GrIFK – in English

IFK Grankulla (GrIFK) is a proud local hockey program in the town of Kauniainen, Finland. Kauniainen with 10,270 inhabitantsis is located in the Helsinki metropolitan area. The clubs home rink is the Kauniainen Ice Arena.

The club has 750-850 registered players each season and teams for all possible age groups, from the hockey school for three year olds to old timers aged 60+. GrIFK mens team plays in the Division II ”Iron League”, which is the third highest level of leagues run by Finnish Ice Hockey Association.

The club employs 3 professional coaches, has 80 trained volunteer coaches, 48 other team officials, and their families.

The club’s activities are run in the traditional sports club spirit by players and their families, following jointly agreed principles. During the eight-month ice training season, they organize approximately 162 hours of guided activities per week. Volunteers are supported by a general manager, two professional coaches, and an office coordinator. Including summer training for older junior age groups, the total number of active coaching hours per year is 6,494. This means GrIFK Hockey rf provides 194,820 hours of guided physical activity annually.

The club’s sports development program, designed under the leadership of professional coaches, also includes educational objectives that strengthen the club culture and help players grow as team members.

GrIFK is a certified quality club in Finnish ice hockey, where all players under the age of 14 who commit to the club’s and team’s shared values are offered excellent conditions to practice and play hockey at a level that matches their skills.

At the U15 level, teams move to national competition, and training demands increase. Players then gain experience in competitive sports and can choose whether to continue recreationally in partner clubs’ hobby teams or pursue a more competitive path in GrIFK or Kiekko-Espoo teams competing at the national level.

Family-based physical activity, high-quality coaching, participation in other sports alongside hockey, and personal training together provide every player with the opportunity to aim for a professional career. Current professional players who played their junior years in Grankulla include Niko Hovinen, Kalle Kossila, Jarno Koskiranta, Kaapo Kähkönen, Sebastian Moberg, Joona Voutilainen, Veeti Vainio, Erno Hopponen, Alex Levänen, and Jani Lajunen. In addition, the long-time captain of the Finnish women’s national team and Hockey Lion #255, Emma Terho (née Laaksonen), played her junior years in Kauniainen.

GrIFK is in co-operation with Kiekko-Espoo ry.

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