Tampere clubs brace for tighter budgets, Hakametsä overhaul and school evening shake-up

According to the City of Tampere, Tampere sports clubs should prepare for tighter finances and changes to facility use after a club forum at Tammela Stadium on 5 May.

Sports and youth director Jukka Etu-Seppälä warned that the city’s balancing programme will tighten budgets in coming years, affecting grant criteria, procurement volumes and new investments. The Hakametsä Sport Campus entered an operational development phase in spring 2026. Developer partners Talo Events Oy and the Varala Foundation were chosen in 2025 and are now designing an operating model that aims for a final agreement covering space management, daily operations, maintenance, events, sales, marketing and customer service.

Sports services will continue to decide on facility use, scheduling and pricing as with other municipal venues. Open coffee sessions on the Hakametsä project are set for 12 May and 9 June at Hakametsä ice hall (Keltinkatu 2).

Evening use of school facilities will change in autumn 2026. Some schools will move to a self-monitoring model; others will be covered by a rotating coordinator. Permanent evening supervision remains at Ahvenisjärvi School, Etelä-Hervanta, Sammon New School and Vuores. Patrik von Weissenberg says the rotating team will handle contracts, key distribution and problem resolution while clubs must ensure safe, contract-compliant use. Keys will be distributed in week 32.

Sports services are also revising booking principles after club feedback, seeking fairer allocations, clearer rules and more transparent communication about application schedules and exceptions. Clubs asked for better regional balance and stronger support for recreational activity alongside competitive sport. The city is exploring improvements to the Timmi booking system as part of the reform, sports services coordinator Niko Penttinen says.