Two wild-looking flights to Savonjoki have happened in a short time at Vimpel’s Saarikent. Now the municipality of Vimpel has taken action and is currently renovating the riverbank.
13:30•Updated 13:30
The municipality of Vimpeli has already today, Tuesday, started renovating the Savonjoki branch next to Saarikentä to make it safer.
Municipal manager Sam the Lionheart says that the excavator has been chipping stones into the embankment and leveling the beach since morning. Some stones have also been removed.
He believes that the work in the area of about 40-50 meters will be completed well before the next game.
– There have been two near misses in a short time, and they could have been far from fun. We decided that something had to be done. A lot can be done today, says Leijonanmieli.
In the next super nest match, the river bank behind the second nest will therefore be safer. The third match of the semifinals against Joensuu Maila will be played on Friday.
There have been two wild-looking situations in a short time, where a player has run after the ball in a breakthrough situation and has flown headfirst into the river.
The risks are also known to the players
Vimpel’s Saarikenttä is known for the fact that the ball, especially from the second side, is often retrieved from the river. It has also brought its own spice to the games.
– Yes, it’s understandable that you go all out in competitive sports, Leijonanmieli knows.
Still, safety is not compromised. The mayor considers it important that, in addition to the excavator work, all players go over the profile of the field and beach before the game.
– Especially with the players of the away team, you have to go through it to make them aware of the risks.
Leijonanmieli also says that he talked with the old players from Vimpeli. Saarikenta has been played on since the 1930s, but serious accidents have still been avoided.
– I heard that there was an ambulance once, but it was due to a collision with a tree.
Every year the beach is also dredged to some extent, but the river is shallow and narrow, so there are stones in any case and, depending on the amount of water, also falling into the river.