An exceptional country and city? Football–ice hockey rivalry in modernizing Finland and Helsinki

Finland is an exception in the European sports landscape in the rivalry between ice hockey and football. We examine the struggle between football and ice hockey after WWII. As a case study, we explore Helsinki, Finland’s most successful sports city. The popularity of football and ice hockey was on par until the 1960s. Later, ice hockey developed infrastructure, culture, coaching, and social relations, and became a professional and new national sport with international success. Football’s rise and international success did not take place until the 2000s. Helsinki has played a dominant role in Finnish sports. In football, Helsinki has been a pioneer for most of the period, but in ice hockey, Helsinki was first overshadowed by Tampere. However, the capital city played a crucial role in the marketization of ice hockey. On the other hand, Helsinki was also the first to experience the limits of ice hockey’s growth.