The Football Association of Finland ( fi, Suomen Palloliitto, abbr. SPL; sv, Finlands Bollförbund) is the governing body of football in

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

. It was founded in Helsinki on 19 May 1907. The SPL organises the men's and women's national football teams, and the second and third tiers of national football. The premier division

Veikkausliiga Veikkausliiga (; sv, Tipsligan) is the premier division of Finnish football, 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 Veikka ...

is organized by a distinct organisation, and the lower tiers (the fourth tier and below) are organized by the 12 district organisations. The SPL is based in the Finnish capital city of

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the capital, primate, and most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of Uusimaa in southern Finland, and has a population of . The city ...

Background

The SPL has more than 1,000 member clubs and approximately 140,000 registered players. The Finnish Gallup survey has indicated that football is a popular pastime with around 500,000 Finns interested in the sport. The SPL is Finland's largest amateur sports federation. The association was also the governing body of bandy in Finland until

Finland's Bandy Association Finland's Bandy Association (Finnish: ''Suomen Jääpalloliitto'', Swedish: ''Finlands Bandyförbund'') is the governing body for the sport of bandy in Finland. Bandy was one of the sports for which the Ball Association of Finland, founded in 19 ...

was founded in 1972. In 1928, it also arranged the first Finland ice hockey championship, before the 1929 establishment of the

Finnish Ice Hockey Association The Finnish Ice Hockey Association ( fi, Suomen Jääkiekkoliitto, sv, Finlands Ishockeyförbund) is the governing body of ice hockey in Finland. In 1927, the Finnish Skating Association introduced ice hockey as part of its program and, throu ...

District organisations

At the more local level Finnish football is administered by the following 12 district organisations of the SPL: * Ålands Fotbollförbund *

SPL Helsingin piiri The SPL Helsingin piiri ''(Helsinki Football Association)'' is one of the 12 district organisations of the Football Association of Finland. It administers lower tier football in Helsinki. Background Suomen Palloliitto Helsingin piiri, common ...

* SPL Itä-Suomen piiri *

SPL Kaakkois-Suomen piiri The SPL Kaakkois-Suomen piiri ''(South Eastern Finland Football Association)'' is one of the 12 district organisations of the Football Association of Finland. It administers lower tier football in South Eastern Finland. Background Suomen Pa ...

* SPL Keski-Pohjanmaan piiri *

SPL Keski-Suomen piiri The SPL Keski-Suomen piiri ''(Central Finland Football Association)'' is one of the 12 district organisations of the Football Association of Finland. It administers lower tier football in Central Finland. Background Suomen Palloliitto Keski ...

SPL Pohjois-Suomen piiri The SPL Pohjois-Suomen piiri ''(Northern Finland Football Association)'' is one of the 12 district organisations of the Football Association of Finland. It administers lower tier football in Northern Finland. Background Suomen Palloliitto Po ...

SPL Satakunnan piiri The SPL Satakunnan piiri ''(Satakunta Football Association)'' is one of the 12 district organisations of the Football Association of Finland. It administers lower tier football in Satakunta. Background Suomen Palloliitto Satakunnan piiri, ...

SPL Tampereen piiri The SPL Tamperen piiri ''(Tampere Football Association)'' is one of the 12 district organisations of the Football Association of Finland. It administers lower tier football in Tampere. Background Suomen Palloliitto Tampereen piiri, commonly ...

SPL Turun piiri The SPL Turun piiri ''(Turku Football Association)'' is one of the 12 district organisations of the Football Association of Finland. It administers lower tier football in Turku. Background Suomen Palloliiton Turun piiri, commonly referred to ...

SPL Uudenmaan piiri The SPL Uusimaan piiri ''(Uusimaa Football Association)'' is one of the 12 district organisations of the Football Association of Finland. It administers lower tier football in Vantaa. Background Suomen Palloliitto Uusimaan piiri, commonly re ...

SPL Vaasan piiri The SPL Vaasan piiri ''(Vaasa Football Association)'' is one of the 12 district organisations of the Football Association of Finland. It administers lower tier football in Vaasa. Background Suomen Palloliitto Vaasan piiri, commonly referred ...

There were also 12 other district organisations that no longer exist.

Publications

The association publishes several magazines, including now-defunct monthly magazine '' Futari''.

Presidents

Walter Flander Walter may refer to: People * Walter (name), both a surname and a given name * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968) * Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 19 ...

1907–1908 *

John Catani John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

1909 *

Uno Westerholm Uno or UNO may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Television *Uno (Better Call Saul), "Uno" (''Better Call Saul''), premiere episode of the American TV series ''Better Call Saul'' *Uno (film), ''Uno'' (film), a 2004 Norwegian drama film *R ...

1910–1911 *

Carolus Lindberg Carolus may refer to: People * Carolus (name) * the medieval Latin form of the name Charles **Charlemagne (742–814) * King Charles XII of Sweden, who is sometimes referred to as "Carolus Rex" Scientific * ''Carolus'' (plant), a genus of flowe ...

1912 *

Walter Qvist Walter may refer to: People * Walter (name), both a surname and a given name * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968) * Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 19 ...

1913–1917 *

Erik von Frenckell Erik von Frenckell (18 November 1887 – 13 September 1977) was a Swedish-speaking Finnish nobleman, member of the Parliament of Finland, member of the International Olympic Committee and a vice president of the International Football Associati ...

1918–1952 * Juuso Walden 1953–1963 * Osmo P. Karttunen 1963–1974 * Ove H. Rehn 1974–1975 * Jouko Loikkanen 1975–1983 * Lauri Pöyhönen 1983–1987 * 1987–1997 * Pekka Hämäläinen 1997–2009 * Sauli Niinistö 2009–2012 *

Markku Lehtola Markku is a given name. Notable people with the name include: * Markku Alén (born 1951), Finnish former rally and race car driver *Markku Aro (born 1950), Finnish singer who performed on Eurovision contest in 1971 * Markku Huhtamo (born 1946), Fi ...

2012 (interim) * Pertti Alaja 2012–2017 *

2017–2018 (interim) *

Ari Lahti Ari Lahti (born 1963) is a Finnish businessman, owner of KuPS of the Veikkausliiga and President of Football Association of Finland. He is the founder, owner, and chairman of Helsinki-based Ice Capital. He was formerly employed at the Bank of Fi ...

2018 to date

References

External links

*
Finland
at UEFA.com
Finland
at FIFA.com {{Authority control 1907 establishments in Finland Sports organizations established in 1907 Football in Finland Futsal in Finland Organisations based in Helsinki

Football Bandy in Finland Ice hockey in Finland Defunct ice hockey governing bodies Defunct bandy governing bodies Sport in Helsinki Football Federation of Finland