MEMBERS
The Athletes of Finland was established to strenghten the voice of atheletes within our society. We drive for improving the athletes’ social status and appreciation within our society. We represent our members –the organizations of athletes in across different sports. At the moment, we have four different member organizations: Football Players’ Union (FPA), Ice Hockey Players of Finland (SJRY), Team Sports’ Athletes and Track and Field Athletes.
FOOTBALL PLAYERS' ASSOCIATION
The Players Union, also known as FPA (Football Players Association of Finland) was establishes 1992. Our mission is the players’ own union with the mission of being “On the side of the game and the player”.
FPA represents players’ voice within the Finnish football community. We have 1300 members, who all are players from the highest divisions in Finland or Finnish players playing abroad. Also, futsal players have been able to join our members since 2010.
In FPA; the power is given for the players’ themselves. All the members, are eligible to vote in the annual meeting. Our board consist of active players and just retired players. We have five women and five men in our board. The understanding of players’ daily life and challenges is definitely the strength of our leadership group.
During our current strategy period, our vision has been #footballasaprofession. The goal is improve both the employment law and socio economic status of football players and athletes overall.
The Finnish Ice Hockey Players’ Association, more informally the Players’ Association, is an an organization for professional ice hockey players. The members of SJRY plays in Liiga, Naisten Liiga, Mestis and national team players.
The Finnish Ice Hockey Players’ Association is established on 1973. Our goal is is to strengthen and monitor the socio-economic status of players and take care of the collective interests of the players and e.g. about improving insurance and social security and also educational opportunities outside of hockey.
Since an ice hockey player’s career is short as a professional career and happens at a time when other young people receive education for other occupations, the Players’ Association helps the players prepare for the time after the player’s career.
FINNISH ICE HOCKEY PLAYERS' ASSOCIATION
TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETES
The association of Track and Field athletes was established 2021 for the top track & field athletes nationally and internationally. Our activities are built around two main goals, which are advocacy of the track and field athletes and support building the professional sports career.
Our first goal has been to enable and strengthen the voice of track and field athletes. We bring out the voice of track and field athletes. Even though there have been track and field athlete representatives in different boards earlier, there has been a lack of the common voice of track and field athletes.
The second goal is to strengthen and develop the sports career opportunities of track and field athletes. Even though sports seems to be the one of the most interesting topics for the consumers in media & TV, it has not improved the opportunities of the athletes to focus their daily life fully on sports.
TUOMAS ROUVALI
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
tuomas.rouvali@yleisurheilijatry.fi
The Team Players’ Association, ’Joukkueurheilijat ry’, is an organisation for Basketball, Volleyball, Floorball and Finnish Baseball players. We represent players from the two highest league levels. The Team Players’ Association was founded December 2021. Operational work has started in June 2022.
The association’s mission is to keep an eye on the interests of the athletes, to make the athletes’ voice heard and to help the players, e.g. in contractual matters. Combining studies and a working career with a sports career, transitioning to working life after a sports career and improving the social status of the sports profession are the association’s long-term goals. Team Players’ Association wants to promote equal sports and be a safe channel for raising grievances in sports.
TEAM PLAYERS' ASSOCIATION
In addition, we work in close collaboration with Athletes' Committee of Finnish Olympic Committee, Athletes' Committee of Finnish Paralympic Committee and Athletes' Committee of Swimming Association .