A shovel has been knocked into the ground at the Oulunkylä football stadium.
In Oulunkylä, league football will be played in the starting season. Elmeri Elo / AOP
IF Gnistan is playing in the Veikkausliiga in its centenary season. The traditional club from Helsinki’s Oulunkylä will play its home matches at Mustapekka-arena next season as well, even though the league level will move up.
Veikkausliiga’s license committee granted Gnistan a league license. However, one of its conditions was to upgrade the stadium’s conditions to league level.
Among other things, an irrigation system will be installed under the field.
– The excavation work started last week. So we are on a good schedule for that.
– The purpose is that in order to serve the public, we will increase the capacity by 1,100 seats. It should also be ready before the start of the season, says Gnistan’s board chairman Antti Uusitalo.
Uusitalo says that the name of the stadium will remain unchanged for the time being.
The name of the stadium comes from the local entrepreneur’s successful store, K-Supermarket Mustapeka.
– K-Supermarket Mustapekka will continue to support our junior sports. Now that we are in the main league at the national level, we are interested in bigger partnerships. However, no decisions have been made.
The store’s name goes back to its former merchant, Pekka Taavitsainen. The store’s name has remained unchanged for a couple of decades. Mustapekka has been awarded, among other things, by the readers of Iltalehti as one of the best in Finland.
Name men
Jukka Raitala (left), who played in HJK last season, switched to Gnistan. Federico Proietti
The Oulunkylä stadium will be equipped with lighting in accordance with the license conditions later this year.
Gnistan has acquired big-name reinforcements from the transfer market. For example, former national team players Jukka Raitala and Juhani Ojala as well as a multi-year league champion Teemu Penninkangas moved to “Kipina”.
The team is piloted by the one seen at the helm of KTP last season Jussi Leppälahti.
– As an up-and-coming team, the sporting challenge is big. On the other hand, we think we have got quality, experienced players. In addition, there are young and developing players.
– We are still investigating options for additional reinforcements. But we don’t go to the Veikkausliiga to survive, but to get by.
Gnistan finished fourth in its league cup group, followed by IFK Mariehamn and Ekenäs IF. The balance of five games was two wins and a total of seven points.
– It is too early to draw conclusions from the beginning of the season, when many clubs are still building a team, Uusitalo reminds.
The Veikkausliiga season starts on April 6. Gnistan hosts FC Inter in the opening round.