Kuopion Palloseura

KuPS

Full name	Kuopion Palloseura
Nickname(s)	Keltamusta (Yellow and black) Kanarialinnut (Canaries)
Founded	1923
Ground	Savon Sanomat Areena Kuopio
Ground Capacity	5,000
Chairman	Ari Lahti
Manager	Esa Pekonen
League	Veikkausliiga
2013	Veikkausliiga, 7th
Home colours Away colours

Kuopion Palloseura (or KuPS) is a Finnish football club, based in the 8th most populated city of Finland, Kuopio. KuPS plays in Finland's Premier League, Veikkausliiga. The team plays its home matches at Savon Sanomat Areena. Until June 2005, KuPS used to play at an aged track and field stadium in Väinölänniemi, which is said to be one of the most beautiful sporting places in Finland. Väinölänniemi is a cape surrounded by a local lake, Kallavesi.

KuPS holds the Finnish club record of the most consecutive seasons in the top flight, from 1949 to 1992. The team is placed fourth in the all-time Finnish premier league honour table.^[1]

History

First team in 1923

KuPS was founded in 1923 and holds 4th place in the all-time table of the Finnish Premier League (called Veikkausliiga since 1991). KuPS have played in the top flight for 50 seasons and claimed five league titles, two Finnish Cup titles and one Finnish League Cup title. In addition to that KuPS have finished as runners-up in the league nine times and claimed numerous junior titles.

Season 2005

KuPS vs HJK at Magnum Areena, Kuopio. Finnish League Cup, March 11, 2008.

KuPS returned to the top flight for the 2005 season after a year in the First Division (Ykkönen). They finished the 2005 season in 10th place, easily avoiding the relegation play-off (13th place) and direct relegation (14th place).

Season 2006

On 1 April 2006 KuPS beat reigning Veikkausliiga champions, MyPa 1–0 in the semi-final of the Finnish League Cup and secured a place in the Finnish League Cup Final. On 12 April 2006 in Finnair Stadium, Helsinki KuPS beat FC KooTeePee 2–1 in the League Cup Final and ended their 17-year run without titles. However, the club ended the 2006 season in last place, and was once again demoted to Ykkönen for the 2007 season. This resulted in manager Juha Malinen being replaced by his former player/assistant manager Kai Nyyssönen.

Reserve team, KuPS Akatemia (tr: KuPS Academy) played in the Second Division Group A (Kakkonen lohko A), but the team was terminated in December 2006 to cut costs and as a replacement, an agreement with Kings Kuopio, which plays also in the Second Division was signed.

In December 2006, it was revealed that the team was heavily in debt and about to go bankrupt. KuPS fans held their breath, until a Helsinki-based CEO of an Investment bank ICECAPITAL, also a former Chairman of the Board of the Veikkausliiga, Ari Lahti increased his stake at the club to ca. 95% and saved the club.

Season 2007

Petteri Pennanen trying to get into penalty area of PK-35 on May 27, 2007.

After escaping imminent destruction, season 2007 began with reasonably low expectations. A target to achieve promotion back to top flight in two years was set.

Manager Kai Nyyssönen lured his former team-mate Harri Ylönen back to strengthen the team and to serve as an assistant manager. The duo lured in Roope Reinikainen, Ilja Venäläinen and Miikka Turunen, who also returned to their former home club. Jussi Hakasalo from JJK Jyväskylä and Tero Mäkäläinen from MyPa were new names.

Because of relegation KuPS lost its prized assets, Sierraleonese players, Patrick Bantamoi to FC Inter Turku and Medo to HJK. KuPS and Ghanaian midfielder Seth Ablade parted their ways earlier, with Ablade terminating his contract.

Season 2007 started well with mostly local players. The team suffered a run of draws in the mid-season, but by winning their last six games with their main opponent RoPS of Rovaniemi at the same time losing its lead, KuPS won the league Ykkönen and went straight back. RoPS also achieved a promotion, by winning a promotion play-off against 13th place finisher of Veikkausliiga, FC Viikingit.

European campaigns

Season	Competition	Round	Country	Club	Score	Agg.
1959–60	European Cup	Preliminary round		Eintracht Frankfurt	KuPS withdrew
1967–68	European Cup	Preliminary round		Saint-Étienne	0–2, v 0–3	0–5
1969–70	Cup Winners' Cup	First round		Académica de Coimbra	0–1, v 0–0	0–1
1975–76	European Cup	First round		Ruch Chorzów	0–5, v 2–2	2–7
1976–77	UEFA Cup	First round		Östers	3–2, v 0–2	3–4
1977–78	European Cup	First round		Club Brugge	0–4, v 2–5	2–9
1978–79	UEFA Cup	First round		Boldklubben 1903	2–1, v 4–4	6–5
		Second round		Esbjerg fB	0–2, v 1–4	1–6
1980–81	UEFA Cup	First round		Saint-Étienne	0–7, v 0–7	0–14
1990–91	Cup Winners' Cup	First round		Dynamo Kyiv	2–2, v 0–4	2–6
2011–12	Europa League	Second round		Gaz Metan Mediaș	1–0, v 0–2	1–2
2012–13	Europa League	First round		Llanelli	2–1, v 1−1	3−2
		Second round		Maccabi Netanya	0−1, v 2−1	2−2
		Third round		Bursaspor	1−0, v 0−6	1−6

UEFA club competition record

As of August 2, 2012.

Season to season

Current squad

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 Tomi Maanoja 4 MF Tero Taipale 6 FW Saku Savolainen 8 MF Jerry Voutilainen 10 FW Ats Purje 11 MF Ilmari Niskanen 13 MF Aleksi Paananen 15 DF Omar Colley

No. Position Player 16 GK Joonas Pöntinen 18 MF Jussi Kujala 19 DF Rami Hakanpää (captain) 20 FW Miikka Ilo 21 DF Sami Räsänen 22 MF Joel Vartiainen 24 DF Juuso Korhonen 32 DF Tuomas Rannankari

• 

  Ilja Venäläinen trailed by Klubi-04's Sakari Mattila (2007)

• 

  Jonni Heikkinen escapes from a PK-37 player in Finnish Cup 5th Round, 2006

• 

  Miikka Turunen near the corner flag in Finnish League Cup, 2008

• 

  Arto Lindberg trying to keep Tuomas Haapala away

Honours

• Finnish Championships
  • Winners (5): 1956, 1958, 1966, 1974, 1976
  • Runners-up (9): 1950, 1954, 1964, 1967, 1969, 1975, 1977, 1979, 2010

• Finnish Cup
  • Winners (2): 1968, 1989
  • Runners-up (2): 2011, 2012

• Finnish League Cup
  • Winners (1): 2006

• Ykkönen (second tier)
  • Winners (3): 2000, 2004, 2007

• Kakkonen (third tier)
  • Winners (1): 1998

Managers

References

1. ↑ "Finnish League Premier Division All-Time Tables 1930–2007". RSSSF.com. (March 12, 2008)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kuopion Palloseura.

• Official website
• Banzai – Supporters of KuPS, club's website