 Rugby
Australian
Rules Fotball
Cricket
American
Football
Jolly
Dragon
Borgå
Akilles - Porvoon Akilles
Sports Club
Sports
Facilities (Helsinki
/ Turku)
Bicycle
Repairs & Sales
More
Sports Links
Cricket, rugby and American football
in Finland?? It's true! You're bound to run into
a bunch of expats if you join or go and watch any
of the teams mentioned on this page. And surely there
are many sports/clubs yet to add, so if you know
of any please tell
me!
Rugby
in Finland
Naturally we start with the best sport first! There are 13 active clubs in the Finnish Rugby Federation,
a big leap from 2001 when there were only two
registered teams. At that point the game
was played mainly by expats, but time has seen a huge amount of Finns joining the sport. Not only that, but the ladies are
playing too!
Expat Finland admits a partiality to the Warriors Rugby Club (W.R.C.) in Helsinki. Lots of Finns and you're also likely to find Aussies, Kiwis, Poms and other expat rugby players from around the planet. Some frindly rivalries in that lot! Apart from playing the
game they have many social events.
Check
the Warriors site for more information.
Finnish Rugby Sites & Clubs:
Watch Rugby!
The Aussie Bar in Helsinki continues its fine tradition of broadcasting rugby and all kinds of sports on the BIG screens.
The
Finnish Lions Australian Football Club
Text: Julian Clark
 The
Finnish Lions are the newest "Aussie Rules" Football
Club in Scandinavia. We are constantly growing our player
base and looking to develop a local league so that we can
play each other at home and be able to introduce more and
more Finns to this great game. Our ultimate aim is a thriving
domestic league with a fully localised Finnish Lions national
team taking on other countries annually in major tournaments.
'Practice': We
are currently meeting at 14:00 on Saturday afternoons for
an informal kick-to-kick in the area between Helsinki Rail
Station and the Casino - which quickly degenerates into match
strategy discussions at our well lubricated clubrooms just
around the corner.
Contact:: Julian Clark
Phone: +358 5048
63809
E-mail:
*encrypted address - if your system cannot
use this feature please phone Julian
Links for other Australian Footballing
Nations in Europe:
Danish Australian Football League: www.dafl.dk
Swedish Australian Football Assoc: www.safl.se
Australian Football League Germany: www.aflg.de
British Aussie Rules Football League: www.barfl.co.uk
Cricket
in Finland
The Finnish Cricket Association
(FCA)
The FCA (Suomen Krikettiliitto ry) was set
up in 1999 to develop and organize the game of cricket
in Finland. Currently the National League has13 teams,
including clubs from Helsinki, Turku and Tampere, a Naval
Academy team and a Ladies' team.
Regional development includes expansion into Oulu, Jyväskylä and
Lahti. The national team won their first tournament in Zagreb
2002, and the game is being introduced in some schools.
Lots of information at the FCA
Web site - http://www.cricketfinland.com.
Team listing at http://www.cricketfinland.com/cgi-bin/blosxom.cgi/English/Menu/Teams
The SKK City Cricket Club (Helsinki)
Finnish
for City Cricket Club, Stadin Kriketti Kerho (SKK) welcomes
anyone interested in cricket, from social to competitive,
to join the club. From May to September, we play in 50-over
and Twenty20 league fixtures, as well as various friendlies,
and practice twice a week at our home ground in Ruskeasuo.
From October to April we practice indoors on Sunday mornings
at Myllypuro and compete in indoor cricket league on Friday
evenings. We also provide club equipment for members.
If
you are interested in joining or finding out more information,
please contact Gerard Brady (Captain/Treasurer)
or visit our website at http://www.skkcricket.com
Turku Cricket Club
http://www.turkucc.com
The Turku Cricket Club's a mixed bunch; Finn's, Brits, Aussies,
Kiwis, Afghanis, Iranians, South Africans, Indians, Pakistanis,
Bangladeshis... A model of cross-cultural co-operation!
In 2005 TCC will have two teams playing in separate leagues.
One's a development league for those learning, and those
that want to be less serious about the game. The other's
the Finnish league, which is deadly serious for some but
not for Turku! We're also expecting a visit from the MCC
this year.
There are five Cricket in Schools projects either
ongoing or being planned in Turku. However, we need help
doing that.
E-mail for more information: turku.cc@gmail.com
Tampere Cricket Club
The young multi-cultural Tampere Cricket Club was founded
in April 2000, and after 2 years of development and friendly
games, made a successful entry into the FCA League in 2002.
We enjoy playing, learning about, and teaching cricket,
and aim to develop cricket in Tampere and further afield
in Finland. Indoor training sessions are usually held from
January till April, after which the Finnish national outdoor
season starts.
We are especially happy to introduce any newcomers to the
game. All are welcome !!!
Tampere Cricket Club Site: http://tampere.cc.googlepages.com
See also:
http://www.cricketfinland.com/cgi-bin/blosxom.cgi/English/Menu/Teams/Tampere
American
Football in Finland
Helsinki Wolverines
The Helsinki Wolverines have been going since 1995; they
have men's, women's and junior teams. Web site in Finnish
only
American Football Association of
Finland (SAJL)
The Web site is in Finnish only so no piece of cake for the
linguistically challenged (i.e. me), but if you're into American
Football you should be able to get some good info from the
following contacts:
Suomen
Amerikkalaisen Jalkapallon Liitto ry (SAJL)
Töölön Kisahalli
Paavo Nurmen kuja 1 Aa
00250 Helsinki
Tel: 09 436 83211
Fax: 09 436 83210
Email:office@sajl.org
Jolly
Dragon
Jolly Dragon is a rapidly growing Helsinki-based
group which arranges a wide variety of sports and social
events for internationals and professionals - about 50 sports
in all!. The group derives its name from Chinese culture,
and apart from being 'serious about fun', includes 'keeping
your body fit, your mind sharp and your spirit positive'
among its principles.
Membership to Jolly Dragon is free. You
can join by e-mailing captain@jollydragon.net or
by giving your email address to any existing member at a
Jolly Dragon activity. A complete list of events and activities
is available at the Jolly Dragon web site (in English).
Go to Jolly Dragon: http://www.jollydragon.net
Borgå
Akilles - Porvoon Akilles Sports Club
"Akilles",
a sports club in Porvoo (about 50km east of Helsinki), was
founded in 1902 and is firmly established as Porvoo's leading
sports club. The club has both Swedish- and Finnish-speaking
supporters, and is divided into 8 sections: cycling, bandy,
football, handball, orienteering, country skiing, track & field
and outdoor sports.
Cycling has been Akilles' most successful
sport; 7 of their cyclists have taken part in the Olympic
Games and 12 cyclists have participated in World Championships.
This is not really an 'expat sports' club (unless you count
Swedish speakers!) but for any sporty people in the region
it sounds great!
Web site: http://www.akilles.fi
(mainly in Finnish & Swedish but briefly
in 10 other languages)
Contacts for the various sports divisions are at the site.
Sports
Facilities in Helsinki & Turku
Helsinki
Information on Helsinki sports facilities
is available at the website of the City
of Helsinki Sports Department*. Info in English includes:
- Outdoor Swimming Pools
- Indoor Swimming Pools
- Rastila Camping Site (for camping, see also the Accommodation section)
*Link changes often! If it fails, go to 'Sports & Exercise'
at http://www.hel.fi/wps/portal/Helsinki_en/
Turku
Turku City Sports Department arranges physical activities
in various parts of Turku. Among the sports sites are Urheilupuisto
in the city center, Alfa, Kupittaa, Impivaara and Varissuo
sports centres and a popular Parkkimäki outdoor skating
centre. These centres offer facilities for athletics, football
(soccer), basketball, tennis and swimming among others. Reservations
of sports facilities located in schools and of outdoor grounds
for groups can be made at the Sports Department. The department
also has areas for outdoor activities and recreation and
you can book a suitable exercise time for your group.
Turku City Sports Department
Blombergin aukio 4 / Hippoksentie 6,
20720 Turku
Tel. (02) 2623 111
Fax (02) 262 3255
http://www.turku.fi (English/Finnish/Swedish)
Go to In English > Sports and Outdoor Activities
Bicycle
Repairs & Sales
Teemu Kalvas has put together a comprehensive list of bike
shops in the Greater Helsinki Area, although I'm not sure
how often it's been updated:
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