Cooperation between the S-Group and the Football Association of Finland for the construction of physical activity and sports fields that are free of charge to use began in 2011. The original goal to construct a hundred multiple-use fields, i.e. the construction of the so-called Ässäkenttä Fields was successfully achieved in autumn 2018.
The very first Ässäkenttä was opened in Kokkola in 2011 and the one-hundredth field was opened at the Mertala School in Savonlinna in the beginning of September 2018. It has been both a joy and honour to be involved in supporting ballgame pastimes for schoolchildren with the Ässäkenttä Fields. We have supplied dozens of multiple-use fields for this scheme, one of which was the hundredth Ässäkenttä for the Mertala School in Savonlinna.
- “From Lappset’s perspective, it was great to partner with the S-Group and the Football Association of Finland in such a large cooperative effort. Together with these partners and our customers, we have achieved fulfilment of Lappset’s important values, supporting the wellbeing of children and youths using activity”, tells concept manager for products Aarni Mertala.
Ässäkenttä Fields used by almost 50,000 children and youths
Each Ässäkenttä has been constructed in the grounds of schools or school complexes. In this way, the Ässäkenttä provides activity possibilities for schoolchildren during a school day and in leisure time.
Ässäkenttä Fields have been actively used throughout Finland and will be in future years as well. Even the most conservative estimates show that the Ässäkenttä Fields are used by 40,000–50,000 children and youths, which translated into a ten-year period, impacts around half a million Finnish children.
Now that the goals of this long-term project have been met, the project has been successfully completed. The construction of the Ässäkenttä Fields has achieved a total investment of four million euros. This goal would not have been met without the outstanding cooperation from the S-Group, Football Association of Finland and various other partners. Indeed, the bulletin issued by the S-Group thanks the local councils, regional cooperative shops and Ässäkenttä suppliers, and all those who made construction of the sports fields possible.
- “The Ässäkenttä scheme is an exceptionally large-scale sports construction project created by a Finnish sports organisation, businesses and the S-Group”, Mertala emphasises. “Even though the Ässäkenttä scheme has achieved its impressive goals and come to a close, Lappset continues its development of its Ässäkenttä Fields by diversifying the colour schemes of products and the range of extra equipment. Encouraged by the project, we also provide the Ässä ballgame facility that is also ideal for small premises”, Mertala adds.
Applications in Finland for state grants for projects establishing local sports areas and multiple-use sports fields can be submitted via the Regional State Administrative Agencies: https://www.avi.fi/web/avi/liikuntapaikkarakentamisen-valtionavustus and in rural areas using the EU Leader programme: http://www.leadersuomi.f
Explore Lappset’s multiple-use fields here.
Further information: