The 2015 Veikkausliiga was the 85th season of top-tier football in Finland. HJK Helsinki were the defending champions. The season was won by SJK, ending HJK's record streak of six straight titles.
Teams
TPS were relegated to Ykkönen after finishing at the bottom of the 2014 season. Their place was taken by Ykkönen champions HIFK.
FC Honka and MYPA were not given a license due to the clubs' bad economic situation. The two places were given for KTP, the runner-up of 2014 Ykkönen, and Ilves, which finished third in Ykkönen.[1]
Stadia and location
| Club | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| FC Inter | Turku | Veritas Stadion | 10,000 |
| FC Lahti | Lahti | Lahden kisapuisto | 4,000 |
| FF Jaro | Jakobstad | Jakobstads Centralplan | 5,000 |
| HIFK | Helsinki | Sonera Stadium | 10,770 |
| HJK | Helsinki | Sonera Stadium | 10,770 |
| IFK Mariehamn | Mariehamn | Wiklöf Holding Arena | 4,000 |
| Ilves | Tampere | Tammela Stadion | 5,040 |
| KTP | Kotka | Arto Tolsa Areena | 4,780 |
| KuPS | Kuopio | Savon Sanomat Areena | 5,000 |
| RoPS | Rovaniemi | Rovaniemen keskuskenttä | 4,000 |
| SJK | Seinäjoki | Seinäjoen keskuskenttä | 3,500 |
| VPS | Vaasa | Hietalahti Stadium | 4,600 |
Personnel and kits
| Club | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Sponsors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FC Inter |  Job Dragtsma
|
 Henri Lehtonen
|
Nike | Alfons Håkans |
| FC Lahti | Toni Korkeakunnas
|
Mikko Hauhia
|
Umbro | BE Group Lahti Energia Halton |
| FF Jaro |  Alexei Eremenko Sr.
|
Jonas Emet
|
Macron | Stadshotellet Kaupunginhotelli Halpa-Halli Sagafurs |
| HIFK | Jani Honkavaara
|
Esa Terävä
|
Kappa | Aktia Bank |
| HJK | Mika Lehkosuo
|
Markus Heikkinen
|
Adidas | Apu |
| IFK Mariehamn | Pekka Lyyski
|
Jani Lyyski
|
Puma | Hotell Arkipelag |
| Ilves |  Marco Baruffato
|
Antti Hynynen
|
Adidas | LähiTapiola Dextra |
| KTP | Sami Ristilä
|
Valeri Minkenen
|
Puma | Steveco Data Group Port of Haminakotka |
| KuPS | Marko Rajamäki
|
Miikka Ilo
|
Puma | LähiTapiola Laitilan Wirvoitusjuomatehdas |
| RoPS | Juha Malinen
|
Antti Okkonen
|
Puma | Saraware |
| SJK | Simo Valakari
|
 Pavle Milosavljević
|
Adidas | GapCon |
| VPS | Petri Vuorinen
|
Ville Koskimaa
|
Puma | Various |
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Incoming manager | Date of appointment | Table |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ilves | Mika Malinen
|
End of contract | n/a |  Keith Armstrong
|
24 October 2014[2] | Pre-season |
| VPS | Olli Huttunen
|
Sacked | 29 June 2015 | Petri Vuorinen
|
29 June 2015[3] | 12th |
| Ilves | Keith Armstrong
|
Sacked | 7 October 2015[4] | Marco Baruffato
|
14 October 2015[5] | 8th |
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SJK (C) | 33 | 18 | 6 | 9 | 50 | 22 | +28 | 60 | Qualification for the Champions League second qualifying round |
| 2 | RoPS | 33 | 17 | 8 | 8 | 44 | 29 | +15 | 59 | Qualification for the Europa League first qualifying round |
| 3 | HJK | 33 | 16 | 10 | 7 | 45 | 30 | +15 | 58 | |
| 4 | Inter Turku | 33 | 13 | 10 | 10 | 45 | 34 | +11 | 49 | |
| 5 | Lahti | 33 | 12 | 12 | 9 | 38 | 36 | +2 | 48 | |
| 6 | IFK Mariehamn | 33 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 30 | 36 | −6 | 45 | Qualification for the Europa League first qualifying round[a] |
| 7 | HIFK | 33 | 10 | 13 | 10 | 42 | 42 | 0 | 43 | |
| 8 | Ilves | 33 | 11 | 7 | 15 | 32 | 48 | −16 | 40 | |
| 9 | KuPS | 33 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 32 | 40 | −8 | 38 | |
| 10 | VPS | 33 | 8 | 9 | 16 | 36 | 43 | −7 | 33 | |
| 11 | KTP (R) | 33 | 7 | 11 | 15 | 27 | 44 | −17 | 32 | Qualification for the relegation play-offs |
| 12 | Jaro (R) | 33 | 6 | 11 | 16 | 27 | 43 | −16 | 29 | Relegation to the Ykkönen |
Source: Veikkausliiga, Soccerway
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-head points; 5) Head-to-head goal difference; 6) Head-to-head goals scored; 7) Fewer away goals allowed; 8) Home goals scored; 9) Fewer home goals allowed; 10) Play-off. (Note: Criteria 7–10 is only used if deciding Champion, teams to UEFA competitions or teams for relegation).[6]
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-head points; 5) Head-to-head goal difference; 6) Head-to-head goals scored; 7) Fewer away goals allowed; 8) Home goals scored; 9) Fewer home goals allowed; 10) Play-off. (Note: Criteria 7–10 is only used if deciding Champion, teams to UEFA competitions or teams for relegation).[6]
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- ^ IFK Mariehamn qualified for the UEFA Europa League first qualifying round by winning the 2015 Finnish Cup.
Results
Matches 1–22 |
Matches 23–33
|
Relegation play-offs
| KTP | 2–3 | PK-35 Vantaa |
|---|---|---|
Äijälä  72' (pen.)Kaivonurmi 76' |
Report | García 24' Ositashvili 39' (o.g.)Couñago 64' |
PK-35 Vantaa won 3–2 on aggregate.
Statistics
Top scorers
Source: veikkausliiga.com (in Finnish)
- As of 26 October 2015.
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aleksandr Kokko
|
RoPS | 17 |
| 2 | Juho Mäkelä
|
VPS | 16 |
| 3 | Akseli Pelvas
|
SJK | 14 |
| 4 |  Matheus Alves
|
FC Lahti | 12 |
| 5 | Mika Lahtinen
|
Ilves | 10 |
| 6 | Pekka Sihvola
|
HIFK | 9 |
| 7 | Erfan Zeneli
|
HJK | 8 |
 Atomu Tanaka
|
HJK | 8 | |
 Demba Savage
|
HJK | 8 | |
 Dever Orgill
|
IFK Mariehamn | 8 | |
| Roope Riski
|
SJK | 8 | |
| 12 | Toni Lehtinen
|
SJK | 6 |
| Joni Aho
|
FC Inter | 6 | |
| Ville Salmikivi
|
HIFK | 6 | |
| Ousman Jallow
|
HJK | 6 | |
| Ilari Äijälä
|
KTP | 6 | |
 Guy Gnabouyou
|
FC Inter | 6 | |
| 18 | 7 players | 5 | |
| 25 | 13 players | 4 | |
| 38 | 24 players | 3 | |
| 62 | 34 players | 2 | |
| 96 | 62 players | 1 | |
Awards
| Month | Coach of the Month | Player of the Month |
|---|---|---|
| April[7] | Job Dragtsma (FC Inter)
|
Vahid Hambo (FC Inter)
|
| May[8] | Juha Malinen (RoPS)
|
 Mihkel Aksalu (SJK)
|
| June[9] | Juha Malinen (RoPS)
|
Aleksandr Kokko (RoPS)
|
| July[10] | Toni Korkeakunnas (FC Lahti)
|
Mika Hilander (Ilves)
|
| August[11] | Keith Armstrong (Ilves)
|
Mika Hilander (Ilves)
|
| September[12] | Job Dragtsma (FC Inter)
|
Antti Okkonen (RoPS)
|
| October[13] | Simo Valakari (SJK)
|
Aleksandr Kokko (RoPS)
|
Annual awards
| Award[14] | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Player of the Year | Aleksandr Kokko
|
RoPS |
| Goalkeeper of the Year | Mihkel Aksalu
|
SJK |
| Defender of the Year |  Faith Obilor
|
RoPS |
| Midfielder of the Year |  Moshtagh Yaghoubi
|
RoPS |
| Striker of the Year | Aleksandr Kokko
|
RoPS |
| Breakthrough of the Year | Kaan Kairinen
|
Inter Turku |
| Coach of the Year | Simo Valakari
|
SJK |
See also
References
- ^ Liigalisenssikomitea päätti Veikkausliigalisensseistä kaudelle 2015
- ^ "Keith Armstrong on Ilveksen uusi valmentaja". Ilves (in Finnish). Ilves. 24 October 2014. Archived from the original on 26 October 2014. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
- ^ "VPS on irtisanonut päävalmentajansa". VPS (in Finnish). VPS. 29 June 2015. Archived from the original on 15 July 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
- ^ "Ilves kiittää Armstrongia hyvin tehdystä työstä". Ilves (in Finnish). Ilves. 7 October 2015. Archived from the original on 15 October 2015. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
- ^ "Marco Baruffato toimii päävalmentajana loppukauden". Ilves (in Finnish). Ilves. 14 October 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2015.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Veikkausliiga 2015 - Season rules". Scoresway. Archived from the original on 13 February 2019. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
- ^ Vahid Hambo huhtikuun kuukauden pelaaja (in Finnish)
- ^ SJK:n Mihkel Aksalu toukokuun pelaaja (in Finnish)
- ^ Aleksandr Kokko kesäkuun pelaaja (in Finnish)
- ^ Mika Hilander Veikkausliigan heinäkuun pelaaja (in Finnish)
- ^ [1] (in Finnish)
- ^ [2] (in Finnish)
- ^ [3] (in Finnish)
- ^ Kai (2015-10-30). "Tässä ovat Captain's Ball -futisgaalan kaikki palkitut tahot". SuomiFutis (in Finnish). Retrieved 2023-01-02.
External links
- Official site (in Finnish)
- Escape To Suomi
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