Porin Palloilijat or formerly FC PoPa is a Finnish football club, based in the city of Pori in Finland. The club currently plays in the Vitonen, the seventh highest level of Finnish football. The club was established in 1925 but did not operate between 1960 and 1981.
History Porin Palloilijat is the oldest team sports club in Pori being over 85 years old. Bror Weckström had the original idea of forming a new team in Pori and on 16 April 1925 the first meeting of PoPa was held in the café at Pori Theatre.
It was decided to form a team called Porin Palloilijat and to make football and bandy their main focus. The first Committee members were Erkki Laitinen, J. Kari, Bror Weckström, O. Huhtanen, A. Forsberg and H. Lingvist. In May 1925 the constitution and rules for the club were prepared and the team was registered on 13 May 1925. They also included ice-hockey, women's basketball and ice-skating within the club's featured programme. The first chairman was Erkki Laitinen and he was later followed by Veikko Laitinen.
PoPa played their first games at Liisantori and then later at Tiilimäki before moving in 1929 to the football and ice-hockey field at Juhannuslehto. The club later moved to the Herralahti football ground.
PoPa had a rich early history playing 10 seasons in the Suomisarja (Finland League) which at that time was the second tier of Finnish football in 1937–39 and 1945–51.
They have had three periods covering 7 seasons in the Kakkonen (Second Division), the third tier of Finnish football in 1989, 2002–03 and 2005–08.
FC PoPa Oy took over the responsibility for the sport and financial operation of the principal team in 2007. In season 2007 PoPa played in the Kakkonen (Second Division) in the Western Group, reaching second place just one point short of promotion to the Ykkönen (First Division). In 2008 the team went one better winning the Western Group of Second Division in a crushing manner and were promoted to the Ykkönen for 2009.
The club maintained their rapid progress in 2009 by finishing 4th in the Ykkönen and are well on target of bringing Veikkausliiga football back to Pori. The key people behind the initiative are Antti Sumiala (sport and managing director), Rami Nieminen (manager / marketing executive), Pertti Lundell (coach) and Risto Puustinen (coach).
From the beginning, the focal point of new executive board has been raising the football in Pori and Satakunta back to the top level in Finland. The strategy of FC PoPa is to play attacking and entertaining football, to develop young, talented players for the use of FC PoPa and to sell the most talented players to the foreign professional clubs.
FC PoPa changed their name back to Porin Palloilijat in 2012.
Season to season
SeasonLevelDivisionSectionAdministrationPositionMovements1935Tier 2 B-Sarja (Second Division) West Group Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)7thRelegated1936Tier 3Maakuntasarja (Regional League) WestFinnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) Promoted1937Tier 2 Itä-Länsi-Sarja (East-West Series)West League Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)7th1938Tier 2 Itä-Länsi-Sarja (East-West Series)West League Northern Group Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)7th1939Tier 2 Itä-Länsi-Sarja (East-West Series)West League Group 3 Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)4th1940-41Tier 3C-Sarja (Third Division) Group 2Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)1stPromotion Playoff1943-44Tier 3Maakuntasarja (Regional League) Cup-formatFinnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) 2nd roundCompetition cancelled due to WWII1945Tier 2 Suomisarja (Finland Series)Group B Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)2nd1945-46Tier 2 Suomisarja (Finland Series) Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)4th1946-47Tier 2 Suomisarja (Finland Series)North Group Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)6th1947-48Tier 2 Suomisarja (Finland Series)North Group Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)1stPromotion Group 4th1948Tier 2 Suomisarja (Finland Series)North Group Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)7th1949Tier 2 Suomisarja (Finland Series)West Group Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)6th1950Tier 2 Suomisarja (Finland Series)West Group Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)6th1951Tier 2 Suomisarja (Finland Series)West Group Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)10thRelegated1952Tier 3Maakuntasarja (Regional League) West Group BFinnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)1stPromotion Playoff1953Tier 3Maakuntasarja (Regional League) West Group BFinnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)2nd1954Tier 3Maakuntasarja (Regional League) West Group IFinnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)1stPromotion Playoff1955Tier 3Maakuntasarja (Regional League) North Group IIFinnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)3rd1956Tier 3Maakuntasarja (Regional League) West Group IFinnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)3rd1957Tier 3Maakuntasarja (Regional League) West Group IIFinnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)7th1958Tier 3Maakuntasarja (Regional League) Group 4Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)5th1959Tier 3Maakuntasarja (Regional League) Group 5Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)1stPromoted1960 Merged with Porin Kärpät to form Porin Karhut1982Tier 43. Divisioona (Third Division) Group 4 Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)6th1983Tier 43. Divisioona (Third Division) Group 4 Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)11thRelegated1984Tier 54. Divisioona (Fourth Division) Group 6 Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) 1st Promotion Playoff1985Tier 54. Divisioona (Fourth Division) Group 6 Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) 1st Promoted1986Tier 43. Divisioona (Third Division) Group 4 Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)4th1987Tier 43. Divisioona (Third Division) Group 4 Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)5th1988Tier 43. Divisioona (Third Division) Group 4 Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)1stPromoted1989Tier 32. Divisioona (Second Division) West GroupFinnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)10thRelegation Playoff - Relegated1990Tier 43. Divisioona (Third Division) Group 4 Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)10thRelegated1991Tier 54. Divisioona (Fourth Division)Satakunta District (SPL Satakunta) Promoted1992Tier 43. Divisioona (Third Division) Group 4 Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)5th1993Tier 4Kolmonen (Third Division) Group 4 Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)9th1994Tier 4Kolmonen (Third Division) Group 4 Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)9th1995Tier 4Kolmonen (Third Division) Group 4 Satakunta District (SPL Satakunta)4th1996Tier 4Kolmonen (Third Division) Group 4 Satakunta District (SPL Satakunta)6th1997Tier 4Kolmonen (Third Division) Group 4 Satakunta District (SPL Satakunta)8th1998Tier 4Kolmonen (Third Division) Group 4 Satakunta District (SPL Satakunta)5th1999Tier 4Kolmonen (Third Division) Group 4 Satakunta District (SPL Satakunta)4th2000Tier 4Kolmonen (Third Division) Satakunta District (SPL Satakunta)3rd2001Tier 4Kolmonen (Third Division) Satakunta District (SPL Satakunta)1st Promoted2002Tier 3Kakkonen (Second Division) West GroupFinnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)5th2003Tier 3Kakkonen (Second Division) West GroupFinnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)12thRelegated2004Tier 4Kolmonen (Third Division) Satakunta District (SPL Satakunta)1st Promoted2005Tier 3Kakkonen (Second Division) West GroupFinnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)2nd2006Tier 3Kakkonen (Second Division) Group BFinnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)3rd2007Tier 3Kakkonen (Second Division) Group BFinnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)2nd2008Tier 3Kakkonen (Second Division) Group BFinnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)1stPromoted2009Tier 2 Ykkönen (First Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) 4th2010Tier 2 Ykkönen (First Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)3rd2011Tier 2 Ykkönen (First Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)11thRelegated - Bankruptcy 2012Tier 6Vitonen (Fifth Division) Satakunta District (SPL Satakunta)10th2013 Tier 7Kutonen (Sixth Division) Satakunta District (SPL Satakunta) 6th Preliminary qualifications for 2013 Vitonen 7th2014Tier 7Kutonen (Sixth Division) Satakunta District (SPL Satakunta) 2nd Promoted2015Tier 6Vitonen (Fifth Division) Satakunta District (SPL Satakunta)2ndPromoted2016Tier 5Nelonen (Fourth Division)Satakunta District (SPL Satakunta) 7th2017Tier 5Nelonen (Fourth Division) Group 1Western District (SPL Länsi-Suomi) 6th2018Tier 5Nelonen (Fourth Division) Group 2Western District (SPL Länsi-Suomi) 10thRelegated2019Tier 6Vitonen (Fifth Division) Group 3 Western District (SPL Länsi-Suomi)6th2020Tier 6Vitonen (Fifth Division) Group A3 Western District (SPL Läntinen)6th2021Tier 6Vitonen (Fifth Division) Group A3 Western District (SPL Läntinen)6th2022Tier 6Vitonen (Fifth Division) Group A3 Western District (SPL Läntinen)4th2023Tier 6Vitonen (Fifth Division) Group A3 Western District (SPL Läntinen)6th2024Tier 7Vitonen (Fifth Division) Group A3 Western District (SPL Läntinen) 8th Relegated2025Tier 8Kutonen (Sixth Division) Group A4 Western District (SPL Läntinen) https://tulospalvelu.palloliitto.fi/team/61260/info http://www.finlandfootball.net/ 15 seasons in 2nd Tier 18 seasons in 3rd Tier 17 seasons in 4th Tier 6 seasons in 5th Tier 7 seasons in 6th Tier 3 seasons in 7th Tier 1 season in 8th Tier
Club Structure PoPa currently has 1 men's team. There is also a futsal team that plays in the Second Division. The club runs one junior football team.
2024 season PoPa are competing in the Vitonen administered by the Football Association of Finland (Suomen Palloliitto). This is the seventh tier of the Finnish football system.
References and sources Official Website General Website Finnish Wikipedia Suomen Cup Porin Palloilijat Facebook Unofficial Supporter Site
Footnotes