The Finnish term ‘tue liikkumista’ means ‘support movement’. Now communities and individuals can support Jyväskylä-based junior sports clubs and children’s athletic activities via the tueliikkumista.fi online store, whilst also increasing co-operation between the clubs.
Tueliikkumista.fi is a new type of service for junior sports club fundraising created by Business Jyväskylä and e-commerce consultancy Woolman. The pilot phase included dance and gymnastics club Illusion, the cheerleading club Jaguars Spirit Athletes and the hockey club JYP Juniorit. They have a common goal: to get as many children and young people moving as they can.
Right now, in the initial phase, the junior clubs will have various sponsorship and fan products available in the online store. However, the hope is that in the future you could directly buy a spot online for a specific sports activity for a child, for example to take part in a sports club’s next season.
An important signal from the sports capital of Finland
Lauri Karhunen, Executive Director of JYP Juniorit, a junior hockey club, praises the initiative, especially the fact that it came from outside the junior sports community.
– It is really great that the city of Jyväskylä has made support for clubs and developing co-operation between them a common cause. Junior clubs generally operate with small resources for example in terms of sales and marketing, so we really welcome new kinds of support, he acknowledges.
– If and when this is successful, it will also raise the profile of Jyväskylä as the sports capital of the country.
More cooperation between sports clubs
Tueliikkumista.fi is not just an online store, but a community platform for sports clubs in the Jyväskylä area. Executive Directors Metti Pelkonen (Illusion), Outi Sahikallio (Jaguars Spirit Athletes) and Lauri Karhunen are rooting for more active cooperation.
– I believe this is exactly the direction clubs should be heading towards: doing less alone and more together. At the same time, we can learn from other clubs and partners, Pelkonen says.
– Although we represent different kinds of sports, we clearly have a common set of values and similar goals, she sums up.
Sahikallio also sees opportunities for wider cooperation in the future.
– For example, we could swap training sessions with another club or organize joint events and get to know each other’s sports, she muses.
Karhunen points out that your personal attitude and desire to learn from others are major factors in how well cooperation works.
– There is a general need for more joint projects and developments across club borders. Every club has smart ways of doing things that we should all learn from, he says.
Check out the tueliikkumista.fi online store here!
