City of Espoo plans to expand sports and recreation facilities

Three new halls to go up close to Espoon Areena; 5,500-seater football stadium planned

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The City of Espoo plans to turn the present Tapiola Sports Park into an oasis of physical exercise, which would better meet the needs of both regular keep-fit enthusiasts and sports teams at the league level.
      New sports fields and three halls, including a football stadium and a basketball hall, are being planned next to the existing sports halls, namely Espoon Areena, Esport Arena, and Esport Center.
      Espoon Areena is the home of the ice hockey team Espoo Blues, while Esport Arena provides facilities for ball games, indoor running, roller-skating, and a gym, and the Esport Center offers dozens of tennis, badminton, and squash courts as well as a fitness centre.
      According to Sports Director Mauri Johansson of the City of Espoo’s Sports and Recreation Department, the overall project could be partly completed as early as 2011.
      The master plan for the area has been completed, and the Espoo City Planning Department is to handle the town plan covering the 25-hectare area tonight. The final decision on the plan will be made by the City Council.
     
Possibly already in 2008, one of the planned new halls, named Honkahalli and housing two basketball fields, will be completed.
      Two new 4,000-square-metre multi-functional halls are being planned to be set in the northern part of the park. These projects have not been launched as yet.
     
Such multi-functional halls would be needed in the future, as also those young people who do not belong to any clubs like to do sports, says Mauri Johansson.
      Further facilities would include for example skating, floorball, and beach volleyball surfaces, which would be placed behind the new Honkahalli. These grounds could also be completed already in 2008.
      Further plans include the renovation of track and field grounds.
     
The new 5,500-seater football stadium would serve as the location for the home games of the local football club Honka. Design work for the stadium will be started in the course of the spring.
     
The number of users of the planned facilities is likely to increase once the planned construction of the Espoo Metro extension has been completed around 2012. One of the stations would be located right next to the sports park.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Espoo City Council votes in favour of extension of Helsinki Metro (26.9.2006)

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