Jakobstad is a footballing city

Football has long traditions in the city of Jakobstad. Many clubs have written their respective chapters into the footballing annals of history, and games have thru the years been played at various addresses around the city.

The years have also brought success. IF Drott won the clubs first and only Finnish Cup-trophy in the late 1950’s. FC United celebrated multiple championships and Finnish Cup-triumphs in the early 2000’s and FF Jaros ambitious B-junior teams have had their fair share of medals as well, the latest coming in the fall of 2019. And many still fondly remember when FF Jaro played in the UEFA-organized Intertoto-cup in the mid-90’s.

Success has not come without effort

A huge step along the road to becoming a bona fide footballing community was taken in the early 1990’s, when an indoor arena for football was built. The now 30-year-old building, Tellus-hallen, has undergone repairs and surface changes thru the years, but still gives teams in Jakobstad and the surrounding areas a competitive edge during the winter months.

Had Tellus not been built during the economically tough times of the early 1990’s it is safe to say, that Jakobstad would not be the footballing city it is today.

Players like Simon Skrabb, the Portin-brothers Jens and Jonas, the Eremenko family – they have all hailed the open access to perfect training conditions in winter during their youth as a big contributing factor to taking them out of the city and country and plying their trade abroad as professional footballers.

If we want to see the same kind of developments and success in Jakobstad in the decades to come, the building of a new football stadium is vital. The project at hand is aiming to create the best possible facilities for everyone ready to work hard and pursue their dream within football.

By erecting a modern and purposely built stadium in the center of the city, Jakobstad can continue of building on the legends of the past looking forward to a bright and successful future in the top brass of football in Finland.

make the dream come true in 2023

The first team of FF Jaro has long nurtured a dream of a comeback to the topflight of Finnish football, but todays requirements and regulations make it impossible to play home games in the Veikkausliiga at Centraplanen.

FC United are force to play their home games in exile close to the Rosenlund Rectory and Aspegrens gardens. The double champions and triple Finnish Cup-winners deserve a seat at the table once again.

JBK are now playing exiting football on the upper half of division two, providing young players in Jakobstad a chance to get their first taste of senior action. Both JBK and FF Jaro B-juniors play their home games at the artificial pitch at Västra Plan.

Project Liv Arena can house all the regions ambitious teams, and more.

The building of Project Liv Arena will make it possible to use the venue at a rate of six times that of Centralplanen at the moment and removing football from the equation at the old ground will free up resources elsewhere.

Competitivie games for the better part of ten months in a year, elite tournament finals, kids soccer days, school tournaments – all these activities will find its new home at Project Liv Arena.

And do bear in mind, that we haven’t even begun to talk about what an all-seater compact footballing stadion will mean to the public, the people who love to come to games where the tension and intensity feels close enough to touch.

So, let us all come together and work towards the goal of making the dream come true in 2023.

The board of Jeppis Stadion Ab, January 2021.