Närpes Kraft Fotbollsförening

Närpes Kraft Fotbollsförening

Full name	Närpes Kraft Fotbollsförening
Nickname(s)	Kraft
Founded	1996
Ground	Mosedal, Närpes, Finland (Capacity: 2,000)
Chairman	Johnny Grandell
Coach	Peter Sundlin
League	Kolmonen
Home colours Away colours

Närpes Kraft Fotbollsförening (abbreviated Kraft) is a football club from Närpes (Finnish: Närpiö) , Finland. The original club was formed in 1930 and their home ground is at the Mosedal. The men's football first team currently plays in the Kolmonen (Third Division).

Background

IF Kraft or Kraft Närpes is a sports club that was founded in 1930. The club has specialised in a number of sports including cycling, skiing, athletics, football and ice-hockey. Ice hockey was introduced at Kraft in 1970 and the team currently plays in Division II, Finland's fourth highest league. The cycling section of the club started in 1982.

Kraft is probably best known for its football club with the men’s first team having played 7 seasons in the Ykkönen (First Division), the second tier of Finnish football in 1997 and 1999-2004. They also have had four spells covering 26 seasons in the third tier, the Kakkonen (Second Division), in 1976-84, 1986–96, 1998 and 2005-09.^[1] The football section broke away from the main club in 1997.

Relegation at the end of the 2009 season to the Kolmonen (Third Division) has sadly brought fourth tier football back to Mosedal. It was 25 years ago in 1985 since Kraft last played at this level.

The highest ever attendance for a Kraft match was in 1974 in when 2,406 people attended the home game with Lappfjärds Bollklubb.^[2] The largest attendance for a Kraft match at Mosedal was in 1997 in when 1,468 people attended the home game with FC Haka in the Ykkönen (First Division).^[3]

The club is now able to make use of the new Närpiö Idrottshall, "Ball Hall", which was completed in autumn 2008. The hall's size is 97.5 metres by 67 metres and has a height of 16 metres. The venue is able to accommodate an artificial turf pitch 90 metres by 60 metres.^[4]

Season to season

Season Level Division Section Administration Position Movements 1994 Tier 3 Kakkonen (Second Division) North Group Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) 4th 1995 Tier 3 Kakkonen (Second Division) West Group Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) 9th 1996 Tier 3 Kakkonen (Second Division) West Group Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) 1st Promoted 1997 Tier 2 Ykkönen (First Division) North Group Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) 10th Relegation Group North – Relegated 1998 Tier 3 Kakkonen (Second Division) West Group Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) 2nd Promoted 1999 Tier 2 Ykkönen (First Division) North Group Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) 9th Relegation Group North – Play-offs 2000 Tier 2 Ykkönen (First Division) North Group Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) 9th Relegation Group North – Play-offs 2001 Tier 2 Ykkönen (First Division) North Group Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) 6th 2002 Tier 2 Ykkönen (First Division) North Group Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) 6th Relegation Group North – Play-offs 2003 Tier 2 Ykkönen (First Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) 6th 2004 Tier 2 Ykkönen (First Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) 12th Relegated 2005 Tier 3 Kakkonen (Second Division) West Group Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) 7th 2006 Tier 3 Kakkonen (Second Division) Group C Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) 6th 2007 Tier 3 Kakkonen (Second Division) Group C Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) 11th 2008 Tier 3 Kakkonen (Second Division) Group C Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) 10th 2009 Tier 3 Kakkonen (Second Division) Group B Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) 13th Relegated 2010 Tier 4 Kolmonen (Third Division) Central Ostrobothnia and Vaasa (SPL Vaasa) 7 seasons in Ykkönen 9 seasons in Kakkonen 1 season in Kolmonen

Club structure

Närpes Kraft Fotbollsförening run a large number of teams including 2 men's teams, 1 ladies team, 7 boys teams and 4 girls teams.^[5]

2010 season

Kraft Men's Team are competing in the Kolmonen (Third Division) section administered by the Vaasa SPL. This is the fourth highest tier in the Finnish football system. In 2009 Kraft finished in 13th place in Group B of the Kakkonen (Second Division) and were relegated.

Kraft /2 are participating in the Nelonen (Fourth Division) administered by the Vaasa SPL.

Current Squad for the 2011 Season

1. Vladan Zlatkovic 2. Christian Gröndahl 3. Mathias Salo 4. Tobias Malm 5. Edis Elkaz 6. Tony Lund 7. Simon Backman 8. Karl-Johan Simons 9. Jonas Granfors 10. Kevin Linton 11. Mario Rac 12. Karl-Filip Eriksson

14. Jesper Prinsen 15. Mårten Grandell 16. Alnes Salic 17. Richard Dorman 18. Joakim Grannas 19. Lucas Rönnholm 20. Blagojce Dameski 21. Arttu Yli-Sorvari 22. Darko Letic 23. Vanja Pobor

^[6]

Notable Former Players

• József Tóth
• Ivor Linton
• Jens Nygård

Footnotes

1. ^ "Finland - Divisional Movements 1930-2009". RSSSF Archives. 2010. http://www.rsssf.com/tablesf/finall.html. Retrieved 09.07.2010. 
2. ^ Jalkapallokirja 1991. Suomen Palloliitto. 1991. ISSN 0787-7188. 
3. ^ Jalkapallokirja 04. Suomen Palloliitto. 2004. ISSN 0787-7188. 
4. ^ "Närpes Kraft FF - Bollhallen". http://www.kraftff.com/. Retrieved 09.07.2010. 
5. ^ "Kraft Fotboll". http://www.kraftff.com/. Retrieved 09.07.2010. 
6. ^ "Kraft FF - Representationslaget - Medlemmar". http://www.kraftff.com/. Retrieved 09.07.2010. 

External links

• Official Football Website
• Finnish Wikipedia