Kuopion Palloseura (or KuPS) is a Finnish football club, based in the ninth most populated city of Finland,

Kuopio Kuopio (, ) is a Finnish city and municipality located in the region of Northern Savonia. It has a population of , which makes it the most populous municipality in Finland. Along with Joensuu, Kuopio is one of the major urban, economic, and cult ...

. KuPS plays in Finland's Premier League,

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 ...

. KuPS has won the Finnish championship six times, the Finnish Cup 4 times and the Finnish League Cup once. KuPS also holds the Finnish club record of the most consecutive seasons in the top flight, from 1949 to 1992. The team is placed fourth in the all-time Finnish Premier League honour table. The team plays its home matches at

Savon Sanomat Areena Kuopio Football Stadium ( fi, Kuopion keskuskenttä), also known as Väre Areena (formerly ''Savon Sanomat Areena'', ''Magnum Areena'') is a multi-use stadium in Kuopio, Finland. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home sta ...

. Until June 2005, KuPS used to play at an aged track and field stadium in Väinölänniemi, which is said to be one of the most beautiful sporting places in Finland. Väinölänniemi is a cape surrounded by a local lake, Kallavesi.

History

1923–1949 Early History

One of the first sports clubs in Kuopio to adopt football was Kuopion Reipas who made the sport an official part of their program in 1915. Reipas was a general athletic society which competed in a wide variety of sports like track and field, gymnastics, skiing as well as team sports like bandy. After the Finnish Civil War of 1918 the differing interests of the disciplines began to cause friction within the club which resulted in the club gradually breaking apart during the 1920s. Among the clubs that emerged from Reipas was KuPS, officially founded on March 16, 1923, at Kuopion Seurahuone. Ali Rautakorpi was elected as the club's first chairman. Other sports participated in by the club during its early years were pesäpallo,

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball c ...

and

bandy Bandy is a winter sport and ball sport played by two teams wearing ice skates on a large ice surface (either indoors or outdoors) while using sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team's goal. The international governing body for bandy is ...

. The 1920s KuPS spent mostly by playing friendly games against other local clubs. First major breakthrough came in 1930 when KuPS won the Savo district championship thereby earning promotion to B-sarja, the second tier of Finnish football at the time, where they remained until 1947 when they were promoted to Mestaruussarja for the first time. KuPS's first stint in the Finnish top division lasted only a single season, but they were promoted again in 1949 and this time remained in the top division for 44 seasons.

Season 2005

KuPS returned to the top flight for the 2005 season after a year in the First Division ( Ykkönen). They finished the 2005 season in 10th place, easily avoiding the relegation play-off (13th place) and direct relegation (14th place).

Season 2006

On 1 April 2006 KuPS beat reigning Veikkausliiga champions, MyPa 1–0 in the semi-final of the Finnish League Cup and secured a place in the Finnish League Cup Final. On 12 April 2006 in Finnair Stadium,

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

KuPS beat FC KooTeePee 2–1 in the League Cup Final and ended their 17-year run without titles. However, the club ended the 2006 season in last place, and was once again demoted to ''Ykkönen'' for the 2007 season. This resulted in manager

Juha Malinen Juha is a masculine given name of Finnish origin derived from Johannes (or John in English language contexts). Notable people with the name include: * Juha Alén * Juha Gustafsson * Juha Hakola * Juha Harju * Juha Haukkala * Juha Hautamäki * ...

being replaced by his former player/assistant manager Kai Nyyssönen. Reserve team, KuPS Akatemia (tr: KuPS Academy) played in the Second Division Group A ( Kakkonen lohko A), but the team was terminated in December 2006 to cut costs and as a replacement, an agreement with Kings Kuopio, which plays also in the Second Division was signed. In December 2006, it was revealed that the team was heavily in debt and about to go bankrupt. KuPS fans held their breath, until a Helsinki-based CEO of an Investment bank ICECAPITAL, also a former chairman of the Board of the

, Ari Lahti increased his stake at the club to ca. 95% and saved the club.

Season 2007

After escaping imminent destruction, season 2007 began with reasonably low expectations. A target to achieve promotion back to top flight in two years was set. Manager Kai Nyyssönen lured his former team-mate Harri Ylönen back to strengthen the team and to serve as an assistant manager. The duo lured in Roope Reinikainen, Ilja Venäläinen and Miikka Turunen, who also returned to their former home club. Jussi Hakasalo from JJK Jyväskylä and Tero Mäkäläinen from MyPa were new names. Because of relegation KuPS lost its prized assets, Sierraleonese players, Patrick Bantamoi to FC Inter Turku and Medo to HJK. KuPS and

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in Ghana–Ivory Coast border, the west, Burkina ...

ian midfielder

Seth Ablade Seth Ablade (born 30 April 1983 in Teshie) is a Ghanaian retired footballer and a football manager. Ablade played in the premier divisions of Poland, Albania and Finland. He featured for Ghana in the 1999 Under-17 World Cup in New Zealand, winnin ...

parted their ways earlier, with Ablade terminating his contract. Season 2007 started well with mostly local players. The team suffered a run of draws in the mid-season, but by winning their last six games with their main opponent RoPS of Rovaniemi at the same time losing its lead, KuPS won the league Ykkönen and went straight back. RoPS also achieved a promotion, by winning a promotion play-off against 13th-place finisher of Veikkausliiga, FC Viikingit.

2010-present

KuPS qualified for the

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. ...

after finishing second in the

. They were drawn against Romanian side Gaz Metan Medias in the second qualifying round. Ilja Venäläinen gave KuPS a 1–0 lead going into the second leg in Romania, but the Finnish side fell 2–0 in Mediaș, ending their first European run in 21 years. In the 2012-13 season, KuPS once again qualified for the Europa League. They beat

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

side Llanelli in the first qualifying round, before pulling off a shock win against Maccabi Netanya. They fell in the next round to

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

side

Bursaspor Bursaspor Kulübü Derneği (), commonly known as Bursaspor, is a Turkish sports club located in the city of Bursa. Formed in 1963, the club colours are green and white, with home kits usually featuring both colours in a striped pattern. In th ...

, in what was the club's most successful European campaign ever. KuPS solidified themselves as a mid-table Ykkonen side during the mid 2010s, and began to push for European places again towards the end of the decade, returning to the Europa League in the 2017 season, although their campaign ended almost immediately, with a loss to

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

in the first round. In the 2019 season KuPS won their first Finnish top-flight title since 1976. They played in the Champions League for the first time in their history next season.

European campaigns

UEFA club competition record

''As of Septembar 17, 2022.''

Season to season

Current squad

''As of 18 July 2022.''

Out on loan

Management

''As of 1 October 2021''

Boardroom

''As of 28 September 2019'' Image:Ilja Venalainen KuPS vs Sakari Mattila Klubi-04.jpg, Ilja Venäläinen trailed by Klubi-04's

Sakari Mattila Sakari Mattila (born 14 July 1989) is a Finnish professional football defender who plays for HIFK. Mattila was born in Tampere, but began his senior club career in Helsinki playing for Klubi-04, before making his league debut for HJK at age 1 ...

(2007) Image:Jonni Heikkinen KuPS.jpg, Jonni Heikkinen escapes from a PK-37 player in Finnish Cup 5th Round, 2006 Image:Miikka Turunen KuPS 03 08 nr2.jpg, Miikka Turunen near the corner flag in Finnish League Cup, 2008 Image:Arto Lindberg KuPS Tuomas Haapala HJK 03 08.jpg, Arto Lindberg trying to keep

Tuomas Haapala Tuomas Haapala (born 20 April 1979) is a Finnish former footballer who ended his career after 2010. Haapala has previously played for FC Lahti (2000–03) and MyPa (2004–05) in the Finnish Veikkausliiga. He won the Finnish Cup with MyPa in 2 ...

away

Honours

Mestaruussarja/Veikkausliiga * Champions (6): 1956, 1958, 1966, 1974, 1976,

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

* Runners-up (10): 1950, 1954, 1964, 1967, 1969,

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democrati ...

, 1979, 2010,

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

Finnish Cup * Champions: 1968, 1989, 2021, 2022 * Runners-up: 2011,

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment ...

Finnish League Cup * Champions: 2006 Ykkönen (second tier) *Champions:

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto ...

Kakkonen (third tier) * Champions: 1998

Managers

* Aaro Heikkinen (1945–57) * Imre Nagy (1947) *

Martti Kosma Martti Johannes Kosma (26 March 1922 – 29 July 1999) was a Finnish footballer and manager. Playing career Kosma began his career at KuPS. In 1953, Kosma moved to Kajaanin Palloilijat, playing for the club for a year, before returning to KuPS. ...

(1958) * Reino Miettinen (1959) * Veijo Pehkonen (1960) * Asser Väisänen (1960) * Aaro Heikkinen (1961–65) * Gunnar Boman (1966–68) * Veikko Jokinen (1969–71) * Unto Nevalainen (1969–71) * Martti Räsänen (1972–79) * Matti Terästö ''(initial term)'' (1980) * Jarmo Flink ''(final season)'' (1980) * Ari Savolainen (1981) * Matti Väänänen (1982) *

Bogusław Hajdas Bogusław Hajdas (born 21 July 1939) is a Polish football player and coach. Career Playing career Bogusław Hajdas played for Warta Zawiercie, Lotnik Warszawa and AZS-AWF Warszawa. Coaching career Bogusław Hajdas managed Gwardia Warszawa, Po ...

(1983–85) * Jouko Pasanen (1986) * Jouko Pasanen (1987) * Aarre Miettinen (July 1987) * Heikki Turunen (1988) * Aarre Miettinen (1988) * Heikki Turunen (1989) * Markku Hyvärinen (May 1989) *

Olavi Rissanen Olavi Rissanen (born 26 March 1947) is a Finnish former footballer who played as a forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association foo ...

(May 1989) * Martti Räsänen (1990–91) *

(1990–91) * Martti Räsänen (1992) * Jouni Jäntti (Sept 1992) * Markku Hyvärinen (Sept 1992) * Keijo Voutilainen (Jan 1, 1993 – Dec 31, 1994) *

Hannu Turunen Hannu Turunen (born 24 June 1956) is a Finnish former footballer. Turunen played for Koparit Koparit (originally Kuopion Pallotoverit, or KPT for short) was a football club from Kuopio, Finland. It was founded in 1931 and disbanded in 1990. ...

(1995–96) *

Atik Ismail Atik Ismail (born 5 January 1957) is a Finnish former footballer. He played 26 matches in the Finland national football team scoring 7 goals. Ismail was the top scorer of Finnish premier division Mestaruussarja in 1978, 1979 and 1982. In 1978, h ...

(1995–96) * Jouni Jäntti (1997–98) * Ensio Pellikka (1998) * Heikki Turunen (1999) *

Esa Pekonen Esa Pekonen (born 4 November 1961) is a Finnish former footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, ...

(Jan 1, 2000 – Dec 31, 2001) *

Jari Pyykölä Jari Pyykölä (born 29 February 1956) is a Finnish football manager. He is currently the Coaching Director of Finnish third-tier club Tervarit. Pyykölä has managed FC Jazz, FC Lahti, KuPS and VPS in the Finnish premier division Veikkausliiga ...

(Jan 1, 2002 – June 6, 2003) *

Ismo Lius Ismo Lius (born 30 November 1965 in Lahti, Finland) is a Finnish former professional footballer who played as a forward. During his club career, Lius played for Kuusysi Lahti, Örgryte IS, HJK Helsinki, RoPS and FC Hämeenlinna FC Hämee ...

(June 2003) *

(Jan 1, 2005 – Dec 31, 2006) *

Kai Nyyssönen Kai Nyyssönen (born 10 June 1972) is a Finnish football coach and a former professional footballer who played as a striker. He was capped twice by Finland national football team in 1996–1997. After retiring as a player, Nyyssönen became a foo ...

(Jan 1, 2007 – June 13, 2009) *

(June 14, 2009 – April 24, 2014) * Marko Rajamäki (May 2, 2014 – 2016) * Jani Honkavaara (2017–2019) * Arne Erlandsen (2020) * Simo Valakari (2021–present)

References

External links

Official website

Banzai – Supporters of KuPS, club's website
{{Finnish Champions in Football Association football clubs established in 1923 Football clubs in Finland Kuopio 1923 establishments in Finland