Fuengirola hosts the start of the Finnish Baseball League, which expects an average audience of 240,000 viewers

Fuengirola will host the opening weekend of the Finnish Baseball League on April 25 and 26, featuring both women's and men's categories. This top-level international event is expected to gather more than 4,500 spectators at the Elola Sports Complex and reach an average audience of over 240,000 viewers in Finland, as announced by the Councilors for Sports and Tourism, Julio Rodríguez and José Luis Ponce. The Jesús Gámez field will be the venue for both inaugural matches. On Saturday 25, the competition will kick off with the women's match between Joensuun Maila and Oulun Lippo, while on Sunday 26, it will be the turn of the men's match between Alajärven Ankkurit and Pattijoen Urheilijat.

With this event, Fuengirola consolidates an event that has been held in the city for the eighth time since its inception in 2017—with a mandatory interruption in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. In its seven previous editions, the competition has amassed a total of 24,145 attendees, with an average of over 3,500 spectators per edition. Finnish baseball, one of the most popular sports in Finland, enjoys significant television coverage. The matches are broadcast live nationwide, with average audiences of 240,000 viewers and peaks that can reach one million.

Since the beginning of the month, teams have been conducting their preseason stages in Fuengirola

The Councilor for Sports, Julio Rodríguez, expressed his satisfaction that "Fuengirola is once again the host for the start of the Finnish Baseball League," organized by Superpesis, a competition of great relevance in Finland that chooses our city as its only international venue during its regular season to kick off the championship, under the name Fugepesis—Fuge is the term used by Finns to refer to Fuengirola. He also noted that "since the beginning of the month, various teams have already been in the city conducting training and preseason stages, not only those participating in the inaugural matches."

Edition Highlights

This edition incorporates several notable initiatives. On Friday, April 24, a promotional day for Finnish baseball will be held at the Elola Sports Complex, involving 60 students from Andalucía school along with students from the Finnish school. During this activity, the young participants will have the opportunity to learn about this sport firsthand from professional players.

Additionally, residents of Fuengirola can benefit from a 25% discount on ticket prices by presenting the Citizen Card. The pass for both days will cost 40 euros (30 euros for registered residents), while a one-day ticket will be 25 euros (20 euros for residents). Children under 13 can enter for free.

Expand

For his part, the Councilor for Tourism, José Luis Ponce, emphasized "the importance of the tourism-sport combination and its direct impact on the city, especially during periods of lower tourist influx." In this regard, he highlighted that such events "help to stimulate local economic activity, benefiting hotels, shops, and the entire tourism sector." Moreover, Ponce highlighted the international projection of the event, pointing out that "in a country like Finland, with approximately 5.5 million inhabitants, these matches can reach nearly 30% of the population, which reinforces the image of Fuengirola associated with values such as sport, camaraderie, and achievement."