HJK forges millions, but the women don’t receive money directly – the club legend was dismayed when the budgets of the women’s teams were announced

The budgets of the clubs in the women’s soccer league, the National League, were published for the first time last week.

At the same time, we saw how big the differences in player budgets are: KuPS, which operates with the largest amount of money, has a player budget of 250,000 euros. For example, the budget of ONS is a measly 11,000 euros.

Sports expert Essi Sainio wonders how some of the clubs are even able to cover their activities for the whole season.

– How are they possible at the main league level, if you want the series to be good? Sainio asks.

According to Sainio, the National League is far from the level of the rest of Europe in all areas.

– I think we shouldn’t settle for the idea that Europe is like a slightly different place. Why don’t we want to move towards having a high-quality and attractive league ourselves?

Read also: The level of the national league is worrying, behind only real lilliputs – a direct development proposal from HJK’s head coach, which not everyone swallows

Since this is the first time the budgets have been published, there may be differences between the teams in what has been included in the budget as well.

President of the National League Mariet Louhento is glad that the budgets were published. The purpose is to increase transparency and open discussion.

– The clubs understand among themselves where their own club is in relation to the overall operation. Able to draw conclusions about what kind of relationship the budget in use has had with success.

According to Louhenno, the clubs are already quite far in terms of sports. However, development must also take place in other areas in order to bring more semi-professional and one day professional players to Finland.

The league and Palloliitto have tried to support the clubs by, among other things, offering training to increase commercial skills.

KuPS’s player budget (250,000 euros) would be the second largest even in the men’s First Division. Åland United has the second largest player budget in the national league, 178,000 euros.

HJK’s player budget is the third largest in the league: 65,000 euros. The club’s men’s team has the biggest player budget in the Veikkausliiga: 2,100,000 euros.

On Wednesday, HJK published a fresh financial statement, according to which the group made a profit of 2.5 million euros. (you switch to another service) The women’s team does not benefit financially from the result, because it is not under the same group as the men, but under the association.

Louhento is also on the board of HJK ​​Oy, but wants to comment on the subject only as the chairman of the National League.

However, HJK’s women’s team shares the same stadium and training facilities with the men’s team.

The club’s website also contains news about the women’s team, and when the men’s team won its 30th championship, decided to update its logo with five championship stars (you will switch to another service) instead of three by combining the women’s and men’s championships.

The big European clubs, led by Juventus and Chelsea, have started investing in the activities of women’s teams as well.

CEO of HJK Aki Riihilahti was not willing to comment on the women’s team’s share of the group’s profit or the possible transfer under a joint-stock company. The questions were directed to HJK ry.

Executive director of HJK ​​ry Timo Muurinen according to HJK women do not receive money from the group’s profits, but help from the group comes in other ways.

– The Töölö arena, where the women’s team trains, training facilities, marketing and communication help…, Muurinen enumerates.

So far in Finland, only the women of KuPS have gotten under the same joint stock company as the men. The players train during the day and many of them are able to support themselves with football. The women of KuPS have celebrated the championship in the last two years.

Cohabitation was tried in Honga, but originally planned for three years the experiment ended after only two seasons. (you switch to another service)

According to Muurinen, HJK has discussed moving women’s activities to the same limited company with men throughout history. Recently, however, there has been no discussion.

However, Muurinen emphasizes that the budget of the women’s team has been increased. In addition to the training conditions, there has been an investment in a full-time coach.

– Although the player budget seems smaller compared to KuPS, we have been able to make sustainable solutions and development measures.

Some of HJK’s female players are paid to play, but most of them study or work alongside.

– Such quick solutions so that we would get to the same situation and pay the same salaries, there is a long way to go, but that is our goal and will state, Muurinen says.

In connection with the announcement of the national league’s player budget, many people asked on social media whether it is possible to talk about one and common Club when the differences between men and women are so great.

According to Muurinen, yes.

– We do not differentiate between (men and women). If you look at our website or our coaching line, girls and boys have the same coaching and training plans and budgets. We communicate about women and men in the same way and they train in the same conditions. Things have moved on a lot, he begins.

– But are we at the finish line? We don’t, and there are many reasons for that. On the boys’ and men’s side, players can be sold and there will be transfer compensation. That’s one big root cause why the budgets aren’t the same.

“There is quite a lot to do”

HJK captain Mimmi Nurmela said To Helsingin Sanomat that he is still dreaming (you will switch to another service)that he could support himself with football.

Nurmela has a positive attitude to the discussion about athletes’ work status and budgets.

– Financial resources are different, that’s a fact. It is also the situation in every other club in Finland and the world. After all, there is quite a bit of work to be done in sports to improve women’s resources, Nurmela comments.

HJK has been hailed as KuPS’s biggest challenger in the National League. The everyday life of the KuPS women in the men’s limited company is different from that of the HJK players. At HJK, almost everyone goes to work or school, and the exercises are held after work and school days. On the days of the two exercises, the workouts are before school or work assignments.

Nurmela considers KuPS to be a good trendsetter in Finland. He hopes that more and more clubs will have both a women’s and a men’s representative team.

– It would take the players a lot further, and KuPS has been successful in that regard, if you compare to the times when the women were still Ballokitas.

The HJK legend was dismayed

Essi Sainio, who finished his playing career last season, is happy that budgets are being discussed. According to him, it reveals how much clubs are ready to invest in women’s teams.

– I hope that there will be an increased understanding that if the level and everyday life of the players is to be improved, it is not enough that the players are supposed to do this because it is so much fun.

On domestic courts, Sainio is remembered above all for HJK, where he ended his playing career as captain.

– It seems that right now we don’t have just one Club, but a few separate ones. The women’s name does not belong to the group in any way and it is a shame if such an option is not even considered.

Above all, Sainiota is interested in why women’s teams are not generally thought of in Finland as part of the activities of men’s joint-stock companies.

– It would be interesting to know what the real obstacle is? Globally, it seems that it is a pretty good and even profitable way at the moment.

KuPS has set an example that investment brings results. Sainio remembers hearing many times during his career the explanation that the women’s team is losing.

– Sometimes it feels like you have to get a result before investing.

will show the football National League match between FC Honka and KuPS on Saturday, April 22. from 1:50 p.m. In the studio during the break, the budgets of the National League are also discussed, with Urheilu’s experts Essi Sainio and Hanna Ruohomaa.