IF Gnistan
IF Gnistan, commonly known as Gnistan, is a Finnish professional football club from the city of Helsinki, founded in 1924. The club is currently playing in the Veikkausliiga, the first tier of the Finnish league system. IF Gnistan play their home matches at Oulunkylä Football Stadium. The club's home district is Oulunkylä, which is located in the northern part of the capital city.
History
The club is originally Swedish-speaking, but nowadays it is supported by Finnish-speaking majority also. The club was founded by a few Svenska Reallyceum and Åggelby Svenska Samskola students from Oulunkylä in 1924. IF Gnistan was a multi-sport club and had several competitive departments including ski, athletics, swim and pesäpallo. Football department were founded in 1935, when the club joined Finnish Football Association Helsinki district. Later in the 1950s Gnistan had strong teams in orienteering, women's gymnastics, table tennis and cross country running alongside the classical sports.During the late 1950s, the club decided to dissolve all the other departments except for the football teams. When ski and athletics were eliminated, Gnistan turned to a football club, and named Jacob Söderman as their new chairman. They became a significant team in lower leagues of the capital region but never promoted to the top tier. After season 1994, they achieved their place to Ykkönen for the first time. They stayed in the second tier four years and then relegated back to Kakkonen in 1998. They have been in Ykkönen level on four occasions.
Gnistan has played seven seasons in the Ykkönen, the second tier of Finnish football in 1995–98, 2001–02 and from the season 2017. The club has played fourteen seasons in the Kakkonen, the third tier of Finnish football in 1990, 1994, 1999–2000 and 2003–2016.
In 2002, the club nearly made it to the semi-finals of the Finnish Cup, by leading FC Lahti 2–0 till the 90th minute. A FC Lahti fan, ran naked to the field, which caused 5 minutes of added time. Lahti scored twice in injury time and in extra time they made the final score 2–3.
After season 2016, the club won their Kakkonen group and achieved a chance to qualify for Ykkönen for the next season. They faced another group winner Musan Salama on two-legged tie, which started away from home in Pori. Both meetings ended 1–0 victories for the home teams, so the promoting team were solved by penalty shoot-out. Gnistan beat their opponents by 4–3 and promoted to the second tier of Finnish football after spending 14 seasons in a row in Kakkonen.
After establishing their place in then second-tier Ykkönen, Gnistan finished 2nd in the 2023 season, and earned a spot to Veikkausliiga promotion play-offs, where they eventually fell short to IFK Mariehamn. However, it was later announced that Gnistan were granted a Veikkausliiga league license via supplemental process, after FC Honka was declared for bankruptcy. 2024 Veikkausliiga season will be the first in the Finnish top-tier level in the club's entire history. After the 2023 season, the CEO Marko Kolsi, who had served for four seasons, left the position and Ilkka Vanala was named the new chief executive officer of Gnistan.
Early in the morning on 13 July 2024, the main stand and the facilities of Gnistan's home stadium Oulunkylä Football Stadium were destroyed in a fire.
Season to season
| Season | Level | Division | Section | Administration | Position | Movements |
| 1948 | Tier 4 | Piirinsarja | Helsinki ' | Promotion Playoff - Promoted | ||
| 1949 | Tier 3 | Maakuntasarja ' | South Group B | Finnish FA ' | 5th | |
| 1950 | Tier 3 | Maakuntasarja ' | South Group A | Finnish FA ' | 2nd | |
| 1951 | Tier 3 | Maakuntasarja ' | South Group A | Finnish FA ' | 4th | |
| 1952 | Tier 3 | Maakuntasarja ' | South Group A | Finnish FA ' | 6th | |
| 1953 | Tier 3 | Maakuntasarja ' | South Group A | Finnish FA ' | 5th | |
| 1954 | Tier 3 | Maakuntasarja ' | West Group IV | Finnish FA ' | 3rd | |
| 1955 | Tier 3 | Maakuntasarja ' | South Group II | Finnish FA ' | 2nd | |
| 1956 | Tier 3 | Maakuntasarja ' | South Group I | Finnish FA ' | 3rd | |
| 1957 | Tier 3 | Maakuntasarja ' | South Group I | Finnish FA ' | 6th | |
| 1958 | Tier 3 | Maakuntasarja ' | Group 1 | Finnish FA ' | 3rd | |
| 1959 | Tier 3 | Maakuntasarja ' | Group 1 | Finnish FA ' | 3rd | |
| 1960 | Tier 3 | Maakuntasarja ' | Group 1 | Finnish FA ' | 4th | |
| 1961 | Tier 3 | Maakuntasarja ' | Group 1 | Finnish FA ' | 5th | |
| 1962 | Tier 3 | Maakuntasarja ' | Group 1 | Finnish FA ' | 6th | |
| 1963 | Tier 3 | Maakuntasarja ' | Group 1 | Finnish FA ' | 3rd | |
| 1964 | Tier 3 | Maakuntasarja ' | Group 1 | Finnish FA ' | 5th | |
| 1965 | Tier 3 | Maakuntasarja ' | Group 1 | Finnish FA ' | 2nd | |
| 1966 | Tier 3 | Maakuntasarja ' | Group 1 | Finnish FA ' | 7th | |
| 1967 | Tier 3 | Maakuntasarja ' | Group 1 | Finnish FA ' | 3rd | |
| 1968 | Tier 3 | Maakuntasarja ' | Group 1 | Finnish FA ' | 5th | |
| 1969 | Tier 3 | Maakuntasarja ' | Group 1 | Finnish FA ' | 8th | |
| 1970 | Tier 3 | III Divisioona ' | Group 1 | Finnish FA ' | 6th | |
| 1971 | Tier 3 | III Divisioona ' | Group 1 | Finnish FA ' | 10th | |
| 1972 | Tier 3 | III Divisioona ' | Group 5 | Finnish FA ' | 5th | |
| 1973 | Tier 4 | III Divisioona ' | Group 1 | Helsinki ' | 9th | Relegation Playoff - Relegated |
| 1974 | Tier 5 | IV Divisioona ' | Group 3 | Helsinki District ' | 2nd | |
| 1975 | Tier 5 | IV Divisioona ' | Group 2 | Helsinki District ' | 4th | |
| 1976 | Tier 5 | IV Divisioona ' | Group 3 | Helsinki District ' | 3rd | |
| 1977 | Tier 5 | IV Divisioona ' | Group 2 | Helsinki District ' | 1st | Promoted |
| 1978 | Tier 4 | III Divisioona ' | Group 2 | Helsinki ' | 7th | |
| 1979 | Tier 4 | III Divisioona ' | Group 1 | Helsinki ' | 10th | |
| 1980 | Tier 4 | III Divisioona ' | Group 2 | Helsinki ' | 12th | Relegated |
| 1981 | Tier 5 | IV Divisioona ' | Group 2 | Helsinki District ' | 6th | |
| 1982 | Tier 5 | IV Divisioona ' | Group 1 | Helsinki District ' | 6th | |
| 1983 | Tier 5 | IV Divisioona ' | Group 3 | Helsinki District ' | 11th | Relegated |
| 1984 | Tier 6 | V Divisioona ' | Group 2 | Helsinki District ' | ||
| 1985 | Tier 6 | V Divisioona ' | Helsinki District ' | Promoted | ||
| 1986 | Tier 5 | IV Divisioona ' | Group 2 | Helsinki District ' | 3rd | |
| 1987 | Tier 5 | IV Divisioona ' | Helsinki District ' | Promoted | ||
| 1988 | Tier 4 | III Divisioona ' | Group 1 | Helsinki ' | 3rd | |
| 1989 | Tier 4 | III Divisioona ' | Group 2 | Helsinki ' | 1st | Promoted |
| 1990 | Tier 3 | II Divisioona ' | East Group | Finnish FA ' | 10th | Relegated |
| 1991 | Tier 4 | III Divisioona ' | Group 1 | Helsinki ' | 5th | |
| 1992 | Tier 4 | III Divisioona ' | Group 2 | Helsinki ' | 2nd | |
| 1993 | Tier 4 | Kolmonen ' | Group 1 | Helsinki ' | 1st | Promoted |
| 1994 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen ' | South Group | Finnish FA ' | 2nd | Promoted |
| 1995 | Tier 2 | Ykkönen ' | Finnish FA ' | 9th | ||
| 1996 | Tier 2 | Ykkönen ' | South Group | Finnish FA ' | 6th | |
| 1997 | Tier 2 | Ykkönen ' | South Group | Finnish FA ' | 7th | Relegation Group – 3rd – Relegation Play-offs |
| 1998 | Tier 2 | Ykkönen ' | South Group | Finnish FA ' | 9th | Relegation Group – 4th – Relegated |
| 1999 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen ' | West Group | Finnish FA ' | 7th | |
| 2000 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen ' | South Group | Finnish FA ' | 1st | Promoted |
| 2001 | Tier 2 | Ykkönen ' | South Group | Finnish FA ' | 8th | Relegation Play-offs |
| 2002 | Tier 2 | Ykkönen ' | South Group | Finnish FA ' | 9th | Relegation Group – 7th – Relegated |
| 2003 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen ' | South Group | Finnish FA ' | 7th | |
| 2004 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen ' | South Group | Finnish FA ' | 5th | |
| 2005 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen ' | South Group | Finnish FA ' | 2nd | |
| 2006 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen ' | Group A | Finnish FA ' | 4th | |
| 2007 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen ' | Group A | Finnish FA ' | 7th | |
| 2008 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen ' | Group A | Finnish FA ' | 4th | |
| 2009 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen ' | Group A | Finnish FA ' | 2nd | |
| 2010 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen ' | Group A | Finnish FA ' | 3rd | |
| 2011 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen ' | Group A | Finnish FA ' | 2nd | |
| 2012 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen ' | East Group | Finnish FA ' | 2nd | |
| 2013 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen ' | South Group | Finnish FA ' | 2nd | |
| 2014 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen ' | South Group | Finnish FA ' | 8th | |
| 2015 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen ' | South Group | Finnish FA ' | 2nd | |
| 2016 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen ' | Group A | Finnish FA ' | 1st | Promoted via Play-offs |
| 2017 | Tier 2 | Ykkönen ' | Finnish FA ' | 10th | Relegated | |
| 2018 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen ' | Group A | Finnish FA ' | 6th | |
| 2019 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen ' | Group B | Finnish FA ' | 1st | Promoted |
| 2020 | Tier 2 | Ykkönen ' | Finnish FA ' | 9th | ||
| 2021 | Tier 2 | Ykkönen ' | Finnish FA ' | 6th | ||
| 2022 | Tier 2 | Ykkönen ' | Finnish FA ' | 7th | ||
| 2023 | Tier 2 | Ykkönen ' | Finnish FA ' | 2nd | Promotion play-offs – Promoted via supplemental process | |
| 2024 | Tier 1 | Veikkausliiga ' | Finnish FA ' | 8th |
- 1' season in Veikkausliiga
- 11 seasons in Ykkönen
- 44 seasons in Kakkonen
- 10 seasons in Kolmonen
- 9 seasons in Nelonen
- 2 seasons in Vitonen''