Mustapekka Areena pictured last month
Featured image credit: IF Gnistan
Finnish Veikkausliiga football club, IF Gnistan, has launched a fundraising campaign after a fire closed its Mustapekka Areena for the remainder of the season.
The fire on Saturday completely destroyed the stadium’s main stand, as well as the club’s storage facilities, dressing rooms and all property inside. Gnistan is currently playing its first-ever Veikkausliiga campaign following promotion last season and has already said that for the rest of the 2024 season no more matches can be played at Mustapekka Areena.
This has left both its men’s and women’s teams seeking a new home. Based in the Oulunkylä neighbourhood of Helsinki, Gnistan has invested nearly €1.5m (£1.26m/$1.64m) in stadium upgrades over the past two years.
Mustapekka Areena had a capacity of around 2,200, but the addition of temporary seating last month allowed the club to set a new attendance record of 3,024 for the local derby against HJK Helsinki.
“This is a terrible tragedy, all the equipment and everything is burnt and the men’s and women’s teams have nothing at the moment,” Gnistan chair Risto Murto told Finnish broadcaster Yle.
“There have been some break-ins before, but nothing like this. The authorities are now investigating the cause of the fire, and we don’t know any more about it at the moment.”
Veikkausliiga CEO, Timo Marjamaa, added: “This is a major blow, not just for the Veikkausliiga, but also because the pitch was heavily used for other training sessions and lower league matches. It’s a severe hit.”
In the wake of the fire, Gnistan has detailed four means by which people can support the club in its recovery efforts. These include donations to the ‘Spark Fund’ – spark being the loose English translation of Gnistan.
The club has also called on fans to buy a ‘support ticket’, financially backing the club now with a view to attending a match at a later date. Finally, larger donations or offers of support from companies have been requested to be directed to CEO Ilkka Vanalaan and club development manager Ossi Lindbergiin.
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