ICMIF member LocalTapiola and the Finnish Football Association have signed an agreement on the continuation of their sponsorship cooperation for the years 2023-2026. As part of the cooperation, LocalTapiola wants to highlight the socially significant work that is done at the grassroots club level. The main activity of the sponsorship period will be to reward local football clubs for work they do which supports hobby activities.

In 2023, LocalTapiola and the Finnish Football Association will reward football clubs that have promoted responsible hobby activities in five different categories. The year culminates in November when the grand prize of EUR 15,000 will be awarded. The recipient of the award is chosen by the former captain of the Finnish men’s national team, Tim Sparv.

In addition to the main prize, a jury consisting of experts from LocalTapiola and the Finnish Football Association’s club activities will select and reward five strong club activities in five categories throughout the year. The first selection is made by the Finnish Football Association’s club developers around Finland. The club activities that will be rewarded must be regionally significant, show a long-term perspective and be of the highest level in their field in terms of quality. The value of the individual association prizes in different categories is EUR 2,000. Category prizes are published in April, May, June, August and September.

The prize categories are:

• The quality of the beginner group (04/2023)
• The development of girls’ football (05/2023)
• Integration of immigrants through association activities (06/2023)
• Coaching and mentoring (08/2023)
• Responsibility / Safety in association activities (09/2023)

The year culminates in the awarding of the main prize – Harrastamisen vahvat seurateot (strongest hobby club). The recipient of the grand prize must demonstrate exceptionally broad and diverse activities at the grassroots level and represent a comprehensive approach according to the vision of “Football for All”. The club’s activities must be known for their social effectiveness and responsibility. The prize will be handed over to the winning club in connection with the Finnish men’s national team’s European Championship qualifying match against Northern Ireland in November at the Olympic Stadium.

Highlight the importance of having a hobby

“Football is the most popular sport among children and young people in Finland. Through our cooperation with the Finnish Football Association, we want to highlight the importance of having versatile and high-quality hobbies – not simply competitive sports – for the well-being of children,” said Kirsi Juusti, Service Director responsible for sponsorship at LocalTapiola.

Timo Huttunen, Head of Association of the Finnish Football Association, is particularly pleased with the new form of cooperation with LocalTapiola on behalf of the clubs and expressed his gratitude for the great prizes saying: “The high-quality and responsible work that the clubs do deserves to be heard and seen. We would like to thank LocalTapiola for once again having a new way of showing our appreciation to the football clubs. A category prize of EUR 2,000 is clearly a significant financial support for many clubs, not to mention the main prize of EUR 15,000.”