The Sports and Wellbeing Committee has decided on the next price hikes for sports and exercise services
The price hikes will be in place in early 2027. The reason for this price hike is City Council’s obligation for the Sports and Exercise unit to boost its fee revenues by EUR 900,000 in 2027. The previous price hike was in August. These new price hikes do not target the same fees.
The Sports and Wellbeing Committee decided on the price hike in its 24 September 2026 meeting. The hourly prices for children and young people’s shifts at sports facilities will be going up by roughly 1–2 euros. Guided exercise courses will be going up by 30 percent. Other small price hikes include boating fees and archipelago boat ticket prices. Morning discounts for swimming halls will be discontinued and the multi-visit ticket price will go up.
“We regret having to put a higher price on sports and exercise, but it is the result of our current financial situation. High unemployment, falling tax income, and investment in this growing city all drain its finances,” according to Helena Tiitinen, Chair of the Sports and Wellbeing Committee.
“We have been unable to expand the fee revenue base as we had hoped, which is why we have to touch the children and young people’s shifts. Fortunately, they were low to start with, and the annual impact of the price hike should remain moderate,” says Sports Director Martti Merra.
The investment framework for 2027–2036 includes various major endeavours to boost resident exercise, club activities and sports events
The Sports and Wellbeing Committee has submitted its proposal in the framework of the 2027 budget and the 2028–2029 financial plan and taken note of the 2027–2036 investment framework.
Of the sports facility projects, the 2027–2036 investment framework includes the renovation and expansion of the Tapiola indoor swimming pool, the appropriation for the replacement of the Espoonlahti swimming pool, and the appropriation for building changing rooms at Matinkylä beach. The investment programme also includes a number of school facilities, which are home to many important sports halls and fields.
The Committee proposes to prepare a new project plan and budget for the Espoonlahti swimming centre and outdoor swimming pool. It should match the Committee’s needs assessment, approved on 5 February 2026, and include a deep multipurpose pool and an outdoor swimming pool, which are not in the current project plan.
The Committee has also identified other needs of the sports and exercise unit for the preparation of the new investment programme, such as a new multipurpose hall in Tapiola, the home base for maritime activities at Finnoo, and the dressing rooms and maintenance buildings at Hansavalkama and Säteri.
The Committee made a note of the sports and exercise unit’s second interim report, the report on the pranks at the Olari Living Room’s community space, and the preparations for the 2027 organisational grants. It also processed the requests for a revised decision and the decisions by public officials.
Read more about the decisions of the Committee (in Finnish).(external link, opens in a new window)