Turun Palloseura

History

In the early stages of the UEFA Cup of the season 1987–88, TPS beat Internazionale at the San Siro stadium in Milan, thanks to a goal by Mika Aaltonen, who was later signed by Inter. They lost the return leg with 0–2, but this is widely regarded as the highest point by the club in international football.

After season 2000, TPS lost its place in Finland's Premier League and played for two seasons in the Ykkönen (eng first) in the Finnish first division. In 2001, Petri Jakonen was named a new sporting director of TPS. They aimed to get back up to the Premier League with determination and it took them two seasons to complete the mission. Since season 2003 TPS has again played in the Finland's Premier League, Veikkausliiga. TPS managed to get in the final of the Finnish Cup in 2005, but lost to Haka 4–1 at Finnair Stadium.

Before season 2007, TPS hired famous Finnish striker Mixu Paatelainen as their manager. In his guidance TPS won bronze, ending their ten-year medalless run. After the end of season Paatelainen left for Scottish club Hibernian FC in early January 2008. Quickly TPS hired heralded Finnish manager Martti Kuusela. However Kuusela didn't get the best out of his squad and was fired mid September 2008. Overall TPS ended sixth in Veikkausliiga. So again, TPS had to get a new manager, their third in as many seasons. This time they picked Pasi Rautiainen. The CEO also changed next year as Jakonen moved on to Finnish FA and a former sporting director Marco Casagrande was named the new CEO.

In recent years, TPS has had the highest average attendance in Veikkausliiga but it has suffered from a poor rental agreement with Veritas Stadion. This has led TPS for planning to build their own stadium in Nummi. They also considered the possibility of using the Paavo Nurmi Stadion as their home ground, but these plans faced scheduling problems with Athletics competitions and were scrapped. Both Turku based teams however played few games at the Paavo Nurmi Stadion during 2014 season when the Veritas Stadion was under maintenance. After relegation TPS changed their home venue to the Urheilupuiston yläkenttä, which is close to the Paavo Nurmi Stadion in the Turku Sports Park, but is not eligible to be used in the Veikkausliiga. Future plans for home ground development have not been made public.

TPS returned to the Veikkausliiga for the 2018 season, However, after the 2018 season, TPS was again relegated to Ykkönen, after finishing second-to-last in the league and losing the two-leg play-off against Kokkolan Pallo-Veikot (KPV), the Ykkönen runner-up. Since the 2018 season, TPS plays all home games at Veritas Stadion.

During 2020–2022, the club's former manager Mika Laurikainen worked as a sporting director. He named himself the first team's head coach for the 2023 Ykkönen season.

The club's former homegrown player Lukas Hradecky had been a minority shareholder of the club. In mid-August 2024, it was announced that Hradecky had increased his share and is currently one of the club's majority owners. In late August, the club's former player Kasper Hämäläinen was named the new sporting director.

Due to economic troubles, head coach Miika Nuutinen left the club in January 2025 after serving one season in the position. Subsequently a Spanish coach Ivan Piñol was named the new manager for the 2025 Ykkösliiga season.

Honours

Season to season

• 76 seasons in Veikkausliiga
• 17 seasons in Ykkönen/Ykkösliiga
• 3 seasons in Cup-format championship

Transfers

Previously, Turun Palloseura have produced numerous local players for Veikkausliiga and for transfers abroad.

Record transfers

Current squad

Management and boardroom

Management

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Boardroom

As of 29 August 2024

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Managers

• Finland Juuso Lampila (1939–47)
• Hungary Imre Markos (1948–50)
• Finland Raino Suominen (1951–54)
• Finland Leo Aaltonen (1955–59)
• Sweden Knut Gustafsson (1960–61)
• Finland Olli Virho (1962)
• Finland Kalevi Lehtovirta (1962)
• Finland Leo Aaltonen (1963)
• Tage Friedfeld (1964)
• Finland Leo Aaltonen (1964)
• Finland Rainer Forss (1965–70)
• Finland Paavo Nenonen (1971)
• Finland Lars Nyström (1972)
• Spain Manuel Gerpe (1973)
• Finland Paavo Nenonen (1973–74)
• Finland Olavi Laaksonen (1975–77)
• Finland Tommy Lindholm (1978)
• Finland Tapio Harittu (1978–80)
• Finland Raimo Toivanen (1980–83)
• Finland Hans Martin (1981–84)
• Finland Timo Sinkkonen (1984)
• Finland Rainer Forss (1985)
• Finland Timo Sinkkonen (1985)
• Finland Tommy Lindholm (1986–88)
• Finland Heikki Suhonen (1989–90)
• Finland Veijo Wahlsten (1989–90)
• Finland Heikki Suhonen (1991)
• Finland Tommy Lindholm (1991)
• Finland Raimo Toivanen (1992–93)
• Finland Pauno Kymäläinen (1993)
• Finland Tomi Jalo (1993)
• Finland Juha Malinen (1993–97)
• Germany Siegfried Melzig (1998)
• Finland Seppo Miettinen (1998–00)
• Finland Mika Laurikainen (2001 – December 2003)
• Finland Kari Ukkonen (January 2004 – December 2006)
• Finland Mixu Paatelainen (October 2006 – January 2008)
• Finland Martti Kuusela (January 2008 – September 2008)
• Wales John Allen (September 2008 – December 2008)
• Finland Pasi Rautiainen (January 2009 – January 2010)
• Finland Marko Rajamäki (January 2010 – February 2014)
• Finland Mika Laurikainen (February 2014 – November 2018)
• Finland Tommi Pikkarainen (November 2018 – July 2020)
• Finland Jonatan Johansson (July 2020 – September 2022)
• Finland Marko Rajamäki (October 2022)
• Finland Mika Laurikainen (January 2023 – December 2023)
• Finland Miika Nuutinen (January 2024 – December 2024)
• Spain Ivan Piñol (January 2025 – present)

TPS in Europe

Women's football

Main article: Turun Palloseura (women's football)

The club also has a women's team which competes in the Kansallinen Liiga, the top division of women's football in Finland. TPS women took part in the national championship for the first time in 1972, and won the title in 1978. After withdrawing from the top league in 1992, they returned in 2008.

Footnotes

References

References

1. "Seura {{!}} Historia". Official website of Turun Palloseura.
2. (12 April 2016). "TPS News". fc.tps.fi.
3. Zavros, Christos. (21 October 2017). "TPS:n nousu Veikkausliigaan varmistui dramaattisten vaiheiden jälkeen – FC Honka karsintaan". Ilta-Sanomat (IS.fi).
4. (3 November 2018). "Kokkolan KPV käynnisti nousujuhlat vierasmaalilla – TPS putosi Veikkausliigasta". Helsingin Sanomat (HS.fi).
5. [https://yle.fi/a/74-20105513 Petro Punnasta uusi TPS Jalkapallon toimitusjohtaja, Lukas Hradeckysta yksi pääomistajista], [[Yle]], 16 August 2024
6. [https://fc.tps.fi/uutiset/kasper-hamalainen-on-tpsn-uusi-urheilutoimenjohtaja/ KASPER HÄMÄLÄINEN ON TPS:N UUSI URHEILUTOIMENJOHTAJA], fc.tps.fi, 29 August 2024
7. Pietarinen, Heikki. (30 November 2017). "Finland – List of League First Level Tables". [[Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation]] (RSSSF).
8. "Football Archive - Index of SPL Finnish League Suomen Cup Seasons".
9. [https://www.suomifutis.com/2017/12/top-6-kalleimmat-siirrot-veikkausliigasta-ulkomaille-hjk-suurin-ponnahduslauta/ TOP 6: Kalleimmat siirrot Veikkausliigasta ulkomaille – HJK suurin ponnahduslauta], suomifutis.com, 3 December 2017
10. [https://www.ts.fi/urheilu/1207959763 Nostalgia: TPS sai Enckelmanista heti 1,7 mmk 30.1.1999], [[Turun Sanomat]], 30 January 1999
11. [https://www.ts.fi/urheilu/188101 Riku Riski siirtyy Puolan pääsarjaan], [[Turun Sanomat]], 20 January 2011
12. [https://www.iltalehti.fi/jalkapallo/a/2009123010860112 TPS:n Hämäläinen siirtyy Ruotsiin], [[Iltalehti]], 30 December 2009
13. "Miehet-edustus – FC TPS".
14. "Yhteystiedot – FC TPS". TPS.
15. Pietarinen, Heikki. (11 July 2013). "Finland – List of Women Champions". [[Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation]].