The Finnish Cricket Association, commonly known as Cricket Finland, was established in 1999 by four founding member clubs, marking the formal beginnings of organized cricket in Finland. This small but dedicated community quickly gained momentum, and by 2000, Cricket Finland had already secured affiliate membership in the International Cricket Council (ICC), joining the global cricketing fraternity.
A significant milestone in Finnish cricket came in 2014 with the grand opening of the Kerava National Cricket Ground. Located just outside Helsinki, the facility provided Finland’s cricket community with a dedicated venue for hosting both domestic and international matches. The ground also boosted visibility and support for the sport nationwide, helping it reach a larger audience. Following the Kerava ground’s inauguration, cricket’s popularity in Finland surged, and by the end of 2015, over 30 registered cricket clubs were active across the country.
Cricket Finland’s growing stature and efforts to promote the sport were recognized internationally, leading to its upgrade to an associate member of the ICC in 2017. This status not only gave Cricket Finland greater access to ICC resources and global networks but also paved the way for Finnish teams to compete more widely at the European and international levels.
In addition to its ICC membership, Cricket Finland holds a place within the Finnish Olympic Committee, reflecting its broader role in the Finnish sports landscape. This affiliation strengthens cricket’s position as a recognized and respected sport in Finland, contributing to the continued growth and development of the game. Today, Cricket Finland oversees a vibrant community, with numerous clubs, leagues, and programs aimed at nurturing players from the grassroots to elite levels.
The purpose of Cricket Finland (CF) is to promote cricket as a sport to as many Finns and foreign residents in Finland as possible, at all levels of sport, and to act as a common link for its members clubs. In addition, the Association promotes and monitors the development of the sport in our country and represents Finland in the sport’s international bodies.
The aim of the Association is to create opportunities for experiencing the joy of exercise brought by the sport, to as many different parts of the population as possible, and thereby contribute to the well-being and health of the enthusiasts, in addition to maintaining and improving their mobility. The special focus of the work is on guiding children and young people to the sport.
The Association achieves its purpose by carrying out education courses and training related to cricket, by supporting cricket clubs in their creation and internal development, by organising national cricket competitions at all levels of the sport, by supporting non-competitive recreational cricket and by creating opportunities for competing internationally. The Association also finances and publishes cricket related material, represents its members abroad, and maintains contact with similar organisations in other countries.
As a national governing body for the sport, Cricket Finland promotes the interests of cricket in Finland, and monitors that the Association and its affiliated clubs comply by the rules, regulations, obligations, and ethical principles of the MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club), the ICC, Finnish sports law and directives, and other bodies that monitor and control sport and physical activity.
Cricket Finland has coded into its Code of Conduct, and in the lower level regulations that are based on the Code of Conduct, the sport’s ethical values. The Spirit of Cricket defined in the Preamble of the Laws of Cricket functions as the guiding principle in all cricket matches. Specific regulations have been created for the following areas:
– equal opportunities and equality (Equal Opportunity and Equality Plan) *
– Code of Conduct and Spirit of Cricket *
– Disciplinary Guidelines *
– Antidoping, punishments in doping situations (Antidoping Program, Anti-Doping Rules)
– Match corruption (Anti-Corruption Code)