Zenith Myllypuro
Encyclopedia
Zenith Myllypuro is a football club from Myllypuro
, an eastern neighbourhood of Helsinki
, Finland
. The club was formed in 1979 and currently plays in the Kolmonen
(Third Division)’ the fourth tier of Finnish football
. The club's home ground is at the Myllypuron hiekka. Zenith also has a successful futsal
team that competes in the First Division of the Finnish Futsal League.
serving the Helsinki area. The 1986 season proved a landmark when Zenith finally gained promotion to Division 4, the level the club played with few exceptions for more than 20 years.
The first Zenith generation’s highlight was the training camp in Malta before the 1987 season. By accident, Zenith arranged to play against the Malta national team, eventually losing the game 11-1, but only after upsetting the host’s Bulgarian team coach by equalising 1-1 in the first half. The game was noted also by the Finnish media after the team’s return home, particularly when Malta just weeks later drew 2-2 with Portugal in the Euro 1988 qualification.
After 1991 season Zenith were relegated to Division 5, but bounced back immediately in the next season after which many of the first generation of players concentrated on Old Boys games. The second Zenith generation eventually achieved promotion for the club to Division 3 for the 1996 season, but the joy was short lived and the team was immediately relegated back to Division 4 after a disastrous time. Since 1997 Zenith have played in Division 4 until gaining promotion back to Division 3 at the end of the 2009 campaign.
The Finnish Futsal League was first played in the 1998-99 season. Zenith’s path in the Finnish Futsal began in Autumn 2000, when the players decided that they needed some new challenges for the long winter. Their first two years in the local series proved to be much more successful than anticipated and the club secured the rights to play in the newly formed nationwide Division 1 for the 2002-03 season.
The first two seasons were a rollercoaster ride but since 2004 Zenith have been one of the most respected first division futsal teams in Finland, although blamed by some opponents for their defensive approach to the game.
The Zenith first team was joined by a second futsal team for the 2003-04 season and finally after the 2008-09 campaign the second team was able to earn a place in the second division for the 2009-10 season, establishing a solid foundation for the future in futsal.
In 2009 the club were honoured to be invited to Tallinn
in Estonia
to play FC Flora for the first international game in the Zenith’s futsal history.|}
. In 2009 the team finished in first place in Section 2 of the Nelonen (Fourth Division) and were promoted.
Myllypuro
Myllypuro , Kvarnbäcken is an eastern neighborhood of Helsinki, Finland....
, an eastern neighbourhood of Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. The club was formed in 1979 and currently plays in the Kolmonen
Kolmonen
Kolmonen is the fourth highest football league in Finland. The most famous club competing at this level is Helsingin Palloseura who won the Finnish Championship on 9 occasions, the last time being in 1957. They also won the Finnish Cup in 1962...
(Third Division)’ the fourth tier of Finnish football
Finnish football league system
The Finnish football league system is a series of interconnected leagues for club football in Finland. The three highest levels are managed by the Finnish FA while the higher leagues are managed by the regional departments of the FA.-The system:...
. The club's home ground is at the Myllypuron hiekka. Zenith also has a successful futsal
Futsal
Futsal is a variant of association football that is played on a smaller pitch and mainly played indoors. Its name is a portmanteau of the Portuguese futebol de salão and the Spanish fútbol de salón , which can be translated as "hall football" or "indoor football"...
team that competes in the First Division of the Finnish Futsal League.
History
Zenith Myllypuro was founded in 1979 by a group of schoolmates at Myllypuro high school in eastern Helsinki. In those early years the club did not play competitively, but by the early 1980s Zenith had established itself in the lower divisions of the Finnish football league systemFinnish football league system
The Finnish football league system is a series of interconnected leagues for club football in Finland. The three highest levels are managed by the Finnish FA while the higher leagues are managed by the regional departments of the FA.-The system:...
serving the Helsinki area. The 1986 season proved a landmark when Zenith finally gained promotion to Division 4, the level the club played with few exceptions for more than 20 years.
The first Zenith generation’s highlight was the training camp in Malta before the 1987 season. By accident, Zenith arranged to play against the Malta national team, eventually losing the game 11-1, but only after upsetting the host’s Bulgarian team coach by equalising 1-1 in the first half. The game was noted also by the Finnish media after the team’s return home, particularly when Malta just weeks later drew 2-2 with Portugal in the Euro 1988 qualification.
After 1991 season Zenith were relegated to Division 5, but bounced back immediately in the next season after which many of the first generation of players concentrated on Old Boys games. The second Zenith generation eventually achieved promotion for the club to Division 3 for the 1996 season, but the joy was short lived and the team was immediately relegated back to Division 4 after a disastrous time. Since 1997 Zenith have played in Division 4 until gaining promotion back to Division 3 at the end of the 2009 campaign.
The Finnish Futsal League was first played in the 1998-99 season. Zenith’s path in the Finnish Futsal began in Autumn 2000, when the players decided that they needed some new challenges for the long winter. Their first two years in the local series proved to be much more successful than anticipated and the club secured the rights to play in the newly formed nationwide Division 1 for the 2002-03 season.
The first two seasons were a rollercoaster ride but since 2004 Zenith have been one of the most respected first division futsal teams in Finland, although blamed by some opponents for their defensive approach to the game.
The Zenith first team was joined by a second futsal team for the 2003-04 season and finally after the 2008-09 campaign the second team was able to earn a place in the second division for the 2009-10 season, establishing a solid foundation for the future in futsal.
In 2009 the club were honoured to be invited to Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
in Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
to play FC Flora for the first international game in the Zenith’s futsal history.|}
Season to season
| class="wikitable"> | ||||||
| Season | Level | Division | Section | Administration | Position | Movements |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Tier 5 | Nelonen (Fourth Division) | Section 4 | Helsinki District (SPL Helsinki) | 9th | |
| 2001 | Tier 5 | Nelonen (Fourth Division) | Section 2 | Helsinki District (SPL Helsinki) | 5th | |
| 2002 | Tier 5 | Nelonen (Fourth Division) | Section 1 | Helsinki District (SPL Helsinki) | 4th | |
| 2003 | Tier 5 | Nelonen (Fourth Division) | Section 2 | Helsinki District (SPL Helsinki) | 8th | |
| 2004 | Tier 5 | Nelonen (Fourth Division) | Section 2 | Helsinki District (SPL Helsinki) | 8th | |
| 2005 | Tier 5 | Nelonen (Fourth Division) | Section 2 | Helsinki District (SPL Helsinki) | 9th | |
| 2006 | Tier 5 | Nelonen (Fourth Division) | Section 2 | Helsinki District (SPL Helsinki) | 9th | |
| 2007 | Tier 5 | Nelonen (Fourth Division) | Section 2 | Helsinki District (SPL Helsinki) | 4th | |
| 2008 | Tier 5 | Nelonen (Fourth Division) | Section 1 | Helsinki District (SPL Helsinki) | 6th | |
| 2009 | Tier 5 | Nelonen (Fourth Division) | Section 2 | Helsinki District (SPL Helsinki) | 1st | Promoted |
| 2010 | Tier 4 | Kolmonen (Third Division) | Section 3 | Helsinki & Uusimaa (SPL Uusimaa) | 7th |
- 1 season in KolmonenKolmonenKolmonen is the fourth highest football league in Finland. The most famous club competing at this level is Helsingin Palloseura who won the Finnish Championship on 9 occasions, the last time being in 1957. They also won the Finnish Cup in 1962...
- 10 season in NelonenNelonen (soccer league)Nelonen is the fifth highest league in the Finnish Soccer League system. The section winners are promoted to the Kolmonen and the bottom teams to the Vitonen.-Administration:...
Club Structure
Zenith are a small club running 1 men's football team and 1 veteran's team. The club do not have a junior section. Zenith run 2 futsal teams during the winter season.2010 season
Zenith are competing in Section 3 (Lohko 3) of the Kolmonen (Third Division) administered by the Helsinki SPL. This is the fourth highest tier in the Finnish football systemFinnish football league system
The Finnish football league system is a series of interconnected leagues for club football in Finland. The three highest levels are managed by the Finnish FA while the higher leagues are managed by the regional departments of the FA.-The system:...
. In 2009 the team finished in first place in Section 2 of the Nelonen (Fourth Division) and were promoted.