A baseball boom is booming in Roihuvuori – the stands are already getting small

In East Helsinki a real baseball boom is growing.

The Roihuttari, who play in the Women’s Superpesis, have an average of 200 more spectators per match than last season, and that’s a lot.

By the same time last season, an average of 540 spectators had attended Roihuttar’s matches. This season the number is 738.

Audience numbers have grown so much that the current stands at Roihuvuori are no longer enough. The stands of the Roihuvuori baseball field can only seat about 450 spectators.

Chairman of the Roihuttari Ruth Palolan according to the large viewer numbers are due to increased visibility and positive talk about the club.

The City of Helsinki awarded Roihu ry as the Helsinki sports club of 2026 on Helsinki Day on June 12.

“Our match events are very different from many other places, and that has been perceived as positive. We get a lot of praise for it.”

“It’s not just about one thing, but the events combine many positive themes that go hand in hand,” says Palola.

Roihuttaret has tried to increase visibility with traditional and concrete means.

“We have increased visibility, for example, on street side signs in Helsinki, especially on major thoroughfares and routes where the public could find Roihuvuori,” says Palola.

“Furthermore, we have advertised more and thought about where our strength lies,” Palola says.

According to Palola, the increased spectator numbers help the club develop the team and invest in coaching.

Palola does not reveal the size of the ticket revenues, but according to him, they have grown enormously since Midsummer last year.

“The importance of ticket revenue is enormous. When we get more revenue, we will be able to invest in the current team, players and, for example, psychological training.”

Current however, according to Palola, the capacity of the stand is no longer sufficient for the club’s needs.

“If you visit our field, you will notice that we operate within a very minimal framework.”

“The grandstand capacity is not enough. The rain is immediately visible in the audience numbers when we are unable to offer a covered grandstand. The grandstands are not sufficient in quantity either, and we cannot sell numbered seats,” says Palola.

Palola admits that it is a positive problem for the club. There are so many people there that the stands become small.

According to Palola, the city of Helsinki has ruled that the stands will not be renovated in the near future. However, the club is looking for solutions with the city to improve the conditions.

“The city’s policy is that it wants to support the activities of children, young people and the elderly in particular, and not build stands.”

“However, in cooperation with sports services and officials, we are trying to find reasonable solutions. I can’t say yet what the solution could be,” says Palola.

Roihuttaret has played in the women’s Superpesis 2026 season varyingly and is still looking for consistency in her moves.

The team is ninth in the standings after 15 matches. There are four wins, 11 losses and 15 points in the pile.

Roihuttaret will play their next home match in Roihuvuori on Tuesday, July 21 at 6 p.m., when they will face Pöytyä Urheilijat.