Helsingin Ponnistus
Encyclopedia
Helsingin Ponnistus is a football
club from Helsinki
, Finland
. The club was formed in 1887 making it the oldest sports club in Finland. The men's football first team currently plays in the Kolmonen
(Third Division) and their home ground is at the Töölön Pallokenttä.
and athletics. Nowadays football
is the main sport.
Ponnistus have had a variable degree of success in the Finnish football league
and have participated in all four top tiers of Finnish football since the war years. The club have played in the Mestaruussarja, which was then the top tier of Finnish football on 4 separate occasions in 1948, 1968
, 1973
and as recently as 1995
in the Veikkausliiga
. Each time their stay was short-lived and they were relegated back to the second tier at the end of the season.
Ponnistus have played 28 seasons covering seven periods in the Ykkönen
or Suomensarja (First Division), the second tier of Finnish football
in the years 1949-55, 1958–63, 1965–67, 1969–72, 1974–77, 1993–94 and 1996-97. They also have had four spells covering 21 seasons in the third tier, the Kakkonen
(Second Division), in 1978-83, 1985–92, 1998–2002 and 2005-06.
In 1995, Ponnistus won the final of Työväen Urheiluliiton Cup (Workers' Sports Federation Cup) for the first time in their history.
The highest ever attendance for a Ponnistus match was in 1968 when 6,281 people attended the home game with Lahden Reipas.
The Ladies Team gained promotion to the Women’s Premier Division (Naisten SM-sarja) in 1976 but in 1977 they finished bottom of their group and were relegated. The team currently play in the Nelonen (Fourth Division).
. In 2009 Ponnistus finished in 4th place in Section 1 (Lohko 1) of the Kolmonen.
Ponnistus / 2 are competing in Section 2 (Lohko 2) of the Vitonen (Fifth Division) administered by the Helsinki SPL.
Pasi Pihamaa
Anatoli Davydov
Boris Chukhlov
Abdul Aziz Moshood
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
club 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 formed in 1887 making it the oldest sports club in Finland. The men's football first team currently plays in the 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) and their home ground is at the Töölön Pallokenttä.
Background
The sports club was founded on the 6th September 1887 by Viktor Damm (1864–1944) supported by 5 other young men. In its early days the club specialised in gymnasticsGymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
and athletics. Nowadays football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
is the main sport.
Ponnistus have had a variable degree of success in the Finnish football league
Finnish 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:...
and have participated in all four top tiers of Finnish football since the war years. The club have played in the Mestaruussarja, which was then the top tier of Finnish football on 4 separate occasions in 1948, 1968
Mestaruussarja 1968
-League standings:-References:*...
, 1973
Mestaruussarja 1973
A list of statistics of Mestaruussarja in the 1973 season.-League standings:-References:*...
and as recently as 1995
Veikkausliiga 1995
-League standings:-References:*...
in the Veikkausliiga
Veikkausliiga
Veikkausliiga is the premier division of Finnish football, comprising the top 12 clubs of the country. Veikkausliiga is currently ranked as the 28th best league in Europe. Its main sponsor is the Finnish national betting agency Veikkaus, hence the league's name...
. Each time their stay was short-lived and they were relegated back to the second tier at the end of the season.
Ponnistus have played 28 seasons covering seven periods in the Ykkönen
Ykkönen
Ykkönen is the second highest level of the Finnish football league system , although it is the highest league managed by the Football Association of Finland.-Competition:...
or Suomensarja (First Division), the second tier of Finnish football
Finnish 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 the years 1949-55, 1958–63, 1965–67, 1969–72, 1974–77, 1993–94 and 1996-97. They also have had four spells covering 21 seasons in the third tier, 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), in 1978-83, 1985–92, 1998–2002 and 2005-06.
In 1995, Ponnistus won the final of Työväen Urheiluliiton Cup (Workers' Sports Federation Cup) for the first time in their history.
The highest ever attendance for a Ponnistus match was in 1968 when 6,281 people attended the home game with Lahden Reipas.
The Ladies Team gained promotion to the Women’s Premier Division (Naisten SM-sarja) in 1976 but in 1977 they finished bottom of their group and were relegated. The team currently play in the Nelonen (Fourth Division).
Season to season
| class="wikitable"> | ||||||
| Season | Level | Division | Section | Administration | Position | Movements |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Tier 2 | Ykkönen (First Division) | Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) | 1st | Promoted | |
| 1995 | Tier 1 | Veikkausliiga (Premier League) | Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) | 14th | Relegated | |
| 1996 | Tier 2 | Ykkönen (First Division) | South Group | Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) | 7th | |
| 1997 | Tier 2 | Ykkönen (First Division) | South Group | Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) | 10th | Relegation Group South - Relegated |
| 1998 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen (Second Division) | East Group | Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) | 8th | |
| 1999 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen (Second Division) | East Group | Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) | 9th | |
| 2000 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen (Second Division) | West Group | Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) | 4th | |
| 2001 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen (Second Division) | South Group | Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) | 2nd | |
| 2002 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen (Second Division) | South Group | Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) | 11th | Relegated |
| 2003 | Tier 4 | Kolmonen (Third Division) | Section 3 | Helsinki & Uusimaa (SPL Helsinki) | 3rd | |
| 2004 | Tier 4 | Kolmonen (Third Division) | Section 2 | Helsinki & Uusimaa (SPL Uusimaa) | 1st | Promotion Playoffs - Promoted |
| 2005 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen (Second Division) | South Group | Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) | 10th | Relegation Playoffs |
| 2006 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen (Second Division) | Group A | Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) | 14th | Relegated |
| 2007 | Tier 4 | Kolmonen (Third Division) | Section 3 | Helsinki & Uusimaa (SPL Uusimaa) | 6th | |
| 2008 | Tier 4 | Kolmonen (Third Division) | Section 2 | Helsinki & Uusimaa (SPL Uusimaa) | 3rd | |
| 2009 | Tier 4 | Kolmonen (Third Division) | Section 1 | Helsinki & Uusimaa (SPL Uusimaa) | 4th | |
| 2010 | Tier 4 | Kolmonen (Third Division) | Section 2 | Helsinki & Uusimaa (SPL Helsinki) | 11th | Relegated |
- 1 season in VeikkausliigaVeikkausliigaVeikkausliiga is the premier division of Finnish football, comprising the top 12 clubs of the country. Veikkausliiga is currently ranked as the 28th best league in Europe. Its main sponsor is the Finnish national betting agency Veikkaus, hence the league's name...
- 3 seasons in YkkönenYkkönenYkkönen is the second highest level of the Finnish football league system , although it is the highest league managed by the Football Association of Finland.-Competition:...
- 7 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...
- 6 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
Ponnistus Men's Team are competing in Section 2 (Lohko 2) of the Kolmonen (Third Division) administered by the Helsinki SPL. This is the fourth highest tier in 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 Ponnistus finished in 4th place in Section 1 (Lohko 1) of the Kolmonen.
Ponnistus / 2 are competing in Section 2 (Lohko 2) of the Vitonen (Fifth Division) administered by the Helsinki SPL.
Current Squad for the 2010 Season
Notable Former Players
Adel EidAdel Eid
Adel Eid is an Egyptian-Finnish football player who is the son of an Egyptian father and a Finnish mother. He currently plays for PK-35.- Career :...
Pasi Pihamaa
Pasi Pihamaa
Pasi Pihamaa born is a Finnish football coach of Atlantis FC in Helsinki, Finland.-Statistics:*Matches: 43 League Games...
Anatoli Davydov
Anatoli Davydov
Anatoli Viktorovich Davydov is a Russian professional football coach and a former player. Currently, he is an assistant coach of FC Zenit St. Petersburg.- Career :...
Boris Chukhlov
Boris Chukhlov
Boris Vladimirovich Chukhlov is a Russian professional football coach and a former player.-European club competitions:With FC Zenit Leningrad.* UEFA Cup 1987–88: 2 games, 1 goal.* UEFA Cup 1989–90: 4 games, 1 goal.-External links:*...
Abdul Aziz Moshood
Abdul Aziz Moshood
Moshood 'Bola AbdulAziz is a retired Nigerian footballer. He currently works as the head coach of the Atlantis FC.-Career:Moshood played professionally for FC Ilves, Ponnistus, Huima, KontU in Finland....