Football in Åland is governed by the Åland Football Association (ÅFF), which was founded in

1943 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured. * January 4 ...

. ÅFF is a member of Football Association of Finland.

Åland Åland ( fi, Ahvenanmaa: ; ; ) is an autonomous and demilitarised region of Finland since 1920 by a decision of the League of Nations. It is the smallest region of Finland by area and population, with a size of 1,580 km2, and a populat ...

has 11 football clubs that compete at different levels and age groups. Åland even has its own national teams,

Åland official football team The Åland official football team ( sv, Ålands förbundslag i fotboll) is the official football team for Åland, Finland, and is controlled by Ålands Fotbollförbund. They are not affiliated with FIFA or UEFA. The team mainly competes in the ...

and Åland official women's football team, despite not being a fully sovereign state or having membership to

UEFA Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...

or FIFA. Åland women's team won the 2011 Island Games women's football tournament on the Isle of Wight. Football clubs of Åland play in leagues and competitions of

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

and Sweden.

IFK Mariehamn IFK Mariehamn is an Ålandic football club based in Mariehamn, the capital of the Åland Islands. It plays in the Finnish Premier Division (''Veikkausliiga''). The club is managed by Daniel Norrmén, and it plays its home matches at Wiklöf ...

plays currently in the Finnish men's premier league

Veikkausliiga Veikkausliiga (; sv, Tipsligan) is the premier division of Finnish football, the highest tier of the Finnish football league structure, comprising the top 12 clubs of the country. Its main sponsor is the Finnish national betting agency Veikka ...

while Åland United plays in the Finnish women's top division Kansallainen Liiga.

Men's football clubs

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 other leagues are managed by the regional departments of the FA. System As of ...

(Tier 1) * FC Åland -

Kolmonen Kolmonen or III divisioona is the fourth level in the league system of Finnish football and comprises 104 Finnish football teams. The III divisioona was introduced in 1973 and in the mid-1990s became known as the Kolmonen (''Number Three'' in E ...

, SPL Turku district (Tier 4) * Jomala IK –

Vitonen Vitonen or V divisioona is the sixth level in the Finnish football league system and comprises 228 teams. The V divisioona was introduced in 1973 and in the mid-1990s became known as the Vitonen (''Number Five'' in English and ''Femman'' in Swed ...

, SPL Turku district (Tier 6)

Swedish football league system

* Hammarlands IK - Division 7, Uppland östra (Tier 9)

Women's football clubs

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 other leagues are managed by the regional departments of the FA. System As of ...

* Åland United –

Kansallinen Liiga The Kansallinen Liiga ('National League') is the premier division of women's football in Finland. It was previously called the Jalkapallon naisten SM-sarja ('Women's Football Finnish Championship Series') during 1974 to 2006 and the Naisten Lii ...

(Tier 1) *

- Naisten Kolmonen, SPL Turku district (Tier 4)

Swedish football league system

* Jomala IK/

/ Åland United – Division 5, Uppland östra (Tier 7)

Ålandscupen

The Ålandscupen was an annual cup competition administered by the ÅFF that was first introduced in 1943.

Youth football

The Åland FA organises a mini-league called ‘Poolspel’ for players of all genders from 6 – 12 years old.

Notable players from Åland

* Anders Eriksson * Jani Lyyski * Annica Sjölund * Daniel Sjölund * Tommy Wirtanen * Joel Mattsson

External links

Åland Football Association Official Homepage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Football in Aland Football in Åland