Närpes Kraft Fotbollsförening
Encyclopedia
Närpes Kraft Fotbollsförening (abbreviated Kraft) is a football
club from Närpes
(Finnish
: Närpiö) , Finland
. The original club was formed in 1930 and their home ground is at the Mosedal. The men's football first team currently plays in the Kolmonen
(Third Division).
, skiing
, athletics, football
and ice-hockey. Ice hockey was introduced at Kraft in 1970 and the team currently plays in Division II, Finland's fourth highest league. The cycling section of the club started in 1982.
Kraft is probably best known for its football club with the men’s first team having played 7 seasons in the Ykkönen
(First Division), the second tier of Finnish football
in 1997 and 1999-2004. They also have had four spells covering 26 seasons in the third tier, the Kakkonen
(Second Division), in 1976-84, 1986–96, 1998 and 2005-09. The football section broke away from the main club in 1997.
Relegation at the end of the 2009 season to the Kolmonen
(Third Division) has sadly brought fourth tier football back to Mosedal. It was 25 years ago in 1985 since Kraft last played at this level.
The highest ever attendance for a Kraft match was in 1974 in when 2,406 people attended the home game with Lappfjärds Bollklubb. The largest attendance for a Kraft match at Mosedal was in 1997 in when 1,468 people attended the home game with FC Haka
in the Ykkönen (First Division).
The club is now able to make use of the new Närpiö Idrottshall, "Ball Hall", which was completed in autumn 2008. The hall's size is 97.5 metres by 67 metres and has a height of 16 metres. The venue is able to accommodate an artificial turf pitch 90 metres by 60 metres.
. In 2009 Kraft finished in 13th place in Group B of the Kakkonen (Second Division) and were relegated.
Kraft /2 are participating in the Nelonen (Fourth Division) administered by the Vaasa SPL.
Ivor Linton
Jens Nygård
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 Närpes
Närpes
Närpes is a town and municipality of Finland.The municipality is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Ostrobothnia region. The town has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is ....
(Finnish
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
: Närpiö) , 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 original club was formed in 1930 and their home ground is at the Mosedal. 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).
Background
IF Kraft or Kraft Närpes is a sports club that was founded in 1930. The club has specialised in a number of sports including cyclingCycling
Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...
, skiing
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
, athletics, 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...
and ice-hockey. Ice hockey was introduced at Kraft in 1970 and the team currently plays in Division II, Finland's fourth highest league. The cycling section of the club started in 1982.
Kraft is probably best known for its football club with the men’s first team having played 7 seasons 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:...
(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 1997 and 1999-2004. They also have had four spells covering 26 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 1976-84, 1986–96, 1998 and 2005-09. The football section broke away from the main club in 1997.
Relegation at the end of the 2009 season to 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) has sadly brought fourth tier football back to Mosedal. It was 25 years ago in 1985 since Kraft last played at this level.
The highest ever attendance for a Kraft match was in 1974 in when 2,406 people attended the home game with Lappfjärds Bollklubb. The largest attendance for a Kraft match at Mosedal was in 1997 in when 1,468 people attended the home game with FC Haka
FC Haka
Haka is a Finnish football club, based in the industry town of Valkeakoski. It is one of the most successful clubs in Finland, with nine Finnish championships and 12 Finnish Cup wins.- History :...
in the Ykkönen (First Division).
The club is now able to make use of the new Närpiö Idrottshall, "Ball Hall", which was completed in autumn 2008. The hall's size is 97.5 metres by 67 metres and has a height of 16 metres. The venue is able to accommodate an artificial turf pitch 90 metres by 60 metres.
Season to season
| class="wikitable"> | ||||||
| Season | Level | Division | Section | Administration | Position | Movements |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen (Second Division) | North Group | Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) | 4th | |
| 1995 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen (Second Division) | West Group | Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) | 9th | |
| 1996 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen (Second Division) | West Group | Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) | 1st | Promoted |
| 1997 | Tier 2 | Ykkönen (First Division) | North Group | Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) | 10th | Relegation Group North – Relegated |
| 1998 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen (Second Division) | West Group | Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) | 2nd | Promoted |
| 1999 | Tier 2 | Ykkönen (First Division) | North Group | Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) | 9th | Relegation Group North – Play-offs |
| 2000 | Tier 2 | Ykkönen (First Division) | North Group | Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) | 9th | Relegation Group North – Play-offs |
| 2001 | Tier 2 | Ykkönen (First Division) | North Group | Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) | 6th | |
| 2002 | Tier 2 | Ykkönen (First Division) | North Group | Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) | 6th | Relegation Group North – Play-offs |
| 2003 | Tier 2 | Ykkönen (First Division) | Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) | 6th | ||
| 2004 | Tier 2 | Ykkönen (First Division) | Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) | 12th | Relegated | |
| 2005 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen (Second Division) | West Group | Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) | 7th | |
| 2006 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen (Second Division) | Group C | Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) | 6th | |
| 2007 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen (Second Division) | Group C | Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) | 11th | |
| 2008 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen (Second Division) | Group C | Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) | 10th | |
| 2009 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen (Second Division) | Group B | Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) | 13th | Relegated |
| 2010 | Tier 4 | Kolmonen (Third Division) | Central Ostrobothnia and Vaasa (SPL Vaasa) |
- 7 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:...
- 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...
- 1 season 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...
Club structure
Närpes Kraft Fotbollsförening run a large number of teams including 2 men's teams, 1 ladies team, 7 boys teams and 4 girls teams.2010 season
Kraft Men's Team are competing in the Kolmonen (Third Division) section administered by the Vaasa 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 Kraft finished in 13th place in Group B of the Kakkonen (Second Division) and were relegated.
Kraft /2 are participating in the Nelonen (Fourth Division) administered by the Vaasa SPL.
Current Squad for the 2011 Season
| 1. Vladan Zlatkovic 2. Christian Gröndahl 3. Mathias Salo 4. Tobias Malm 5. Edis Elkaz 6. Tony Lund 7. Simon Backman 8. Karl-Johan Simons 9. Jonas Granfors 10. Kevin Linton 11. Mario Rac 12. Karl-Filip Eriksson | 14. Jesper Prinsen 15. Mårten Grandell 16. Alnes Salic 17. Richard Dorman 18. Joakim Grannas 19. Lucas Rönnholm 20. Blagojce Dameski Blagojče Dameski Blagojce Dameski , is a Macedonian footballer who plays as a defender for FK Pobeda in the Macedonian First League.-References:... 21. Arttu Yli-Sorvari 22. Darko Letic 23. Vanja Pobor |
Notable Former Players
József TóthJózsef Tóth (footballer born 1951)
József Tóth is a former Hungarian football player of the 1970s and 1980s. He made 56 appearances and scored 1 goal for the Hungarian National Football Team as a left defender...
Ivor Linton
Ivor Linton
Ivor Linton is an English former professional footballer who played in the Football League for Aston Villa, Peterborough United and Birmingham City. He played as a midfielder.-Career:...
Jens Nygård
Jens Nygård
Jens Nygård is a Finnish footballer who represents Vaasan Palloseura of Veikkausliiga.-References:**...
External links
- Official Football Website
- Finnish Wikipedia