Ykkönen
Ykkönen (Finnish for 'Number One'; Swedish: Ettan) is the second highest level of the Finnish football league system (after the Veikkausliiga), although it is the highest league managed by the Football Association of Finland.
| Founded | 1973 |
|---|---|
| Country | Finland |
| Divisions | 1 |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| Level on pyramid | 2 |
| Promotion to | Veikkausliiga |
| Relegation to | Kakkonen |
| Current champions | FC Haka (2019) |
| TV partners | VeikkausTV, Huuhkaja.tv |
| Website | Miesten Ykkönen |
| Current: 2020 Ykkönen | |
History
The first league format competition in the second level of Finnish football was called Suomensarja, which was founded in 1936.[1] Before the inauguration of the Suomensarja, from 1930 to 1935, there had been special qualification matches for the right to play in the Mestaruussarja.
In the autumn of 1969, the Finnish football underwent a league system reform, and the Suomensarja was renamed II divisioona, or 2nd Division, with regional sections.[2]
In 1973, this level of football in Finland became nationwide, and the new name was 1. divisioona (First Division). The name Ykkönen has been used since 1995.[1]
Competition
Like the Veikkausliiga, the first division is played mainly during the summer. It comprises 12 clubs, all of whom play three matches against all other clubs in the division. The winner of the Ykkönen qualifies directly for promotion to Veikkausliiga, and the team finishing second in the league will play a two-legged promotion playoff against the team finishing 11th in the Veikkausliiga. The bottom 2 clubs are directly relegated to Kakkonen.
Clubs
| Finnish football league structure |
|---|
|
Veikkausliiga (Tier 1) |
The clubs in the Ykkönen for the 2020 season are:
| Club | Location | Stadium | Capacity | Manager |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AC Kajaani | Kajaani | Kajaanin liikuntapuisto | 1,500 |  Mika Lumijärvi |
| AC Oulu | Oulu | Raatin Stadion | 4,392 | Jyrki Ahola |
| Ekenäs IF | Raseborg | Ekenäs Centrumplan | 800 |  Guillem Santesmases, Ruben Maya Perez |
| FF Jaro | Jakobstad | Jakobstads Centralplan | 5,000 | Niklas Käcko |
| IF Gnistan | Helsinki | Mustapekka Areena | 1,100 |  Roberto Nuccio |
| KPV | Kokkola | Kokkolan keskuskenttä | 3,000 | Jani Uotinen |
| KTP | Kotka | Arto Tolsa Areena | 4,780 |  Argo Arbeiter |
| MP | Mikkeli | Mikkelin Urheilupuisto | 7,000 | Juha Pasoja |
| MuSa | Pori | Musan kenttä | 2,000 | Ville Ulanen |
| MyPa | Anjalankoski | Kymenlaakson Sähkö Stadion | 4,167 | Ilkka Mäkelä |
| SJK Akatemia | Seinäjoki | OmaSp Stadion | 5,817 |  Thomas Dunne |
| VPS | Vaasa | Elisa Stadion | 6,009 | Christian Sund |
Champions and top scorers 1973–2019
References
- Pietarinen, Heikki. "Finland - List of League Second Level Tables". RSSSF. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
- Lautela, Yrjö & Wallén, Göran (2007). Rakas jalkapallo. Hämeenlinna: Teos. p. 61. ISBN 978-951-851-068-3.
External links
- League information; at the Football Association of Finland
- List of League Second Level tables since 1930
- League321.com - Finnish football league tables, records & statistics database. (in English)
- Football scores for Finnish Football Leagues
| National teams |
| ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League system |
| ||||
| District Associations | |||||
| Domestic cups | |||||
| |||||