Porin Palloilijat

FC PoPa (Porin Palloilijat)

Full name	Porin Palloilijat
Nickname(s)	PoPa
Founded	1925
Ground	Porin Stadion, Pori Finland
Capacity	12,000
Chairman	Eero Laurila
Head Coach	Pertti Lundell
Coach	Risto Puustinen
League	Vitonen
Home colours Away colours

Porin Stadion

Porin Palloilijat or FC PoPa is a Finnish football club, based in the city of Pori in Finland. The club currently plays in the Vitonen, the sixth highest level of Finnish football . The club was established in 1925 but did not operate between 1960 and 1981. It has been the leading football team in Pori since FC Jazz went bankrupt in early 2005.

History

Porin Palloilijat is the oldest team sports club in Pori being over 85 years old. Bror Weckström had the original idea of forming a new team in Pori and on 16 April 1925 the first meeting of PoPa was held in the café at Pori Theatre. ^[1]

It was decided to form a team called Porin Palloilijat and to make football and bandy their main focus. The first Committee members were Erkki Laitinen, J. Kari, Bror Weckström, O. Huhtanen, A. Forsberg and H. Lingvist. In May 1925 the constitution and rules for the club were prepared and the team was registered on 13 May 1925. They also included ice-hockey, women's basketball and ice-skating within the club's featured programme. The first chairman was Erkki Laitinen and he was later followed by Veikko Laitinen. ^[2]

PoPa played their first games at Liisantori and then later at Tiilimäki before moving in 1929 to the football and ice-hockey field at Juhannuslehto. The club later moved to the Herralahti football ground. ^[3]

PoPa had a rich early history playing 10 seasons in the Suomisarjaa (Finland League) which at that time was the second tier of Finnish football in 1937–39 and 1945–51. ^[4]

They have had three periods covering 7 seasons in the Kakkonen (Second Division), the third tier of Finnish football in 1989, 2002–03 and 2005–08. ^[5]

FC PoPa Oy have taken over the responsibility for the sport and financial operation of the principal team since 2007. ^[6] In season 2007 PoPa played in the Kakkonen (Second Division) in the Western Group, reaching second place just one point short of promotion to the Ykkönen (First Division). In 2008 the team went one better winning the Western Group of Second Division in a crushing manner and were promoted to the Ykkönen for 2009.

The club maintained their rapid progress in 2009 by finishing 4th in the Ykkönen and are well on target of bringing Veikkausliiga football back to Pori. The key people behind the initiative are Antti Sumiala (sport and managing director), Rami Nieminen (manager / marketing executive), Pertti Lundell (coach) and Risto Puustinen (coach). ^[7]

From the beginning, the focal point of new Executive Board has been raising the football in Pori and Satakunta back to the top level in Finland. The strategy of FC PoPa is to play attacking and entertaining football, to develop young, talented players for the use of FC PoPa and to sell the most talented players to the foreign professional clubs. ^[8]

Divisional Movements since 1930

Second Level (12 seasons): 1937–39, 1945–51, 2009–present day
Third Level (7 seasons): 1989, 2002–03, 2005–08 ^[9]

Season to season

Season Level Division Section Administration Position Movements 2000 Tier 4 Kolmonen(Third Division) Satakunta District (SPL Satakunta) 3rd 2001 Tier 4 Kolmonen(Third Division) Satakunta District (SPL Satakunta) 1st Promoted 2002 Tier 3 Kakkonen(Second Division) West Group Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) 5th 2003 Tier 3 Kakkonen(Second Division) West Group Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) 12th Relegated 2004 Tier 4 Kolmonen(Third Division) Satakunta District (SPL Satakunta) 1st Promoted 2005 Tier 3 Kakkonen(Second Division) West Group Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) 2nd 2006 Tier 3 Kakkonen(Second Division) Group B Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) 3rd 2007 Tier 3 Kakkonen(Second Division) Group B Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) 2nd 2008 Tier 3 Kakkonen(Second Division) Group B Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) 1st Promoted 2009 Tier 2 Ykkönen(First Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) 4th 2010 Tier 2 Ykkönen(First Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) 3rd 2 seasons in Ykkönen 6 seasons in Kakkonen 1 season in Kolmonen

Club Structure

PoPa currently has 1 men's team. There is also a futsal team that plays in the Second Division. The club runs one junior football team. ^[10]

2010 season

PoPa are competing in the Ykkönen (First Division) administered by the Football Association of Finland (Suomen Palloliitto). This is the second tier of the Finnish football system. In 2009 the team finished fourth position in the Ykkönen.

References and sources

• (in Finnish) Official Website
• (in Finnish) General Website
• (in Finnish) Finnish Wikipedia
• (in Finnish) Suomen Cup
• (in Finnish) Porin Palloilijat Facebook
• (in English) Unofficial Supporter Site

Footnotes

1. "A Short History of PoPa". Archived from the original on 1 June 2008. Retrieved 9 June 2010.
2. "A Short History of PoPa". Archived from the original on 1 June 2008. Retrieved 9 June 2010.
3. "A Short History of PoPa". Archived from the original on 1 June 2008. Retrieved 9 June 2010.
4. "Finland – Divisional Movements 1930–2009". RSSSF . 2010. Retrieved 9 June 2010.
5. "Finland – Divisional Movements 1930–2009". RSSSF . 2010. Retrieved 9 June 2010.
6. "FC PoPa". Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 9 June 2010.
7. "FC PoPa". Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 9 June 2010.
8. "FC PoPa". Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 9 June 2010.
9. "Finland – Divisional Movements 1930–2009". RSSSF . 2010. Retrieved 9 June 2010.
10. "Seura – Porin Palloilijat". Archived from the original on 8 July 2009. Retrieved 9 June 2010.