Bandyliiga

Current season, competition or edition: 2022–23 Bandyliiga season
Formerly	Jääpallon SM-sarja, 1908–1991
Sport	Bandy
Founded	1908
No. of teams	9
Country	Finland
Headquarters	Helsinki
Most recent champion(s)	Veiterä (7) (2021–22)
Most titles	HIFK Bandy (17)
TV partner(s)	Yle
Relegation to	Suomi-sarja
Official website	bandyliiga.fi

The Bandyliiga (Swedish: Bandyligan; 'Bandy League') is the top level of men's bandy in Finland. The league was founded in 1908 as the Jääpallon SM-sarja ('Bandy Finnish Championship Series') and the present name has been used since the 1991–92 season. Bandyliiga is organized by the Finnish Bandy Association (Finnish: Suomen Jääpalloliitto) and the current chairman is Mika Mutikainen.^[1]

The 2021–22 Bandyliiga season marked the 112th season in which the Finnish Championship was contested and comprised nine teams. Veiterä are the reigning Finnish Champions, having won the 2022 Bandyliiga playoffs.

History

The competitive side of men's bandy in Finland was organized in 1907 and the first Finnish Championship series was played in the winter of 1908. The very first title was won by Polyteknikkojen Urheiluseura, who beat IFK Helsingfors in the final match with a score of 8–3. The championship was decided as a cup competition until 1931. The league was played as single round-robin tournament with various numbers of divisions up until the 1969–70 season, when the current double round-robin format was introduced. The season was split into regular season and playoffs in the 1976–77 season.^[2]

The competition has been played every year since 1908, with the exceptions of 1918, 1940 and 1942, when the competition was cancelled first due to Finnish civil war and then due to Winter War and the Continuation war. An unofficial wartime league was played during those years.^[2]

In 2008 Bandyliiga celebrated its 100th anniversary with a grand final match of the season, when Oulun Luistinseura beat Tornion Palloveikot in a penalty shoot-out and claimed the Finnish championship.^[2]

The 2014–15 season of Bandyliiga ended with Mikkelin Kampparit taking their second championship title. Kampparit beat HIFK 6–3 in the final, played in HIFK's homeground Kallio Ice Rink.^[3] The 2016–17 season ended with Veiterä taking their fifth championship title (first since 1980). Veiterä beat Akilles 3–5 in the final, played in Akilles' homeground in Porvoo.^[4]

Teams

2021–22 season

Team	City	Stadium	Founded
Akilles	Porvoo	Porvoon pallokenttä	1902
Botnia-69	Helsinki	Oulunkylä Ice Rink	1969
HIFK	Helsinki	Brahenkenttä	1897
JPS	Jyväskylä	Viitaniemen liikuntapuisto	1962
Kampparit	Mikkeli	Hänninhauta	1972
Narukerä	Pori	Porin tekojäärata	1964
OLS	Oulu	Pakkalan kenttä	1880
Veiterä	Lappeenranta	Kisapuiston tekojäärata	1950
WP 35	Varkaus	Kämäri	1935

Source: ^[5]

Recent champions

^[6]