In September it’s time for Seurapaitapäivä (Club Shirt Day). We’re talking about club loyalty, about showing your club’s colors. Three basketball clubs have played key roles in Maarit Mansikka’s journey, and their significance has evolved with each stage of her life.  

Basketball captured Maarit Mansikka’s heart when she was just eight years old. The passion that was ignited in her school’s sports club led her to join a club team and kept her hooked well into her teenage years. She put the sport on hold for a while when it was time to start a family. 

– Then, when my own kids grew up and started playing basketball, I rediscovered the sport myself, Mansikka says. 

In basketball, Mansikka has had three beloved teams – and perhaps his love for each of them has manifested itself in slightly different ways. At ToPoLa in Lauttasaari, Mansikka wasn’t “just” a member – she actively sought out all kinds of new challenges. 

– ToPoLa has always been a club close to my heart. That’s where I first got actively involved in club activities: first, of course, as a parent, but then I got really into it and served as a team manager, coach, and member of the club’s board, and later also held positions under the Finnish Basketball Association, including as a league supervisor. I was also involved in establishing the women’s recreational league. I didn’t know anything about board work either, but I received great support, and we learned things together, Mansikka recalls gratefully.  

The fan group lead

The Helsinki Seagulls, a basketball club founded in 2013, also joined the picture during Mansikka’s years in Lauttasaari. The team was seeking promotion to the Korisliiga and needed a place to practice.  

– I was still on the ToPoLa board when the Seagulls asked us for a practice facility. I was against it, of course, and I just thought that we certainly shouldn’t take anything away from the young players, since practice time was already in short supply, Mansikka recalls with a laugh.  

But then a twist of fate came into play: Mansikka’s friend asked her to come watch the Seagulls’ qualifying game – and just like that, she had lost her heart to Seagulls.

– It was such an amazing experience! I went to see several games, and then the Seagulls made it to the Korisliiga. 

Once again, simply being a spectator wasn’t enough; some acquaintances from the club’s administration reached out to ask if Mansikka would be willing to take charge of the team’s fan activities. Mansikka jumped right in and became interested in fan culture as a phenomenon as well. 

– I ran a fan group for about four years. We formed a close-knit community with our core group, and we still discuss the games on our own forum! Then the pandemic hit, and that kind of put a damper on things. After moving away from Helsinki, I stepped down from my role, but you can still spot me every now and then at Kisahalli, playing the drums!  

Mansikka still remembers how, as the leader of the Seagulls fan club, she proudly made her way to the train station and headed for Kisahalli.

– It was a source of pride, and in a way, it showed that I’m part of this. That I’m cheering on this team from the stands through the good times and the bad. And that I’m an important part of that team.  

Her role in the Seagulls fan group may have diminished, but the club and the team are still important to Mansikka. Every game is watched either in person or via livestream. Lively speculation with fellow Seagulls fans is in full swing during the games. Mansikka, however, has one wish:  

– I hope fan culture stays supportive rather than hateful – unfortunately, we see that too. If the team is struggling, I want to believe that the fans will be there to support the team as much as possible, in both the good times and the bad.  

New friends as an adult

Even though she now lives outside Helsinki, Mansikka can still be found on the basketball courts, both at Seagulls games and at her own practices. The Rough Diamonds team from Pakilan Visa practices twice a week and plays in the Kuntosarja league – the very league that Mansikka helped found back in the day. And it probably comes as no surprise that Mansikka is one of the team’s founding members. 

– Rough Diamonds is a really big deal to me personally. For a middle-aged woman, it’s been an incredible blessing that when I move to a new neighborhood, I can find a new group of friends and a new social circle. When we put on our team gear, it doesn’t matter what anyone does for a living or what their social status is. On the field, we’re all equal – we’re friends and we want the best for each other. That’s really meaningful!  

But what does love for the club mean to Mansikka? 

– Yeah, it’s all about community and doing things together. It’s just amazing how many different kinds of people I’ve gotten to know through club activities. Plus, I’ve learned so much!   

Text translated with the help of AI.