Finnish side link up with the Cod Army
Fleetwood Town FC can confirm an international partnership has been agreed with Finnish third tier side Kaarinan Pojat.Kaarinian are the second football club from a different nation that have linked up with Fleetwood Town, following on from Uzbekistan side Lokomotiv Tashkent earlier this year.
Contact between the two clubs was initially made at the start of the year, when Fleetwood Town Community Trust welcomed visitors from Turku University of Applied Sciences in Finland.
The 20 students linked up with Director of Community Matt Hilton at Bolton University as he delivered a lecture on Sport Management in the UK.
During his lecture, Matt discussed his case study on Fleetwood Town FC. This led to the Finnish students visiting the home of the Cod Army the following day and seeing first-hand what happens on a day to day basis at Highbury Stadium.
Several individuals from the visit were involved with Kaarinian Pojat which led to the two teams developing a strong relationship.
Expanding on this, Kaarinan Pojat’s Executive Director Kim Ekroos said: “We are really pleased to have Fleetwood Town Football Club as our official partner. We visited Fleetwood last spring and we were impressed with what the club has achieved in the last ten years.
“The work that Fleetwood Town are doing in the local community is remarkable. Although Fleetwood Town are a lot bigger club than ourselves, we do come from similar origins.”
“We are really looking forward to working together in this new partnership. The first steps will be taken in spring 2016, when we have had the chance to visit Fleetwood and learn more about their ways and culture. We will share good practises and have a strong network moving forward.
“This is a great opportunity for our club going forward with a team that has a fantastic story. Hopefully it will be a partnership that can benefit both parties.”
Fleetwood Town’s CEO Steve Curwood added: “We’ve agreed to firm up a partnership with them and help them in some ways, which we’ll find ways of benefiting us too.”