The FCAA between higher education institutions has expanded rapidly. There are multi-level puck players playing in the league, and you can’t fight in it.
Last winter Oskari Tauriainen25, was browsing social media and was jealous.
There was a new hockey league in Finland, which seemed really interesting. The players were university students, there were teams from all over Finland, and more than a thousand spectators at the games.
Tauriainen, who is studying to be a classroom teacher at the University of Eastern Finland, wanted to join. This season it will happen.
– We brought up the matter in our team playing III-divar, and now there are twenty students in a group. The enthusiasm is strong, Tauriainen says.
Tauriainen’s team, Joensuu Peto, consists of students from the Karelia University of Applied Sciences and the Joensuu campus of the University of Eastern Finland. During the winter, Peto plays matches against teams from other universities.
– In the Yankees, competitive sports between schools have been extremely popular for ages. It’s really cool that this has come to Finland as well, Tauriainen enthuses.
The creation of a group of friends
The background of the FCAA league is a group of students who are enthusiastic about hockey.
The series started when friends who studied economics were thinking about alternatives to the alcohol-intoxicated student culture. The first step was the organization of the SM tournament for economists in the spring of 2023.
– Ten teams came, which was more than we expected. We sensed that there might be ingredients here for something bigger, belonging to the league’s founders Kami Kortelainen tells.
The first season of the FCAA played last winter also exceeded expectations. 17 teams entered the league, and the audience also found their way to the stands. The attendance record was set in Lappeenranta, where 1,500 pairs of eyes watched the match between HC Parru and JKV Jyväskylä.
There were nine more teams for this season.
The name of the series, FCAA, reminds us of the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) in the United States. Kortelainen admits that the league is inspired by US leagues that combine sports and studies.
– But our name is not an abbreviation of anything, it just sounds good, he says.
Tougher penalties
Kortelainen believes that there has been an order for FCAA. He thinks that the partying culture that is a general part of Finnish student life today does not please everyone.
– At least there is a need for alternatives. We offer one and encourage you to move at the same time, says Kortelainen.
So far, the level differences in FCAA have been large. Last season’s most famous players were the Pittsburgh Penguins’ NHL reservation Antti Palojärvi and played the League in TPS Bernard Isiguzobut there were also complete amateurs.
According to Kortelainen, the league’s doors are open to anyone who is a college student or has recently graduated from college.
– To make the games safe, we have tougher penalties than usual for tackles, for example. There is zero tolerance for fights, says Kortelainen.
No cooperation with the union
The Finnish Ice Hockey Association is delighted with the rise of a new, private league. Recreational hockey development manager Kim Sällström says that, however, the union is not cooperating with the FCAA for the time being.
– Above all, the FCAA has been hoping for referees from the union. It requires players to register and we have offered them the cheapest price. An agreement has not been reached yet, says Sällström.
The Ice Hockey Federation does not see the FCAA as a competitor. According to Sällström, everything that promotes the playing of ice hockey is good for the sport.
– We move forward one year at a time and hope that the league is here to stay, says Kami Kortelainen.