stadium of tampere
Tampere, the third biggest City of Finland is known for two sports, football and ice hockey. The first ice hockey game was played in Tampere, on the ice of Näsijärvi lake, Tampere is sometimes called the hometown of Finnish ice hockey. Though the most popular sport in this city is football.
Tampere hosts two ice hockey teams Ilves and Tappara. They both have had a great impact on Finnish ice hockey culture and are among the most successful teams in Finland. The Finnish ice hockey museum, and the first ice hockey arena to be built in Finland, the Hakametsä arena, are both located in Tampere. Football, however, is the most common sport in Tampere. Only Ilves have over 4,000 players in their football teams, while Tampere boasts over 100 football teams alone.
Tampere United play at the highest level in Finland. The city also hosted two flatwater canoeing world championships, in 1973 and 1983. In 1977, Tampere hosted the Junior World Rowing Championships.