3-18 year olds, whereas ice hockey is 9th.
| 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 | |
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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 | |
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Football's standing is constantly increasing, especially among girls and women, where the yearly growth rate has lately been over 10 percent. In season 2006–07 19.9 percent of registered players were female. The Football Association of Finland (Finnish: Suomen Palloliitto) has approximately one thousand member clubs. According to a Gallup poll, nearly 400,000 people include football among their hobbies.