FC Kiffen 08
Encyclopedia
Kronohagens Idrottsforening (abbreviated KIF or Kiffen) (Kruununhaka
Sports Association) is a sports club
from Helsinki
, Finland
. The club was founded on 27 September 1908, and has been mainly known for the achievements of its association football and handball
teams. In the past the club also played at the top level in ice hockey
and has won the Kalevan maljan (Kaleva Cup) in athletics. Other sports that the club participates include shooting
, bandy
, bowling
and boxing
. The men's football team is historically one of the most successful teams in Finland, and won the national football championship on three occasions during the 1910s, but currently plays in the Kakkonen
(Second Division), the third tier of Finnish football. The football section of Kronohagens Idrottsforening is now known as FC Kiffen 08.
) in 1913, 1915 and 1916 in the years prior to Finnish independence in 1917. Kiffen’s last championship win came much later in 1955.
The decline in Kiffen football set in a decade later when the club were relegated from the Mestaruussarja and then a further relegation from the Suomensarja (Finland League), the second tier, followed in 1965 to the Maakuntasarja, the third tier. Fortunes fluctuated in the late 1960s and early 1970s before the club made its last appearances in the Mestaruussarja in 1977 and 1978. Among the players representing KIffen at that time were Erkki Alaja, Juha Dahllund, Kai Haaskivi
, Atik Ismail and Reima Kokko.
The following year in 1978 Kiffen had dropped to the Ykkönen (First Division) and in the subsequent years the club have not reached second tier football. Over the last 30 years the club has fluctuated between the Kakkonen (Second Division) and Kolmonen
(Third Division).
In 1982 and 1983 Kiffen’s ladies team reached the Finnish Women’s league championship qualifiers and from 1984 until 1989 played in the Premier Division after which the team withdrew with their divisional place being inherited by MP Mikkeli.
In recent years the club has focused its activities on youth development. In geographical terms the club is serving the North-East of Helsinki and the Malmi area.
Second Level (16 seasons): 1936–39, 1947/48, 195859, 1965, 1969–74, 1976, 1979
Third Level (21 seasons): 1975, 1980–85, 1990, 1994–2004, 2009–present day
. In 2009 the team finished in eighth position in their Kakkonen section.
Kiffen/2 are participating in the Section 1 of the Nelonen (Fourth Division) administered by the Helsinki SPL.
for several occasions. KIF won the SM-sarja 3 times (1939
, 1941
and 1943
). KIF played its final SM-sarja season in 1952 and has not been playing top level ice hockey since.
Kruununhaka
Kruununhaka is a neighbourhood of Helsinki, the capital of Finland.Kruununhaka became the area next to the harbour and the center, when Helsinki was moved from the earlier location in the mid-1660s...
Sports Association) is a sports club
Sports club
A sports club or sport club, sometimes athletics club or sports association is a club for the purpose of playing one or more sports...
from Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. The club was founded on 27 September 1908, and has been mainly known for the achievements of its association football and handball
Team handball
Handball is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each pass a ball to throw it into the goal of the other team...
teams. In the past the club also played at the top level in ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
and has won the Kalevan maljan (Kaleva Cup) in athletics. Other sports that the club participates include shooting
Shooting
Shooting is the act or process of firing rifles, shotguns or other projectile weapons such as bows or crossbows. Even the firing of artillery, rockets and missiles can be called shooting. A person who specializes in shooting is a marksman...
, bandy
Bandy
Bandy is a team winter sport played on ice, in which skaters use sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team's goal.The rules of the game have many similarities to those of association football: the game is played on a rectangle of ice the same size as a football field. Each team has 11 players,...
, bowling
Bowling
Bowling Bowling Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule...
and boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
. The men's football team is historically one of the most successful teams in Finland, and won the national football championship on three occasions during the 1910s, but currently plays in the Kakkonen
Kakkonen
Kakkonen is the third tier of the Finnish football league system.-League structure:Kakkonen is divided to three groups of 14 clubs. A club plays each of the others in the same group twice, once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponents. Clubs gain three points for a win, one for a...
(Second Division), the third tier of Finnish football. The football section of Kronohagens Idrottsforening is now known as FC Kiffen 08.
History
Kiffen football is known as the Mustat hurmurit (Black charmers). The name comes from the 1930s when the black coloured jersey was first introduced. Kiffen had two representatives, Ragnar Wickström and Lars Schybergson, in the Finnish football team at the Stockholm Olympics in 1912. The club then won the Finnish football championship (MestaruussarjaMestaruussarja
Mestaruussarja was the top division of Finnish football from 1930 to 1989. It was replaced by Veikkausliiga in 1990.In 1930 league format was used for the first time to decide Finnish champion. Before that from 1908 to 1929 the championship was decided with cup competition. The league was...
) in 1913, 1915 and 1916 in the years prior to Finnish independence in 1917. Kiffen’s last championship win came much later in 1955.
The decline in Kiffen football set in a decade later when the club were relegated from the Mestaruussarja and then a further relegation from the Suomensarja (Finland League), the second tier, followed in 1965 to the Maakuntasarja, the third tier. Fortunes fluctuated in the late 1960s and early 1970s before the club made its last appearances in the Mestaruussarja in 1977 and 1978. Among the players representing KIffen at that time were Erkki Alaja, Juha Dahllund, Kai Haaskivi
Kai Haaskivi
Kai Haaskivi is a retired, Finnish, soccer player. He starred in the North American Soccer League, playing outdoor as well as indoor soccer. He also played for the Finland national football team. He now coaches in the United States.- Professional :The 178 cm midfielder began his NASL career...
, Atik Ismail and Reima Kokko.
The following year in 1978 Kiffen had dropped to the Ykkönen (First Division) and in the subsequent years the club have not reached second tier football. Over the last 30 years the club has fluctuated between the Kakkonen (Second Division) and Kolmonen
Kolmonen
Kolmonen is the fourth highest football league in Finland. The most famous club competing at this level is Helsingin Palloseura who won the Finnish Championship on 9 occasions, the last time being in 1957. They also won the Finnish Cup in 1962...
(Third Division).
In 1982 and 1983 Kiffen’s ladies team reached the Finnish Women’s league championship qualifiers and from 1984 until 1989 played in the Premier Division after which the team withdrew with their divisional place being inherited by MP Mikkeli.
In recent years the club has focused its activities on youth development. In geographical terms the club is serving the North-East of Helsinki and the Malmi area.
Honours & Achievements
- Finnish Champions (Mestaruussarja Winners): 1913, 1915, 1916 and 1955Mestaruussarja 1955-League standings:-References:*...
- Finnish Cup (Suomen Cup): Runners–up in 1958 (2–4 to KTP Kotka).
Divisional Movements since 1930
Top Level (25 seasons): 1930-32, 1940/41–46/47, 1948–57, 1960–64, 1977–78Second Level (16 seasons): 1936–39, 1947/48, 195859, 1965, 1969–74, 1976, 1979
Third Level (21 seasons): 1975, 1980–85, 1990, 1994–2004, 2009–present day
Season to Season
| class="wikitable"> | ||||||
| Season | Level | Division | Section | Administration | Position | Movements |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen (Second Division) | East Group | Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) | 5th | |
| 1999 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen (Second Division) | South Group | Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) | 3rd | |
| 2000 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen (Second Division) | South Group | Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) | 5th | |
| 2001 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen (Second Division) | South Group | Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) | 7th | |
| 2002 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen (Second Division) | South Group | Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) | 6th | |
| 2003 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen (Second Division) | South Group | Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) | 10th | |
| 2004 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen (Second Division) | South Group | Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) | 12th | Relegated |
| 2005 | Tier 4 | Kolmonen (Third Division) | Section 1 | Helsinki & Uusimaa (SPL Uusimaa) | 3rd | |
| 2006 | Tier 4 | Kolmonen (Third Division) | Section 3 | Helsinki & Uusimaa (SPL Helsinki) | 5th | |
| 2007 | Tier 4 | Kolmonen (Third Division) | Section 2 | Helsinki & Uusimaa (SPL Helsinki) | 2nd | |
| 2008 | Tier 4 | Kolmonen (Third Division) | Section 3 | Helsinki & Uusimaa (SPL Helsinki) | 1st | Promoted |
| 2009 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen (Second Division) | Group A | Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) | 8th | |
| 2010 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen (Second Division) | Group A | Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) |
- 9 seasons in KakkonenKakkonenKakkonen is the third tier of the Finnish football league system.-League structure:Kakkonen is divided to three groups of 14 clubs. A club plays each of the others in the same group twice, once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponents. Clubs gain three points for a win, one for a...
- 4 seasons in KolmonenKolmonenKolmonen is the fourth highest football league in Finland. The most famous club competing at this level is Helsingin Palloseura who won the Finnish Championship on 9 occasions, the last time being in 1957. They also won the Finnish Cup in 1962...
2010 season
For the current season Kiffen First Team are competing in Section A of the Kakkonen. This is the third tier of the Finnish football systemFinnish football league system
The Finnish football league system is a series of interconnected leagues for club football in Finland. The three highest levels are managed by the Finnish FA while the higher leagues are managed by the regional departments of the FA.-The system:...
. In 2009 the team finished in eighth position in their Kakkonen section.
Kiffen/2 are participating in the Section 1 of the Nelonen (Fourth Division) administered by the Helsinki SPL.
Current squad
Ice hockey
Kiffen played under the name KIF in the Finnish SM-sarjaSM-sarja
SM-Sarja was the top level of ice hockey in Finland from 1928 to 1975. SM-sarja is a common abbreviation for Suomen mestaruussarja, "Finnish Championship Series"....
for several occasions. KIF won the SM-sarja 3 times (1939
1938-39 SM-sarja season
The 1938-1939 SM-Sarja season was played 7 teams from 4 cities making it the largest competition yet. Each team played 6 games each.- SM-Sarja Championship :KIF wins the 1938-1939 SM-sarja championship...
, 1941
1940-41 SM-sarja season
The 1940-1941 SM-sarja season was played between 8 teams from 4 cities. Each team played 7 games.- SM-Sarja championship :KIF Wins the 1940-1941 SM-sarja championship....
and 1943
1942-43 SM-sarja season
The 1942-1943 SM-sarja season took place even though the Continuation War raged on. The season featured 8 teams from 4 cities. Again teams played 7 games each.- SM-sarja championship :KIF Wins the 1942-1943 SM-sarja championship....
). KIF played its final SM-sarja season in 1952 and has not been playing top level ice hockey since.