[1] Football tops ice hockey in the number of registered players (115,000 vs. 60,000[2][3]) and as a popular hobby (160,000 vs. 90,000 among adults and 230,000 vs. 105,000 among youths[4][5]).

[5] Football's standing is constantly increasing, especially among girls and women, where the yearly growth rate has lately been over 10 percent.

Following the Bolshevik seizure of power in the October Revolution in November 1917, Finland declared its full independence and it was shortly recognised by the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic in January 1918.

Only since the 1980s, due to the revival of Finnish football, has the country produced such international stars as Jari Litmanen, Antti Niemi, Sami Hyypiä, Mikael Forssell, Mixu Paatelainen, Teemu Tainio and Jussi Jääskeläinen.

[7] All Finnish domestic football competitions take place in the spring, summer and autumn, due to weather conditions.

Finland have played in a few Olympic Games, finishing fourth in 1912, but have so far never qualified for the FIFA World Cup.