Ilves-Kissat
| Full name | Tampereen-Viipurin Ilves-Kissat |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1934, Viipuri |
| Ground | Ratina Stadium, Tammela Stadion and others., Tampere |
| Chairman | Ari Suoniemi |
| League | Kakkonen |
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Ilves-Kissat Tampere (Finnish: Tampereen-Viipurin Ilves-Kissat ‘Lynx Cats of Tampere-Viipuri’), is a Finnish sports club in Tampere, which was founded in 1932 in Viipuri with the name Viipurin Ilves. It is now officially known as Tampereen-Viipurin Ilves-Kissat.[1] It plays its home matches on various stadia, e.g. Ratina Stadium, Tammela Stadion, Kaukajärvi and Lamminpää.[2]
The name of the club was changed to Viipurin Ilves (‘Lynx of Viipuri’) in 1934, and as a result of the Winter War, the club was relocated in Tampere in 1940. However, there already was a club called Ilves in Tampere, so club reverted to the name Ilves-Kissat in December 1944.[1]
In football, Ilves-Kissat was promoted to the Mestaruussarja (‘Championship Series’), top flight of Finnish football, in 1948, and in 1950 they won the championship. It was the first Finnish championship in football for any club from Tampere. In 1970 Ilves-Kissat played its first European competitive match against Sturm Graz from Austria. Ilves-Kissat won the match played in Ratina with a scoreline of 4–2, but in Austria they lost 0–3, and thus lost 4–5 on aggregate. The match was part of the 1970–71 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.[1]
In 1974 Ilves-Kissat and Tampellan Palloilijat merged with Ilves Tampere, which now became fully involved in football. Ilves-Kissat discontinued its activities in the sport, but on lower tiers of Finnish football it is, in a way, represented by its sister club, Kissalan Pojat (namesake of the Katzenjammer Kids).[1]
Being a club originally from Viipuri, it was natural for Ilves-Kissat to be involved in bandy, in which it was in the 1940s one of the best clubs in the country. During that decade, Ilves-Kissat played in the Finnish Bandy Championship Series together with its sister club, Kissalan Pojat. Ilves-Kissat had a number of Finnish internationals amongst its ranks, such as Leo Turunen, Kalevi Tervo and Paavo Pylkkänen.[1]
In 1975 an association called Ilves-Kissat Kilta (‘The Ilves-Kissat Guild’) was founded, in order to cherish the traditions of the club. In the autumn of 1986, former players and supporters of the club founded it anew, at which point the official name became Tampereen-Viipurin Ilves-Kissat.
In the autumn of 2004, with the club’s football team in 6th Division the management of the club decided to make a push for higher tiers, and in the autumn of 2010 the club achieved promotion to Kakkonen, i.e. 3rd tier. For the 2011 season, Ilves-Kissat entered an arrangement whereby they became the farm team for FC Haka of Valkeakoski, but the season ended with relegation to 3rd Division.[3]
As stated above, the greatest moments of glory of this club occurred in the 1940s an 1950s. Three times footballer Yrjö Asikainen was the topscorer of the Mestaruussarja 1949, 1950 and 1955. He also played for the national team. He was the president of the guild almost from the start and until his death on 3 December 2008. Leo Turunen, originally of Viipuri, was elected the Finnish Footballer of the Year in 1947. The club boast some 30 Finnish international players in its history, such as Yrjö Asikainen, Thure Sarnola, Leo Turunen, Aarno Rinne, Aarno Niinimäki, Olavi Lilja, Kalevi Lilja, Simo Lehmusvirta, Veikko Forsblom, Veikko Hovivuori, Jarmo Manninen, Harri Holli, Mikko Lampi, Matti Mäkelä, Kalevi Nupponen, Matti Haahti, Olli Heinonen, Semi Nuoranen, Esko Valkama, Erkki Vihtilä, Hannu Asikainen and Matti Pitko.[1]
Some of the notable football managers of the club through the years have been Tomi Mönkkönen, Jukka Heinonen and Jussi Ristimäki, of whom the last mentioned has achieved Finnish championship both with FC Ilves of Tampere and FC Jazz of Pori.
Ilves-Kissat is also involved in futsal, currently in 3rd Division. The women’s futsal team is playing the Women’s Futsal Finnish Championship League, and the football team plays in Women’s Kolmonen, i.e. 3rd Division.[1]
The president of the club is Ari Suoniemi. Two men have been elected honorary presidents of the club, Industrial Councillor Veikko Matikainen (1923–2006) and master builder Heikki Peltonen (1934–2010).[1]
The Ilves-Kissat Guild was founded in 1975 to cherish the traditions of the club in football and its roots in Viipuri. Since 1991 the guild has made an annual trip to Viipuri, where it has played, together with Reipas Lahti, which also has its roots in this city, friendlies against the local shipyard team.
Current squad 2015
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Literature
- Matti Wacklin: Sydämenasiana Ilves. Tampere: Ilves ry, 2006. ISBN 952-92-0783-2
- Ilves-Kissat: Kausijulkaisu 2011 (‘Season Report of Ilves-Kissat’). Tampere: Tampereen-Viipurin Ilves-Kissat ry, 2011
- Football Association of Finland: Jalkapallokirja 1951 (‘Football yearbook 1951’). Vaasa: Suomen Palloliitto, 1951.
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 History of Tampereen-Viipurin Ilves-Kissat.
- ↑ Ilves-Kissat matches in 2012 3rd Division.
- ↑ Farm team deal between Haka and Ilves-Kissat.
External links
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