SM-liiga

SM-liiga is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. It was constituted in 1975 to replace SM-sarja, which was fundementally an amateur league. SM-liiga has an agreement of cooperation with Finnish ice hockey federation Suomen Jääkiekkoliitto. SM is a common abbreviation for suomenmestaruus, "Finnish championship".

Background as a professional ice hockey league

SM-liiga was constituted in 1975 to concentrate the development of top level Finnish ice hockey, and make way towards professionalism. Its predecessor SM-sarja, being an amateur competition, had its disadvantages, which were seen to slow down the Finland's rise to the highest ranks of ice hockey.

Related Topics:
1975 - Ice hockey - Professionalism - SM-sarja - Amateur

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Firstly, the authoritative body of SM-sarja was the annual meeting of Finnish ice hockey federation Suomen Jääkiekkoliitto, where all trend-setting issues were decided by vote. Since all clubs registered under Jääkiekkoliitto had the right to vote, the many amateur clubs reigned over the few business-like clubs. Therefore, the concentrated development of Finnish top level ice hockey had proven arduous or impossible. The new SM-liiga was to be run by a board consisting of its participating clubs only, and have an agreement of cooperation with Jääkiekkoliitto.

Related Topics:
Meeting - Suomen Jääkiekkoliitto - Decided - Vote - Clubs - Board - Agreement - Cooperation

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

SM-sarja was also outdated on its own, as it was run by amateur principles. Clubs were not supposed to pay their players beyond a compensation of lost wages. However, by 1970s many clubs were already run like businesses, and recruited players by a contract of employment, paying their wages secretly often evading taxes. The Finnish 1974 accounting reform extended book-keeping standards to cover sports clubs, and the lackings were exposed in audit raids. SM-liiga was to allow wages for players and clubs were also put under a tighter supervision. They were to establish their own association for SM-liiga ice hockey only, separating their commitments from junior activities and possible other sports. Copies of all contracts were to be sent to SM-liiga to provide players with adequate security, such as insurance and pension.

Related Topics:
Businesses - Contract of employment - Wages - Evading taxes - Accounting reform - Audit - Insurance - Pension

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

SM-sarja had other limits for players. According to amateur ideals, no player could represent more than one club within one season. Personal sponsorship was forbidden. To discourage trading, a system of quarantine was in force. SM-liiga stripped the limitations for players, replaced quarantine with a then-modest transfer payment and introduced the transfer list. Players wishing for a transfer were to sign up, and SM-liiga would distribute the right of negotiations to clubs. In practise the list was not successful, as both parties often worked their way around the formalities.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In practice, these changes lead to a transition towards professional ice hockey, probably best called semi-professional. Only a few players would make a livelihood out of ice hockey in Finland in 1970s and many, especially the young, players would settle for a contract in SM-liiga without a wage.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

One more major, and in the fans' point of view the most noteworthy enchancement, were the playoffs. Gate receipts and other income from play-offs were pooled, and distributed as a placement bonus. While playoffs were the standard in way of determining the champions in North American professional sports, they weren't as usual in Europe.

Related Topics:
Playoffs

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

SM-liiga was established rather hastily. The required changes were initiated in the 1974 annual meeting, and SM-liiga was launched for the season 1975-1976. It was the first Finnish professional sports league, and its solutions were untried. However, there had been a mounting demand for these changes, as the popularity of ice hockey had taken up a boost in the last ten years.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

SM-liiga picked up where SM-sarja left from with its 10 clubs. Four best of the regular season were to proceed to playoffs. The system of promotion and relegation from SM-sarja remained in force: last teams of regular season had to qualify for their position in SM-liiga against best teams of the second highest series.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Combined attendance of the first eleven regular season stuck at about 900 000. In 1986-1987 the number of games for each team was increased from 36 to 44 (and reached 56 in 2000-2001) and SM-liiga was expanded to 12 clubs for the season 1988-1989. The general popularity of ice hockey strengthened through Team Finland's international success, and the combined attendance climbed through the 1990s to about 1,8 million. This motioned an increase in the profitability of ice hockey business and the completion of the transtition to full professionalism. By the mid-1990s, all players were full-time, and by 2000, most clubs had reformed into limited companies.

Related Topics:
Team Finland - 2000

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In the modern Finnish top level ice hockey range of thought there are two types of clubs: those that have the resources to maintain a business-like professional ice hockey club, and deserve participation in SM-liiga - and the others that don't. Since the season 2000-2001, SM-liiga has been closed, meaning that relegations and promotions take place only by the judgement of the board of SM-liiga. The only such promotion took place instantly in 2000. With the "relegation threat" not lurking, the suffering clubs are supposed to be able to recuperate. In practice this has lead to side effects: clubs with a losing record that have lost their hopes of reaching playoffs have disposed of high-salary star players, often letting down their supporters. To counteract this, the playoffs were expanded to the best 10 (out of 13).

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~