Pallo-Iirot Sparks Movement in Rauma

Founded already in 1930 in Rauma, Pallo-Iirot is the largest football club in the Satakunta region and the biggest sports club in the Rauma area. Over the years, the club has found its way into the hearts of Rauma residents of all ages.

“Pallo-Iirot is all about the idea of ‘from babies to grandpas and from pacifiers to grannies.’ You can take part in our activities from early childhood for as long as you’re able to play football,” says Janne Koivisto, who has served as the club’s Executive Director since 2021.

“The youngest participants in family football are just 1–2 years old, while the oldest players are between 70 and 80.”

Koivisto himself is a Rauma native and got involved with Pallo-Iirot at the age of six. Now, he shares how Pallo-Iirot gets the people of Rauma moving.

Pallo-Iirot’s operations are divided into two main branches. The first is traditional sports and age group activities, which form the core of the club’s work. The second focuses on physical activity and health, encompassing a wide range of initiatives aimed at getting people moving.

The club’s activities reach a remarkably large percentage of Rauma’s population: there are over 950 registered players, and the club regularly engages 1,800 hobbyists in physical activity.

“The club’s long history is on our side. Girls’ and women’s football is currently booming across the country, but Pallo-Iirot has a long-standing tradition in this area. Of course, football is a popular sport in general. But I’d like to believe that the quality of our operations also draws people in – it’s easier to join a club whose strong roots and well-built foundation make everything else possible,” Koivisto explains.

The physical activity and health category includes, for example, Iirolandia—a weekly event for children held from September to March. In Iirolandia, children rotate through various stations with tasks designed to develop their basic motor skills.

This activity model has been in use for 15 years, and each session attracts an average of around 350 participants. The season’s opening event in September 2025 saw 665 children take part, and the season has already seen two new attendance records.

“The Iirolandia brand is now recognized beyond Rauma as well. For example, the concept has already been piloted in Loimaa and Espoo, and there’s growing interest in Lahti too,” Koivisto lists.

“At the beginning of the year, we also launched Iirolandia for seniors. By the end of September 2025, the number of visits had surpassed 1,000!”

Support from the Pallo-Iirot Fund, operating under Erkki Paasikivi Foundation, has helped the club diversify its junior activities. Thanks to this support, the club has been able to increase the number of participants and bring even more people in Rauma under the positive well-being effects of physical activity.

“Diversifying our activities isn’t a cheap endeavor for a non-profit organization. The support from Erkki Paasikivi Foundation eases both the financial and mental burden, allowing us to take action and try new things. I can’t stress enough how important that is,” Koivisto says gratefully.

The support has been used, for example, to develop new types of activity models and to improve existing ones. Iirolandia, mentioned above, is one example of an initiative that has been enhanced with the help of the foundation.”

The preservation of Rauma’s local culture is a shared value that unites Pallo-Iirot and Erkki Paasikivi Foundation.

“We want to cherish Rauma’s identity and local roots in everything we do. When we gain recognition beyond our hometown, we’re able to put Rauma on the map at the national level!” Koivisto says.

The club also has its own fund, the Iiro Fund, which supports the participation of low-income individuals in club activities. The fund was established in autumn 2024 with the assistance of Erkki Paasikivi Foundation, but it is fully administered by Pallo-Iirot. So far, the aim has been to provide support to everyone who has applied for assistance.

“People have different life situations, and participating in sports isn’t entirely free. It feels like the Iiro Fund’s support has really reached the right people, and thanks to it, we’ve been able to keep individuals engaged in the sport regardless of their circumstances,” Koivisto says.

Koivisto has spent a lot of time reflecting on the broader significance of sports and hobbies for society as a whole. He has observed that the social impact of team sports and other physical activities can be immense for individuals.

“Loneliness is one of the major problems in today’s society. For example, at the Iirolandia event for seniors, one gentleman told me that aside from going to the store, it’s his only human interaction all week. Hearing that was heartbreaking,” Koivisto shares.

“But then I realized how wonderful it is that we can help with something like this, too. The primary goal of Iirolandia for seniors is, of course, to get people moving and to promote both physical and mental well-being. But the fact that it can also have such positive side effects—like easing loneliness—is something you don’t always think of at first yourself!”