Close cooperation from 1994
Hartwall’s Karjala beer will continue its long-term cooperation with the ice hockey national ‘A’ Team. Oy Hartwall Ab and the Finnish Ice Hockey Association have today concluded a cooperation agreement for the 2010 – 2013 seasons. The two partners will continue to play for the same team through the two forthcoming World Championships.
“The Lions have started their advance towards next year’s Vancouver Olympics as well as preparing for the World Championships to be held on home ground in 2012 and 2013. The new agreement ensures that the collaboration between Karjala and the Finnish Lions remains vigorous throughout this period of exciting ice hockey events. The cooperation has been successfully ongoing for the past 15 years”, says Hartwall’s Managing Director, Jan-Kees Nieman.
“We are very happy about the continuing cooperation. Hartwall has displayed exemplary courage in committing to extensive and long-term cooperation in the challenging economic environment. Through their investment and actions, Hartwall and Karjala are able to give a boost to the success of Finnish ice hockey in general”, explains Matti Nurminen, Marketing and Communications Director of the Finnish Ice Hockey Association.
Karjala beer has been the principal cooperation partner of the ice hockey national ‘A’ Team since 1994. The cooperation has seen the Lions achieve success in international ice hockey arenas, winning both the World Championships and a silver medal in the Olympics.
“The teamwork between ice hockey and Karjala beer has been exceptionally fruitful and it has succeeded in reaching its particular target audience of active Finnish men. For Karjala the collaboration offers an opportunity to interact with the consumer and provide ice hockey enthusiasts with thrilling encounters. The overall winner in the equation, however, is Finnish top-level sport", Mr Nieman sums up.
The sponsorship deal between Hartwall and the Finnish Ice Hockey Association covers not only the Association itself and the men’s national ‘A’ Team, but also the national junior teams U20, U18, U17 and U16. Hartwall Jaffa soft drink is the junior teams’ official sponsorship partner.
Further information:
Finnish Ice Hockey Association, Matti Nurminen, Marketing and Administrative Director, tel. +358 (0)50 545 6459, matti.nurminen@finhockey.fi
Oy Hartwall Ab, Tuomas Kahri, Marketing and Communications Director, tel. +358 (0)400 336 788, tuomas.kahri@hartwall.fi
The Finnish Ice Hockey Association is a major Finnish sporting organisation, with around 63,000 licensed players and 190,000 active amateur enthusiasts among its numbers. The Ice Hockey Association is one of the largest organisations in Finland involved in youth education. The Association’s operation is founded on principles of equality, social interaction, integrity and fair play. The Association acts as the service organisation of its members, the clubs. It administers and organises all ice hockey activities in Finland, excluding the Finnish Ice Hockey League. It arranges around 40,000 matches each year. The Finnish Ice Hockey Association employs 40 full-time staff. www.finhockey.fi
Photography by Denis Heimonen