Football|The Kotkala club announced the surprising news on Thursday.
Traditional football club KTP plays at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium after a 46-year hiatus. KTP announced on Thursday that it will face Käpylä Pallo in the Ykkösliiga match on May 9. The match is KTP’s home game.
The reason for the special match venue is the renovation of KTP’s home stadium Arto Tolsa arena and the installation of artificial turf.
“KTP last played at the Olympic Stadium in the final of the Finnish Cup on October 19, 1980, so isn’t it high time to renew the generational experience. As we remember, KTP beat Haka 3–2 at that time, and Art Tolsa scored two goals”, KTP chairman Jukka Mustonen said in a press release published by the club.
“Hopefully, KäPa can withstand the stresses of the two-kilometer away game trip to the bright lights of Stadika.”
KTP: n CEO of Kotkan Futis Oy, which runs the league team Jan Walden said in the same announcement that he was stepping aside from his duties. He continues as the leader of the Olympic Stadium match project.
“I’ve had a great time at KTP. However, when I’ve been involved in drafting the club’s budget for 2026, I’ve come to the conclusion that the full-time managing director’s salary can be better spent in the First League,” Walden said in the press release.
At the end of last season, KTP was relegated from Veikkausliiga to Ykkösliiga. The club lost the league qualifier to Turku Palloseura.