Mustapekka Areena
 Mustapekka Areena main grandstand before the fire in 2024 | |
 | |
| Location | Käskynhaltijantie 11, 00640, Helsinki |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 60°14′05″N 24°57′45″E / 60.234757°N 24.962530°E |
| Owner | IF Gnistan/ City of Helsinki |
| Capacity | 2,200[1] |
| Surface | Artificial grass |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1934 |
| Renovated | 2006, 2010, 2024 |
Mustapekka Areena (or Oulunkylä Stadium) is a multi-purpose stadium in Oulunkylä sports park area in the Oulunkylä neighbourhood of Helsinki, Finland. It is the home stadium of football club IF Gnistan, and is currently used mostly for football matches. The stadium holds a seating capacity for 2,200 people.
History
[edit]The original Oulunkylä track and field stadium with natural grass surface was opened in 1934 on the site of Finland's first harness racing track, which had moved to Käpylä in 1927.[2]
Modern era
[edit]The artificial turf with a heating system was installed in 2006 and the stadium was named Fair Pay Areena after the slogan of the project sponsor, Intrum Justitia Oy. The heating system enables the stadium to be used throughout the calendar year. The covered main stand was built in 2010 with new facilities for changing rooms, saunas, cafeteria and conference rooms. The premises were originally owned by the City of Helsinki, but in 2017 Gnistan acquired control and management of the stadium.[3] The stadium was simultaneously named Mustapekka Areena by the local supermarket, the club's sponsor.[4]
In the 2017 Ykkönen season, Gnistan was forced to play the first two home games of the season at Töölö Football Stadium due to the replacement of the artificial turf surface. The artificial turf was replaced again in 2023.[5]
On 22 February 2024, it was confirmed that Gnistan would play their upcoming Veikkausliiga matches at Mustapekka Areena starting in the 2024 season. According to the league requirements, the irrigation system was installed and the lighting of the pitch upgraded. The seating capacity was increased from 1,100 to 2,200.[6][7]
On 13 July 2024, the main stand at the stadium was destroyed in a fire.[8][9] Gnistan are forced to play the rest of their home matches of the season at Bolt Arena. On 14 August 2024, it was reported that the club is planning a project to build a new 6000–8000 seated stadium next to the destroyed Mustapekka Areena.[10]
Attendance records
[edit]On 25 October 2023, in a Veikkausliiga promotion play-offs match against IFK Mariehamn, Gnistan had a then-record attendance of 1,622 at the stadium.[11]
On 6 April 2024, in Gnistan's first-ever Veikkausliiga match against Inter Turku, the Mustapekka Areena set an attendance record with 2,352 spectators.[12] Two months later on 12 June 2024, the new record attendance of 3,024 was set in a league match against HJK Helsinki.[13]
Names
[edit]The current sponsorship name of the stadium has been Mustapekka Areena since 2017, named after the K-Supermarket Mustapekka grocery store. The previous sponsorship name was Fair Pay Areena from 2006 to 2017. The stadium is also called Oulunkylä Football Stadium (Finnish: Oulunkylä jalkapallostadion) due to the changing sponsorship names.[14] Before the sponsorship names, the name of the arena was Oulunkylä sports park field (Finnish: Oulunkylän liikuntapuiston kenttä) or Oulunkylä football track (Finnish: Oulunkylän jalkapallokenttä).
References
[edit]- ^ Mustapekka Areena
- ^ Gnistan: Historia, gnistan.fi
- ^ GNISTAN ALOITTAA YKKÖSEN PELIT TÖÖLÖN JALKAPALLOSTADIONILLA,gnistan.fi, 16 April 2017
- ^ Vaihtaako yksi Helsingin tunnetuimmista urheiluareenoista nimensä? – näin Mustapekka-kauppias kommentoi, helsinginuutiset.fi, 31 January 2024
- ^ Vain olosuhteet puuttuvat, Helsingin Sanomat, 7 October 2023
- ^ OULUNKYLÄSSÄ PELATAAN VEIKKAUSLIIGAA 2024 – KAUAN ODOTETTU ILMOITUS!, gnistan.fi, 22 February 2024
- ^ Oulunkylän jalkapallostadionia parannetaan, Finnish News Agency/ STT, 22 February 2024
- ^ "Veikkausliigajoukkue IF Gnistanin kotistadionin katsomo tuhoutui tulipalossa Helsingin Oulunkylässä". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). 2024-07-13. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
- ^ "Helsingin Oulunkylän jalkapallostadionin katsomon palo saatu hallintaan – rikoksen mahdollisuutta ei poissuljettu". mtvuutiset.fi (in Finnish). 2024-07-13. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
- ^ Gnistanilta yllätys – uutta päästadionia ei suunnitellakaan palaneen tilalle, Helsingin Uutiset, 14 August 2024
- ^ Gnistan piti pintansa suurottelussa – uusi yleisöennätys, Ilta-Sanomat, Ari Virtanen, 25 October 2023
- ^ Gnistan – FC Inter Turku, veikkausliiga.com
- ^ Gnistan – HJK, Finnish FA
- ^ Siippainen, Aappo (2024-02-22). "Gnistanille rakennetaan uusi 1100 hengen lisäkatsomo" (in Finnish). Helsingin Uutiset. Retrieved 2024-05-26.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Oulunkylä Stadium at Wikimedia Commons