The Roundup - 23rd to 29th March 2020

Kankaanpää’s game saver shirt - one of many now available from Unique Branding to support clubs at this time.

The big stories
Covid-19 and the impact on the season
The world is currently in the midst of the worst pandemic since the “Spanish Flu” claimed the lives of between 17 and 50 million people in 1918. The Coronavirus (Covid-19) has affected people’s lives in both direct and indirect ways. In terms of Pesäpallo, the Halli-SM tournament has been cancelled following the group games. In addition to this the start to the 2020 regular season has been postponed to the 2nd June 2020 at the earliest, meaning that the season will not start with the Fugepesis game in Fuengirola, Spain between KPL and Vimpeli on 25th April 2020. 

The current position from the Pesäpalloliito (Pesäpallo Association) is that the season will be reduced to 26 games and will be a simple double series (where each team plays each other twice - once at home and once away). The playoffs and relegation/promotion series remain unchanged.

As with most things in life at this point in time, the situation is very uncertain and things seem to change regularly without much notice. The impact of this on clubs is profound - most of this post will in fact look at the financial aspects of the impact of Coronavirus. Generally, the restrictions on movement, socialising and gatherings of any sort is restricting people’s ability to engage in sporting activities of any sort. Team sports are completely impossible at this team and there is a fear that people will not be able or willing to continue engaging with their clubs or that there will not be a club left for them to engage in. This situation is not specific to pesäpallo and is something that most team sports fear globally. In the UK, Football (in particular at lower league levels), Rugby League and Cricket are vocally very concerned.

Team finances
According to a survey of the Finnish Olympic Committee published on 20th March 2020, the economic losses to physical activity and sport caused by the coronavirus epidemic amount to at least EUR 81 million. The figure is likely to be much higher than this, when several indirect effects are considered. The impact on local business and sponsors for teams is unknown and this will have a lasting impact on the income teams can generate outside of ticket sales.

The situation for clubs has escalated rapidly, with all clubs (except JoMa) being unable to pay players salaries as of April 2020, with many clubs either suspending pay or reducing it for all employees. It has been reported that some clubs have even been trying to find players temporary jobs so that no one is left without a livelihood in the current situation.

Petri Pitkäranta , Executive Director of the Finnish Baseball Association, says that baseball is in a tight spot. According to him, however, the severity of the situation largely depends on when the season can begin. 

The clubs have met by video conferencing and discussed ways to deal with the current situation; however some clubs have stated that they may need to make further cuts and financial decisions if the season is delayed later than the current 2nd June date. A further meeting is scheduled for 13th April to consider the position at that time.

Cricket - T20 World Cup qualifier in Finland is postponed
As well as the Superpesis season being postponed, Coronavirus has also had an impact on other sports on a global scale. It is deeply regretted that the much anticipated T20 World Cup qualifier (which was due to take place in June) in Finland has been postponed. I have been invited to attend this event as an official scorer and arranged to attend 2 games at Hyvinkää and Kouvola, but sadly this will have to wait. I fully support Cricket Finland through these difficult times and hope that this historic tournament can be rescheduled soon and showcase the very best of Finland!

The announcement by Cricket Finland is at:


My full post on this announcement is at:

Juha Puhtimäki’s assistance for teams and fans
To many people, the thought of spending your own money to support your opponents is crazy, but Juha Puhtimäki is doing exactly that to support the sport. Puhtimäki has announced a plan to buy 3 tickets for every JoMa away game from his own funds in order to support the clubs he will be playing against. This gesture comes in the wake of all clubs (except JoMa) announcing that they cannot pay their players wages (see above). Puhtimäki’s gesture may be modest, but the idea is inspiring and has created a lot of attention. If everyone can contribute in small ways then it can make a big difference. 

Puhtimäki’s decision to help out opposing teams reminds us all that the competition is only strong if it has good clubs to play in it: if clubs fail and disappear, if there is nobody to take their place, the competition fades and may even disappear entirely. In supporting his opponents, Puhtimäki has not only recognised this important fact, but he has embraced it. I agree entirely with Puhtimäki’s decision and I applaud his efforts.

We are all in this together - to make sure that the sport we love survives and remains strong, we must support each other. 

Other reasons to be cheerful
The ability for people to engage with their clubs is essential, especially when society is currently in a state of isolation. Social Media is a great way to keep people engaged and some pesäpallo teams are looking at different ways to keep their fans, supporters and sponsors involved. 

Pattijoen Urheilijat have aired a Facebook Live event, looking back over classic games. On the whole, PattU have great engagement on Social Media and have published more player/coach profile articles by Valtteri Karjula to follow up on the successful series earlier this year.

The latest one is at -

Hyvinkään Tahko have handed the reigns of their Instagram account to specific players to engage fans. Kiteen Pallo have posted videos on tips for training in isolation.

Superpesis corporate partner “Unique Branding”, who supplies merchandise to a number of clubs, fans and supporters have produced a special Game Saver 2020 shirt tailored for this situation. This marketing opportunity is offered by Sotkamon Jymy, Kempeleen Kiri, Kankaanpään Maila as well as Puijon Pesis and Loimaan Palloilijat.

As well as the teams themselves, the pesis community has also rallied round to help create content for fans whilst the season remains uncertain. Perttu Hautala has produced some more incredible posts for his blog, looking at more detailed dynamics and aspects of the game - if you want more in depth analysis and understanding of the game, this is an incredible resource.


Antti Haapasalo has started a Twitch feed every Friday that looks at classic games with guests (the latest guest was the legend - Jimi Heikkinen). If you are missing live pesäpallo, then this is the perfect place to come. Antti’s shows are a real distraction from the chaos and panic of the outside world and are invaluable at this time. Even if you cannot watch the broadcast live, you can watch past videos anytime!


There may be more content that Superpesis Roundup will be putting out soon, so watch this space!


Kiitos to everyone in the pesis community for coming together; for supporting the clubs and teams we love and engaging the fans at such a difficult time.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Playoff previews 2021: Semifinals

Finals review 2021

Playoff previews 2021: the final