Hippos Stadium

Pesäpallo stadium in Jyväskylä, Finland
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62°14′03″N 25°43′07″E / 62.234146°N 25.718489°E / 62.234146; 25.718489OwnerCity of JyväskyläCapacity4,500Record attendance5,496[1]
September 9, 1979 (Jyväskylän Kiri vs. Hyvinkään Tahko)ConstructionOpened1948 (1948)Renovated1994, 2014Rebuilt2023TenantsJyväskylän Kiri (1948-present)
Kirittäret (2005-present)

Hippos Stadium is a pesäpallo stadium located in Jyväskylä, Finland. Since its opening in 1948, it has been the home field of the Jyväskylän Kiri, a Ykköspesis team. It is also home of the Kirittäret, a Superpesis team.[1][2]

Hippos Stadium is a traditional pesäpallo stadium. The fence behind the 3-side has prompted locals to repeatedly urge hitters to "hit through the fence".[1]

History

Pesäpallo moved to Hippos in 1968, when the Finnish Pesäpallo Association amended its rules to ban championship matches from being played on grass. The Old Hippos Stadium's all-time attendance record was set in 1979, when 5 496 spectators watched the final match between Kiri and Hyvinkää Tahko. The opening ceremony of the new Hippos Stadium took place in July 2023.[3] The budget for the renovation project was €8.2 million, which was exceeded by around €80 000.[4]

The Pesäpallo All-Star game: East-West, has been played at the Hippos Stadium four times; in the years 1949, 1977, 1980 and 2024.[5] During the 2024 East-West weekend, 14 100 spectators attended the matches. In addition to the matches, the east–west also saw the election of new members to the Pesäpallo Hall of Fame.[6]

Capacity

The stadium has around 1850 covered seats, of which just over 1500 are seated. It is possible to increase the capacity to more than 4,000 people with additional stands. The baseball stadium has been built with accessibility in mind, including accessible seating and hearing loop seats for the hard of hearing.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Hippoksen pesäpallostadion". Superpesis. Archived from the original on 6 December 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  2. ^ "Fields". Finnish Pesäpallo Association. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  3. ^ "This is the new Hippos pesäpallo stadium". Supervuoro.com. 5 July 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  4. ^ "The new pesäpallo stadium in Jyväskylä is ready". Yle. 30 June 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  5. ^ "History of the East–West" (PDF). Mrasilainen. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  6. ^ "Over 14 000 visitors in Jyväskylä's East-West". Finnish Pesäpallo Association. 1 July 2024. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  7. ^ "Hippos Stadium". City of Jyväskylä. 30 June 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
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Superpesis venues
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