 | |||
| Full name | Mikkelin Kissat | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1981 | ||
| Ground | Mikkelin Urheilupuisto, Mikkeli, Finland | ||
| Capacity | 7,000 | ||
| Chairman | Jyri Paasonen | ||
| Manager | Tommi Ekmark | ||
| League | Kakkonen | ||
Mikkelin Kissat (abbreviated MiKi) is a football club from Mikkeli, Finland. Its home ground is at the Mikkelin Urheilupuisto. MiKi is affiliated to SPL Kaakkois-Suomen piiri, the south eastern regional district of the Finnish FA.
The club was formed in 1981 but was not formally registered until 1983. They started in V divisioona, the fifth division in 1984 and rapid progress followed with the club soon gaining promotion to II divisioona, the second division, in 1986. They lasted there only two years as relegation ensued in 1988. Once again Kissat was promoted to II divisioona in 1993 and finally cemented their place there, reaching even the promotion battle of the division quite soon. An especially memorable year was 1995, when Kissat almost achieved an entire season without losses. They also won the "Pikkufinaali", a final for the two best lower league teams in the Finnish Cup (Suomen Cup) in 1994.
Even with MiKi finding success in the second division (now called Kakkonen) as the 2000 millennium neared its end, the perennial local rivals MP were in financial problems after being relegated to Ykkönen, the Finnish first division. In 1999, the two clubs decided to share their resources and players and merged to form mutual first team and an under 21s team called FC Mikkeli, as well as a reserve team called Mikkelin Pallo (MiPa) which played a division below in Kakkonen. The fusion lasted only for three years without much success, as in 2001 FC Mikkeli was relegated to Kakkonen and the club was disbanded. Both MiKi and MP returned to first-team football by taking FC Mikkeli's and MiPa's places in Kakkonen. Since then Kissat has played in Kakkonen in 2002, 2004–2005 and 2007, and the rest of the seasons in Kolmonen.
MiKi's short history is also inextricably linked to that of Mikkelin Pallo-Kissat (MiPK) which was formed in 1946, with roots of the club leading back even to the very early 20th century to a multi-sport club called Mikkelin Vauhti. Pallo-Kissat were quite successful in their day as they played in the top level of Finnish football, back then called Mestaruussarja, over the years 1962–1964, 1971 and 1974–1979. In 1962, 1974 and 1975 they reached fourth place of the league, the most highest position in top-level football in the club's history. But towards the 1980s, the club began experiencing severe economic distress and finally after being relegated to the second division, they were declared bankrupt at the start of the season in 1984. MiPK players transferred to the newly established MiKi which provided a sound foundation for the new club's future.
Mikkelin Kissat run a very active youth section with teams up to under 20's, and hold the popular youth tournament Mikkeli Turnaus each year. West Ham United goalkeeper Jussi Jääskeläinen and former Newcastle United striker Shefki Kuqi are both products of the MiKi youth setup.
From 2016 men's team used name of the clubs predecessor Mikkelin Pallo-Kissat. In 2020 whole club continued as a Mikkelin Pallo-Kissat [1]
|
Teppo Yli-Karro (2002) Jorma Immonen (2003)
Tibor Gruborovics (2004) Jorma Immonen (2005) Jukka Gråsten (2006) Janne Wilkman (2007) Risto Lähde (2008–2011) Tommi Sariola (2011) Jukka Gråsten (2012) Timo Vehviläinen (2013–)| Season | Player | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Iiro Kiukas | 14 |
| 2003 | Miikka Oinonen | 24 |
| 2004 | Joona Ikonen | 7 |
| 2005 | Juha-Matti Murtonen | 6 |
| 2006 | Iiro Kiukas | 14 |
| 2007 | Iiro Kiukas | 7 |
| 2008 | Tommi Sariola | 12 |
| 2009 | Joona Ikonen | 13 |
| 2010 | Tommi Sariola | 12 |
| 2011 | Timo Mattila | 9 |
| 2012 | Riiko Lappalainen | 8 |
| 2013 | Miikka Oinonen | 16 |
Specific
Mikkeli is a town and municipality in Finland. It is located in what used to be the province of Eastern Finland and is part of the Etelä-Savo region. The municipality has a population of 52,530 and covers an area of 3,229.57 square kilometres (1,246.94 sq mi) of which 424.7 km2 (164.0 sq mi) is water. The population density is 30.9 inhabitants per square kilometre (80/sq mi) The town is located on lake Saimaa. Together with Savonlinna, it is one of the largest towns in the South Savonia region and one of the concentrations in the region's hospital districts.
Mikkelin Palloilijat is a Finnish professional football club, based in Mikkeli, that competes in the Ykkönen. The club was founded in 1929 and also included volleyball, bandy and ice hockey sections.
Kakkonen or II divisioona is the third level in the league system of Finnish football and comprises 36 Finnish football teams. The II divisioona was introduced in 1973 and in the mid-1990s became known as the Kakkonen. Sakari Tukiainen finished the season 2014 as the top goal scorer and setting a new league record with 40 goals for the Kakkonen. Petter Meyer finished the 2015 as the top goal scorer for GrIFK with 23 goals.
FC Kuusysi ('sixty-nine') is a football club in Lahti, Finland. Its men's team is currently playing in the fourth tier of Finnish football (Kolmonen), and its women's team is playing in Women's Kakkonen. The homeground of FC Kuusysi is Lahden kisapuisto.
JJK Jyväskylä is a Finnish football club, based in Jyväskylä. It currently plays in the Finnish second highest league Ykkönen. The club has two managers, Mikko Manninen and Janne Korhonen. JJK plays its home matches at Harjun Stadion.
Käpylän Pallo or KäPa for short, is a football (soccer) club from the Käpylä district of Helsinki. The club currently plays in the Kakkonen, the third tier of the Finnish league system. KäPa play their home matches at the Max Westerberg Areena in Käpylän liikuntapuisto.
Kemi City Football Club, formerly known as Palloseura Kemi Kings, is a Finnish football team based in the town of Kemi, who are currently playing in the Kakkonen. They finished the 2019 season as champions of the Kolmonen.
SM-Sarja was the top level of ice hockey in Finland from 1928 to 1975. SM-sarja is a common abbreviation for Suomen mestaruussarja, "Finnish Championship Series".
Pallo-Kerho 37, also known as PK-37, is a Finnish football club from the city of Iisalmi. The club was founded on 10 October 1937 as a bandy and football club, but later on it also became known for its pesäpallo and ice hockey sections. Nowadays PK-37 concentrates only on football.
FC Espoo is a Finnish football club based in the city of Espoo, Finland. Founded in 1989, the first team plays in the Finnish Second Division (Kakkonen), the third tier of the Finnish football pyramid.
Lohjan Pallo is a football club from Lohja, Finland. The club was formed in 1966 and their home ground is at the Harjun urheilukenttä. The men's first team currently plays in the Kakkonen. The chairman is Risto Tuomanen.
Pallokerho Keski-Uusimaa is a football club serving the sub-region of Keski-Uusimaa in Finland and is centred on the towns of Järvenpää, Kerava and Tuusula. The club was formed in 2005 and the men's first team currently plays in the Kakkonen. The Chairman of PK Keski-Uusimaa is Mikko Bergman.
PEPO Lappeenranta is a football club from Lappeenranta in Finland. The club was formed in 1958 and their home ground is at the Kimpinen Sports Centre. The men's first team currently plays in the Kakkonen. The chairman of PEPO is Kari Suninen and the men's first team is managed by Jyrki Saarela.
Kronohagens Idrottsförening is a sports club from Helsinki, Finland. The club was founded on 27 September 1908, and has been mainly known for the achievements of its association football and handball teams. In the past the club also played at the top level in ice hockey and has won the Kalevan maljan in athletics. Other sports that the club participates include shooting, bandy, bowling, and boxing.
Euran Pallo is a football club from Eura, Finland. The club was formed in 1954 and their home ground is at the Euran Wembley. The men's first team currently plays in the Kolmonen.
The Suomen Palloliiton Saimaan piiri(SPL Saimaa district) was a district organisation of the Football Association of Finland operating from 1924 to 1994. Until the Second World War the district was known as the Suomen Palloliiton Viipurin piiri . It administered football and bandy initially in and around Viipuri, later expanding to cover the southern part of the historical Finnish Karelia, and ultimately in the Lake Saimaa area. Currently it's part of the Suomen Palloliiton Kaakkois-Suomen piiri.
The 2014 Finnish Cup(Suomen Cup) is the 60th season of the Finnish Cup. 152 clubs entered the competition, including all sides on the top two levels of the Finnish football pyramid, 29 sides from Kakkonen and 101 from lower levels. The winner of the cup enters the qualifying rounds of the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League.
Naisten Ykkönen is the second highest division of women's football in Finland. It is overseen by the Suomen Palloliitto. Teams in Naisten Ykkönen can gain promotion to the top-tier Kansallinen Liiga or be relegated to the third-tier Naisten Kakkonen. At the conclusion of the 2019 season, PK-35 Vantaa gained promotion to the Kansallinen Liiga as champions of the Naisten Ykkönen and PK-35 gained promotion by winning the promotion/relegation series against IK Myran. Conversely, GBK Kokkola and Ilves/2, were relegated to the Naisten Kakkonen at the conclusion of the 2019 season.
The U20 SM-sarja is the premier junior men’s ice hockey league in Finland. It was previously known as the A-nuorten SM-sarja during 1945 to 1991 and the Nuorten SM-liiga during 1991 to 2020. The league was founded by the Finnish Ice Hockey Association in 1945 and a Finnish Champion in men’s under-20 ice hockey has been named annually since the league’s inaugural season – with the exception of the 2019–20 season, in which the playoffs were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Eighteen to twenty teams compete in the U20 SM-sarja regular season, which is played in a preliminary ranking stage followed by a divisional or group stage.
Mikkelin Pallo-Kissat is a Finnish football club, based in Mikkeli.
