Grankulla IFK, or GrIFK as the name is commonly abbreviated, is a Finnish sports club from the city of Kauniainen. The club was formed in 1925 and the main activities covered are football, ice-hockey, handball, floorball and alpine. Each sport is organized in separated daughter clubs since 1997. These are GrIFK-Fotboll, GrIFK-Handboll, GrIFK-Salibandy, GrIFK-Icehockey and GrIFK Alpine.

Grankulla IFK
Full nameIdrottsföreningen Kamraterna, Grankulla
Nickname(s)GrIFK, Grani
Founded1925
GroundKauniaisten Keskuskenttä,
Kauniainen
Finland
ChairmanMatti Hannuksela
ManagerJens Mattfolk
League2023 Kakkonen

Football

The club's main football team is currently playing in the Kakkonen, the third tier of the Finnish football league system. GrIFK play their home matches at Kauniaisten Keskuskenttä. The chairman of the football club is Matti Hannuksela. The club has more than 750 registered players.

Futsal

The club has also become a club with many futsal teams. Many of the teams with younger players play futsal during the winter season. In 2022, the club had close to 20 different teams and the B-junior team ended 2nd on the national level.

History

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GrIFK Football has played 13 seasons in the Ykkönen (First Division), the second tier of Finnish football in 1978–80, 1982–85, 1987–88, 1990, 2008 and 2016–2017. They also have had ten spells (covering 21 seasons) in the third tier, the Kakkonen (the Second Division), in 1973–75, 1977, 1981, 1986, 1989, 1991–92, 1996, 2005–07, 2009-2015 and 2018 to the present day.[1]

Season to season

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Season Level Division Section Administration Position Movements
2000 Tier 4 Kolmonen (Third Division) Section 1 Helsinki & Uusimaa (SPL Helsinki) 3rd
2001 Tier 4 Kolmonen (Third Division) Section 3 Helsinki & Uusimaa (SPL Helsinki)
2002 Tier 4 Kolmonen (Third Division) Section 1 Helsinki & Uusimaa (SPL Uusimaa) 3rd
2003 Tier 4 Kolmonen (Third Division) Section 1 Helsinki & Uusimaa (SPL Uusimaa) 3rd
2004 Tier 4 Kolmonen (Third Division) Section 1 Helsinki & Uusimaa (SPL Uusimaa) 1st Play-offs – Promoted
2005 Tier 3 Kakkonen (Second Division) South Group Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) 8th
2006 Tier 3 Kakkonen (Second Division) Group B Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) 9th
2007 Tier 3 Kakkonen (Second Division) Group B Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) 1st Promoted
2008 Tier 2 Ykkönen (First Division) South Group Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) 13th Relegated
2009 Tier 3 Kakkonen (Second Division) Group A Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) 9th
2010 Tier 3 Kakkonen (Second Division) Group B Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) 3rd
2011 Tier 3 Kakkonen (Second Division) Group A Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) 4th
2012 Tier 3 Kakkonen (Second Division) Group South Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) 7th
2013 Tier 3 Kakkonen (Second Division) Group South Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) 3rd
2014 Tier 3 Kakkonen (Second Division) Group South Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) 2nd
2015 Tier 3 Kakkonen (Second Division) Group West Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) 1st Promoted
2016 Tier 2 Ykkönen (First Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) 6th
2017 Tier 2 Ykkönen (First Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) 9th Relegated
2018 Tier 3 Kakkonen (Second Division) Group B Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) 3rd
2019 Tier 3 Kakkonen (Second Division) Group B Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) 9th

Club structure

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GrIFK is in reality two different clubs. The men's team is separated from all the other teams mainly for financial reasons. All other teams are in the main part of GrIFK Football. This part consists of 3 men's teams, 1 veteran's team, and close to 20 boys teams. The number of girl teams is also gradually increasing due to a collaboration with the football club HooGee.

2020 season

GrIFK are competing in Group B (Lohko B) of the Kakkonen administered by the Football Association of Finland (Suomen Palloliitto) . This is the third highest tier in the Finnish football system. In 2019 GrIFK finished in ninth position in their Kakkonen section.

Current squad 2020 (updating in process)

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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK   FIN Toni Vuorinen
2 MF   FIN Noa Maxwell
3 DF   FIN Otto Pitkänen
4 DF   FIN Niko Perera
5 DF   FIN Sebastian Veijola
6 MF   FIN Teemu Koskinen
7 DF   FIN Joni Kaasinen
8 DF   FIN Joonas Ilomäki
9 FW   FIN Daniel Langhoff
10 MF   FIN Janne Törmänen
11 MF   FIN Sami Stam
12 GK   FIN Kimi Lindeman
No. Pos. Nation Player
13 MF   FIN
14 DF   FIN
15 MF   FIN
16 FW   FIN Jonas Britschgi
17 FW   FIN Petter Meyer
18 MF   FIN
19 FW   FIN Samuel Langhoff
21 MF   FIN Lassi Luoto
22 DF   FIN Vertti Tiilikainen
23 DF   FIN Juho Tuuliainen
24 DF   FIN Saman Safiyari
25 DF   FIN Vili Nyström
26 DF   FIN Anton Lindblad
27 MF   FIN Juha Hakola
30 DF   FIN Tino Palmasto
77 MF   FIN Niko Saraste

Sources

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References

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  1. ^ "Finland – Divisional Movements 1930–2009". RSSSF. 2018. Retrieved 2018-12-05.
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