Kotkan Työväen Palloilijat

Kotkan Työväen Palloilijat
Full name Kotkan Työväen Palloilijat
Nickname(s) KTP
Founded 22 September 1927
Ground Arto Tolsa Areena, Kotka, Finland
Chairman Juha Ranta
Manager Tommi Keveri
Coach Jukka Piispa
Arttur Laine
League Kakkonen
2010 Kolmonen, 1st
Website Club home page
Home colours
Away colours

Kotkan Työväen Palloilijat (abbreviated as KTP) is a sports club located in Kotka, Finland. It has football and basketball sections. The club was founded in 1927 and its colours are green and white. Immediately after its formation the club joined the Finnish Workers' Sports Federation, to which it still belongs.

Contents

Football

KTP has long football traditions centred on its golden age in the early 1950s when the club won two Finnish championships in 1951 and 1952. They also won the Finnish Cup four times, the most recent occasion being in 1980. The club, playing in the renamed Arto Tolsa Areena, were participating in the Veikkausliiga as recently as 2000, but were relegated to Ykkönen and finally went into bankruptcy. The club re-formed and played in the lower divisions before gaining promotion to the Kakkonen in 2007. They spent two seasons in the Kakkonen but were relegated in 2009. In 2010 the club are playing in the Kolmonen, which is the fourth highest level of Finnish football. FC KooTeePee, which was originally a reserve team for KTP but became an independent club in 2000, is now playing in the Ykkönen.

The all time Championship appearances and leading goal scorer of KTP is Arto Tolsa with 126 goals in 201 matches.

Honours

Honour Number Years
Veikkausliiga
Champions 2 1951, 1952
Third Place 2 1947, 1964
Ykkönen
Runners-up 4 1978, 1995, 1996, 1998
Kakkonen
Champions 2 1977, 1993
Runners-up 1 1975
Third Place 3 1974, 1976, 1991
Kolmonen
Champions 3 2005, 2007, 2010
Third Place 3 2002, 2004, 2006
Finnish Cup
Champions 4 1958, 1964, 1967, 1980
Runners-up 3 1965, 1966, 2000
Finnish League Cup
Runners-up 1 1999

European Campaign

KTP have played in Europe on one occasion in the Cup Winners' Cup in the 1981-82 season, having won the Finnish Cup in 1980.

Season Competition Round Country Club Score Agg.
1981–82 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup First round SC Bastia 0–0, v 0–5 0–5

Divisional Movements since 1930

Top Level (25 seasons): 1948–58, 1963–69, 1979–83, 1999–2000
Second Level (15 seasons): 1943/44, 1959–62, 1970–72, 1978, 1984, 1994–98
Third Level (16 seasons): 1973–77, 1985–93, 2008–09
Fourth Level (7 seasons): 2002–07, 2010–
Fifth Level (1 season): 2001

Season to Season

Season Level Division Section Administration Position Movements
1948 Tier 1 SM-Sarja (Division One) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 9th
1949 Tier 1 SM-Sarja (Division One) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 5th
1950 Tier 1 SM-Sarja (Division One) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 4th
1951 Tier 1 SM-Sarja (Division One) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 1st Champions
1952 Tier 1 SM-Sarja (Division One) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 1st Champions
1953 Tier 1 SM-Sarja (Division One) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 8th
1954 Tier 1 SM-Sarja (Division One) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 6th
1955 Tier 1 SM-Sarja (Division One) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 6th
1956 Tier 1 SM-Sarja (Division One) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 7th
1957 Tier 1 SM-Sarja (Division One) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 8th
1958 Tier 1 SM-Sarja (Division One) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 10th Relegated
1959 Tier 2 Suomisarja (Division Two) East Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 2nd
1960 Tier 2 Suomisarja (Division Two) East Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 3rd
1961 Tier 2 Suomisarja (Division Two) East Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 2nd
1962 Tier 2 Suomisarja (Division Two) East Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 1st Promoted
1963 Tier 1 SM-Sarja (Division One) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 5th
1964 Tier 1 SM-Sarja (Division One) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 3rd
1965 Tier 1 SM-Sarja (Division One) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 8th
1966 Tier 1 SM-Sarja (Division One) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 6th
1967 Tier 1 SM-Sarja (Division One) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 7th
1968 Tier 1 SM-Sarja (Division One) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 9th
1969 Tier 1 SM-Sarja (Division One) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 11th Relegated
1970 Tier 2 Suomisarja (Division Two) East Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 4th
1971 Tier 2 Suomisarja (Division Two) East Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 5th
1972 Tier 2 Suomisarja (Division Two) East Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 10th Relegated
1973 Tier 3 Kakkonen (Second Division) East Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 6th
1974 Tier 3 Kakkonen (Second Division) East Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 3rd
1975 Tier 3 Kakkonen (Second Division) East Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 2nd
1976 Tier 3 Kakkonen (Second Division) East Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 3rd
1977 Tier 3 Kakkonen (Second Division) East Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 1st Promoted
1978 Tier 2 Ykkönen (First Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 2nd Promoted
1979 Tier 1 SM-Sarja (Division One) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 8th
1980 Tier 1 SM-Sarja (Division One) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 5th
1981 Tier 1 SM-Sarja (Division One) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 6th
1982 Tier 1 SM-Sarja (Division One) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 9th
1983 Tier 1 SM-Sarja (Division One) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 12th Relegated
1984 Tier 2 Ykkönen (First Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 12th Relegated
1985 Tier 3 Kakkonen (Second Division) East Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 5th
1986 Tier 3 Kakkonen (Second Division) East Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 6th
1987 Tier 3 Kakkonen (Second Division) East Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 10th
1988 Tier 3 Kakkonen (Second Division) East Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 8th
1989 Tier 3 Kakkonen (Second Division) East Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 4th
1990 Tier 3 Kakkonen (Second Division) East Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 6th
1991 Tier 3 Kakkonen (Second Division) East Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 3rd
1992 Tier 3 Kakkonen (Second Division) East Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 5th
1993 Tier 3 Kakkonen (Second Division) East Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 1st Promoted
1994 Tier 2 Ykkönen (First Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 10th
1995 Tier 2 Ykkönen (First Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 2nd
1996 Tier 2 Ykkönen (First Division) South Group Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 2nd
1997 Tier 2 Ykkönen (First Division) South Group Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 3rd Promotion Group - 4th
1998 Tier 2 Ykkönen (First Division) South Group Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 3rd Promotion Group - 2nd - Promoted
1999 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (Premier League) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 7th
2000 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (Premier League) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 12th Relegated
2001 Tier 5 Nelonen (Fourth Division) South-East Finland (SPL Kaakkois-Suomi) 1st Promotion Group - 1st - Promoted
2002 Tier 4 Kolmonen (Third Division) South-East Finland (SPL Kaakkois-Suomi) 3rd
2003 Tier 4 Kolmonen (Third Division) South-East Finland (SPL Kaakkois-Suomi) 6th
2004 Tier 4 Kolmonen (Third Division) South-East Finland (SPL Kaakkois-Suomi) 3rd
2005 Tier 4 Kolmonen (Third Division) South-East Finland (SPL Kaakkois-Suomi) 1st Playoff Group C
2006 Tier 4 Kolmonen (Third Division) South-East Finland (SPL Kaakkois-Suomi) 3rd
2007 Tier 4 Kolmonen (Third Division) South-East Finland (SPL Kaakkois-Suomi) 1st Promoted
2008 Tier 3 Kakkonen (Second Division) Group A Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 5th
2009 Tier 3 Kakkonen (Second Division) Group A Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 12th Relegated
2010 Tier 4 Kolmonen (Third Division) South-East Finland (SPL Kaakkois-Suomi) 1st Promoted

Club Records

Attendances since 1994

Season Average In all Division
1994 497 6,455 First Division
1995 795 10,330 First Division
1996 943 13,205 First Division
1997 1,065 14,912 First Division
1998 1,325 18,552 First Division
1999 3,104 43,469 Premier League
2000 1,524 24,387 Premier League
2008 461 5,992 Second Division
2009 414 4,143 Second Division

Notable former players

 

KTP's Foreign Players

 

First Team Managers since 1980

  • Kalervo Paananen (1980–82)
  • Stanislav Sobczynski (1983)
  • Jouko Alila (1984–88)
  • Czeslaw Boguszewicz (1989–91)
  • Pekka Ihonen (1992)
  • Heikki Immonen (1993–94)
  • Markku Wacklin (1995–96)
  • Olli-Pekka Smal (1997–98)
  • Hannu Touru (1999–2000)
  • Jouko Alila (2000)
  • Risto Inkeroinen (2001)
  • Vesa Laurikainen (2003–04)
  • Jouko Alila (2005–06)
  • Jouko Alila (2008)
  • Marko Honkanen (2009)
  • Tommi Keveri (2010)
  

2010 season

KTP are competing in the Kolmonen administered by the Kaakkois-Suomi SPL. This is the fourth highest tier in the Finnish football system.

While the club will not be running a men's second team in 2010, there is a ladies team and a progressive junior section with boys and girls teams.

Players in 2011

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
1 GK Zurab Talakhadze
2 DF Riku Pikkarainen
5 DF Ville Teelahti
7 MF Tuukka Kesseli
8 FW Joni Ruuskanen
9 MF Antti Väisänen
10 FW Niklas Kalatsev
12 FW Visa Merikannel
13 GK Santtu Malm
14 FW Tommi Kuitunen
15 DF Nikö Bäck
16 DF Toni Klang
No. Position Player
17 MF Teimuraz Apriamashvili
18 FW Aleksi Tarvonen
20 FW Juuso Metsola
21 FW Samuli Nieminen
22 DF Janne Veija
23 DF Antti Hämäläinen
27 MF Hermanni Peltola
30 GK Jani Rantakallio
31 GK Ville Tura
55 DF Juuso Laitinen
77 FW Joonas Rosenblad
88 MF Janne Laakso

Basketball

KTP also has long-standing basketball traditions. They have won the Finnish championships six times and the Finnish Cup nine times. Nowadays the club mostly concentrates on junior basketball and an independent osakeyhtiö KTP-Basket is playing at the highest level in the Finnish Basketball League.

Honours

References and sources