page_title: Helsingin Palloseura
section_title: Brief history of men's team
hierarchical_section_title: Helsingin Palloseura / Football / Brief history of men's team
caption_attribution_description: English: Helsingin Palloseura squad that won Finnish championship in 1927. Bottom row (from left): Niilo Koskinen, Paavo Karhunmaa, Heimo Saarilahti Top row (from left): Yrjö Tornivuori, Max Viinioksa, Aulis Koponen, Sulo Saario, William Kanerva, Alexander Karjagin, Eino Soinio, Aarne Mantila
context_page_description: Helsingin Palloseura is a sports club from Helsinki, Finland established in 1917. HPS has been active in several sports including bandy, ice hockey, football, handball and basketball.
  Historically, HPS men's team is one of the most successful football teams in Finland, winning nine national championships during the 1920s and 1930s. The team is currently playing in the fourth highest league, however. In bandy, the club was the runner-up for the Finnish championship in 1920.
  Famous HPS footballers have included William Kanerva, Aulis Koponen, Max Viinioksa, Kai Pahlman, Jyrki Heliskoski and Pertti Alaja.
context_section_description: The first football match played by HPS men's team in September 1918 against HIFK. The club won their first Finnish championship three years later in 1921. It also won the Mestaruussarja championship in 1922, 1926, 1927 and 1929.  However, the club's golden age was in the 1930s, when the HPS men won three championships over a four-year period (1932, 1934, 1935). Success at this time was also recognised by the large number of players receiving national recognition by representing the Finnish national side. In the 1940s success was in turn mixed with Finnish football having been disrupted by the war years. In 1940/41 HPS finished bottom of the Mestaruussarja and were relegated but were promoted back to the championship level in 1943/44.
  They were relegated again in 1949 and did not compete in the Mestaruussarja again until 1956.  They won the championship for the last time in 1957 and were most unfortunate a year later in 1958 when they finished equal on points with KuPS Kuopio to whom they then lost 1–0 in a championship play-off final.  They maintained their place in the championship until 1964 when they were relegated and sadly that was the last time that this famous club competed at the highest level.
  There then followed a gradual downward spiral with HPS fluctuating between Miesten Ykkönen (Men's First Division), Miesten Kakkonen (Men's Second Division) and Miesten Kolmonen (Men's Third Division). In 1997 HPS returned to the Kakkonen which culminated in them reaching the play-offs at the end of 1998 season when they drew 0–0 and 1–1 against FC HIFK.  However they missed out on promotion on away goals.  Disaster was soon to follow as in 1999 HPS abandoned their place in the Kakkonen because of economic difficulties and had no option but to reform in 2000 at the lowest level in the Seiska (Seventh Division).  However, in the last 10 years the club have seen 5 promotions and 1 relegation and they are now competing again in the Kolmonen.
caption: HPS team that won Finnish championship in 1927.
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