The training centre of the current and future national team stars got a new look when the floorball hall was decorated with the photos of Finnish floorball players and memories from the most remarkable moments in the Finnish floorball history.
The new floorball hall in Eerikkilä was opened in 2019. The Arena has two full-size floorball fields, space for other pratices and locker rooms. The Finnish Floorball Federation and the Eerikkilä Sport & Outdoor Resort have been cooperated for twenty years. According to the current contract, the partnership will begin at least until year 2028.
— This has been planned together with the communications and marketing of Eerikkilä with a good drive. The idea has been that when you enter the hall, you know where you are – home of the Finnish top floorball. Although I say it myself, the results is pretty ok, says Jussi Ojala, the Director of Communications at Finnish Floorball Federation.
— We are doing a lot for the future, but it is important to also remember where we started from. This is an honour for the sport and to all of its former and current stars, comments Petri Jakonen, the CEO of Eerikkilä.
Six players got their photo on the wall. They are either former or current Finnish national team players who have led with example and proved to be role models on and off the field: Veera Kauppi, Tiia Ukkonen, My Kippilä, Tero Tiitu, Mika Kohonen and Nico Salo.
Tiia Ukkonen is the former national team captain who represented Finland in six World Floorball Championships. Currently Ukkonen is the Team leader of the Women’s national team. My Kippilä is one of the best floorball defenders in the world and she has been elected to the All Star Team in three World Floorball Championships. Kippilä will most probably be one of the Finland’s leading starts in the upcoming WFC in Uppsala. Veera Kauppi is the real superstar of the sport and has been chosen twice as the world’s best player, regardless of her young age.
Mika Kohonen and Tero Tiitu are familiar sport stars also outside floorball. Kohonen is the world’s best player throughout the times. He has won four WFC gold medals and finished over 1000 points in the SSL. Tiitu is familiar from the Finnish broadcasting company YLE’s broadcasts and decided the first WFC gold for Finnish Men’s team in overtime in 2008 in Prague. The current national team captain Nico Salo represents younger generation but he has already won several Finnish championship titles and two WFC gold medals.
—It is a huge honour to be on the wall of the training hall. I have spent quite some time at the camp in Eerikkilä during the years and got great memories from there, where I still sometimes return in my thoughts. It has been heart warming to see the floorball conditions developing in Eerikkilä and the new visual look will give this improvement a great final touch, also the former IFF ATC member Tero Tiitu comments.
Video of the new look can be found on Finnish Floorball Federation’s YouTube channel.
Source and more information: Finnish Floorball Federation
