Sports and Exercise Committee decides on 2025 sports and exercise grants and sports and exercise grants for special groups
At its meeting on 24 April 2025, the Sports and Exercise Committee decided on sports and exercise grants and commented on the investment needs of sports infrastructure projects.
The Sports and Exercise Committee decided to grant a total of EUR 1,409,226 in sports and exercise grants and EUR 150,774 in sports and exercise grants for special groups.
The grant was awarded based on the annual report and plan as well as the financial statements and budget for sports and exercise activities during the current operating period. The preparations primarily emphasised the number of young people under the age of 20 regularly engaged in recreational activities, the costs of exercise activities and the organisation of low-threshold recreational clubs for those under the age of 20 in cooperation with exercise and sports.
“The grant per participant is quite modest. That’s why it’s important that we can ensure, through cooperation with clubs, that as many people as possible can start a recreational in clubs with these grants. Effective targeting of grants has already helped hundreds of kids get started in club activities,” emphasises Martti Merra, Sports Director.
The Committee also decided on the implementation of Leiki ja liiku (Play & Move) activities throughout the five major regions of Espoo in autumn 2025 and spring 2026, working in cooperation with sports and exercise clubs. This is a cooperation model implemented by the City of Espoo’s Sports and Exercise Unit, early childhood education and care in Finnish and Swedish, and sports and exercise clubs. Children aged 5 and 6 come to exercise regularly in Leiki ja liiku (Play & Move) during kindergarten and day care, either once a week or every other week. The activities are guided and the content consists of diverse exercise courses, on which children can exercise their motor skills.
The Sports and Exercise Committee issued a statement on the investment needs of infrastructure projects related to Public Works in Sports and Exercise for 2026–2035. Investment targets include sports park services and municipal engineering, the renovation of sports facilities, the programme for renewing artificial turf and the expansion of the outdoor trail network. Separate project-specific appropriations are proposed for the largest sports and exercise construction projects.
“The city is growing rapidly and the conditions cannot be maintained without investments. It is important that the city be developed by building new sports and exercise facilities, but it is equally important to maintain existing facilities. This is why the quality of the renovations must also be ensured in the future,” explains Leo Heiskanen, Chair of the Sports and Exercise Committee.
In addition, the Committee also processed claims for rectification and took note of the vision work for Espoo liikkuu 2040.