Veikkausliiga

Veikkausliiga (Swedish: Tipsligan, Finnish: [ˈʋei̯kːɑusˌliːɡɑ]) is the premier division of association football in Finland, the highest tier of the Finnish football league structure, comprising the top 12 clubs of the country. Its main sponsor is the Finnish national betting agency Veikkaus, hence the league's name. Veikkausliiga was founded in 1990; before that the top division was called Mestaruussarja (championship series) since 1930 which was an amateur or semi-professional league. Between 1908 and 1930 the championship was decided as a knock-out cup competition.

For former Finnish top-tier league in 1930–1989, see Mestaruussarja.
Veikkausliiga (in Finnish)
Tipsligan (in Swedish)
Founded1990 (1990)
CountryFinland
ConfederationUEFA
Number of teams12
Level on pyramid1
Relegation toYkkösliiga 1–2 (depending on qualification playoffs)
Domestic cup(s)Finnish Cup
League cup(s)Finnish League Cup
International cup(s)UEFA Champions League
UEFA Conference League
Current championsHJK
(2023)
Most championshipsHJK Helsinki (17)[lower-alpha 1]
TV partnersRuutu+, Nelonen, Jim
Websiteveikkausliiga.com
Current: 2024 Veikkausliiga
Finnish football league tiers

Structure

During the 1990 and 1991 seasons the Veikkausliiga was played under the name "Futisliiga" (Swedish: Fotbollsligan).[1]

As with certain other cold-climate European countries, league matches in Finland are played in summer, with a schedule usually from April to October. The format and number of teams has changed frequently. As of 2020 there are 12 teams, which first face the other teams two times. After the two rounds, the league is divided into championship group (6 teams) and challenger group (6 teams), and both groups play a single series of five further matches. At the end of the season, the last team is relegated to Ykkönen, whose winner is promoted to Veikkausliiga, and the second last team plays a two-leg play-off versus the Ykkönen runner-up.

In 2010 the average annual salary with fringe benefits for a league player was 24,400 euros.[2] Veikkausliiga is a founding member of the European Professional Football Leagues association.[3]

Management

Clubs

The Veikkausliiga clubs in the 2024 season are presented in the table below. Number of seasons includes seasons played in Veikkausliiga and preceding Mestaruussarja and seasons of predecessor teams after season 2023. In the case of mergers, the seasons of the predecessor with the most seasons are counted.

Club
 City Stadium Capacity 2023 position Number of
seasons*
AC OuluOuluRaatti Stadium4,3927th5
Ekenäs IFEkenäsEkenäs Centrumplan1,900Promoted from Ykkönen1
FC HakaValkeakoskiTehtaan kenttä3,2009th66
FC Inter TurkuTurkuVeritas Stadion4,8286th27
FC LahtiLahtiLahti Stadium4,75010th51
HJKHelsinkiBolt Arena10,7701st, Champions85
IF GnistanHelsinkiMustapekka Areena2,200Promoted from Ykkönen0
IFK MariehamnMariehamnWiklöf Holding Arena1,65011th19
IlvesTampereTammelan Stadion8,0008th42
KuPSKuopioVäre Areena5,0002nd67
SJKSeinäjokiOmaSP Stadion5,8174th13
VPSVaasaLemonsoft Stadion4,6603rd59

Former clubs
Club Home town Seasons
AC AllianssiVantaa2002–2005
Atlantis FCHelsinki2001
FC HonkaEspoo2006–2014, 2018-2023
FC HämeenlinnaHämeenlinna2002–2004
FC Jazz1Pori1991–2004
FC JokeritHelsinki1999–2001, 2003
FC KooTeePeeKotka2003–2008
FC Kuusysi2Lahti1990–1995
FC OuluOulu1992, 1994
FC ViikingitHelsinki2007
FinnPaHelsinki1993–1998
HIFKHelsinki2015-2017, 2019-2022
JJKJyväskylä2009–2013, 2017
KPVKokkola1990, 2019
KTPKotka1999–2000, 2015, 2021, 2023
KumuKuusankoski1990
MPMikkeli1990–1996
MyPaKouvola1992–2014
OTPOulu1990–1991
PK-35Helsinki1998, 2016
PonnistusHelsinki1995
Reipas2Lahti1990–1991
RoPSRovaniemi1990-2001, 2004-2005, 2008-2009, 2011, 2013-2020
TPVTampere1993–1995, 1999
Tampere United3Tampere2000–2010
TPSTurku1990-2000, 2003-2014, 2018, 2020
TP-SeinäjokiSeinäjoki1997
TP-47Tornio2004–2005

1) FC Jazz was formerly known as PPT (Porin Pallotoverit).
2) Kuusysi and Reipas merged their professional teams in 1996 to form FC Lahti. Kuusysi returned to Kakkonen in 2011 under the name Lahti Akatemia, while Reipas returned to Kolmonen one year later.
3) Tampere United was formed in 1998 after it inherited the place of FC Ilves. Tampere United was dissolved in 2011 and Ilves, which in the meantime had bought the place of KooVee in second division, got promoted back to the highest league in 2015.

Veikkausliiga 1990–present
Main article: List of Finnish football champions
Season Winner Runners-up Third place
1990 HJK Kuusysi MP
1991 Kuusysi MP FC Haka
1992 HJK Kuusysi FC Jazz
1993 FC Jazz MyPa HJK
1994 TPV MyPa HJK
1995 FC Haka MyPa HJK
1996 FC Jazz MyPa TPS
1997 HJK VPS FinnPa
1998 FC Haka VPS PK-35
1999 FC Haka HJK MyPa
2000 FC Haka FC Jokerit MyPa
2001 TamU HJK MyPa
2002 HJK MyPa FC Haka
2003 HJK FC Haka TamU
2004 FC Haka AC Allianssi TamU
2005 MyPa HJK TamU
2006 TamU HJK FC Haka
2007 TamU FC Haka TPS
2008 FC Inter FC Honka FC Lahti
2009 HJK FC Honka TPS
2010 HJK KuPS TPS
2011 HJK FC Inter JJK
2012 HJK FC Inter TPS
2013 HJK FC Honka VPS
2014 HJK SJK FC Lahti
2015 SJK RoPS HJK
2016 IFK Mariehamn HJK SJK
2017 HJK KuPS Ilves
2018 HJK RoPS KuPS
2019 KuPS FC Inter FC Honka
2020 HJK FC Inter KuPS
2021 HJK KuPS SJK
2022 HJK KuPS FC Honka
2023 HJK KuPS VPS

Performance

Performance by club

The following clubs have won:

Finnish Championship Cup Competition (1908–1929)
Mestaruussarja (1930–1989)
Veikkausliiga (1990–present)

30 clubs have been Champions.

Club Titles Runners-up Winning Years
HJK
33
14
 1911, 1912, 1917, 1918, 1919, 1923, 1925, 1936, 1938, 1964, 1973, 1978, 1981, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1997, 2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
FC Haka
9
7
 1960, 1962, 1965, 1977, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2004
HPS
9
6
 1921, 1922, 1926, 1927, 1929, 1932, 1934, 1935, 1957
TPS
8
12
 1928, 1939, 1941, 1949, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1975
HIFK
7
7
 1930, 1931, 1933, 1937, 1947, 1959, 1961
KuPS
6
12
 1956, 1958, 1966, 1974, 1976, 2019
FC Kuusysi
5
4
 1982, 1984, 1986, 1989, 1991
Kiffen
4
–
 1913, 1915, 1916, 1955
ÅIFK
3
5
 1910, 1920, 1924
Reipas Lahti
3
3
 1963, 1967, 1970
VIFK
3
2
 1944, 1946, 1953
Tampere United
3
–
 2001, 2006, 2007
VPS
2
5
 1945, 1948
KTP
2
–
 1951, 1952
OPS
2
–
 1979, 1980
FC Jazz
2
–
 1993, 1996
MyPa
1
5
 2005
FC Inter Turku
1
4
 2008
SJK
1
1
 2015
PUS
1
1
 1909
Sudet Vyborg
1
1
 1940
KPV
1
1
 1969
FC Ilves
1
1
 1983
Unitas
1
–
 1908
HT
1
–
 1942
Ilves-Kissat
1
–
 1950
Pyrkivä Turku
1
–
 1954
TPV
1
–
 1994
IFK Mariehamn
1
–
 2016

Top scorers
Season Player Club Goals
1990 Marek Czakon Ilves 16
1991 Kimmo Tarkkio FC Haka 23
1992 Luiz Antônio Moraes FC Jazz 21
1993 Antti Sumiala FC Jazz 20
1994 Dionísio TPV 17
1995 Valeri Popovitch FC Haka 21
1996 Luiz Antônio Moraes FC Jazz 17
1997 Rafael HJK 11
1998 Matti Hiukka RoPS 11
1999 Valeri Popovitch FC Haka 23
2000 Shefki Kuqi FC Jokerit 19
2001 Paulus Roiha HJK 22
2002 Mika Kottila HJK 18
2003 Saku Puhakainen MyPa 14
2004 Antti Pohja TamU 16
2005 Juho Mäkelä HJK 16
2006 Hermanni Vuorinen FC Honka 16
2007 Rafael FC Lahti 14
2008 Aleksandr Kokko FC Honka 13
Henri Myntti TamU
2009 Hermanni Vuorinen FC Honka 16
2010 Juho Mäkelä HJK 16
2011 Timo Furuholm FC Inter Turku 22
2012 Irakli Sirbiladze FC Inter Turku 17
2013 Tim Väyrynen FC Honka 17
2014 Jonas Emet FF Jaro 14
Luis Solignac IFK Mariehamn
2015 Aleksandr Kokko RoPS 17
2016 Roope Riski SJK 17
2017 Aleksei Kangaskolkka IFK Mariehamn 16
2018 Klauss HJK 21
2019 Filip Valenčič FC Inter 16
2020 Roope Riski HJK 16
2021 Benjamin Källman FC Inter 14
Ariel Ngueukam SJK
2022 Lee Erwin FC Haka 20
2023 Bojan Radulović HJK 18

Individual all-time records
  Player in activities

Referees

The referee committee of Football Association of Finland named ten referees available primarily for Veikkausliiga matches for the 2024 season (Category 1).[5] Currently there are four FIFA-certified international referees in Veikkausliiga.[6] Additionally, there are some other referees, certified by Finnish FA, available for Veikkausliiga matches (Category 2).[7]

As of 2024, there has not been a female referee named in the Veikkausliiga match. On 8 July 2023, Heini Hyvönen made history as she was the first female assistant referee in the league, in a match between HJK – FC Lahti.[8]

FIFA certified referees

Referee statistics
After the 2023 season.
RefereeSeasonsMatches
1.Antti Munukka2007–present286
2.Petteri Kari1997–2016284
3.Mattias Gestranius2006–2022244
4.Dennis Antamo2010–present241
5.Mikko Vuorela1994–2008220
6.Jouni Hyytiä1996–2012237
7.Ville Nevalainen2011–present215
8.Tony Asumaa1998–2012188
9.Jari Järvinen2010–2022208
10.Tero Nieminen2003–2015169

Notes
  1. HJK has 33 total championships, but only 17 of them are during the Veikkausliiga era

See also

References
  1. Antti Koivukangas (31 March 2016). "Fotbollsligan 1990: Kuusela ledde HJK till guld" (in Swedish). Yle. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  2. Palkkatutkimus 2010 Archived July 20, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  3. "The Finnish Football League Association Veikkausliiga - EPFL". epfl-europeanleagues.com. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  4. SM-SARJASTA VEIKKAUSLIIGAAN
  5. Erotuomarit nimetty kotimaan pääsarjoihin, veikkausliiga.com, 12 December 2023
  6. FIFA nimesi kansainväliset erotuomarit vuodelle 2024, veikkausliiga.com, 15 December 2023
  7. Erotuomarit nimetty pääsarjoihin - Luokittelutapaan muutos, Finnish FA, 12 December 2023
  8. Heini Hyvönen teki historiaa Veikkausliigassa: ”Puhelin on laulanut” – tutut ongelmat riivasivat HJK:ta, kun Lahti haki yllätysvoiton, Yle, 8 July 2023
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