A tradition older than a country: IFK and the Sweden-inspired sports movement in Finland

ABSTRACT This article presents several sport clubs in Finland connected to an organization Idrottsförening Kamraterna (Sporting Society Comrades), also known as IFK that originated in Sweden in 1895. The idea of IFK clubs reached Finland in 1897 and spread throughout the country. The beginning of the twentieth century was a period of growth and expansion for IFK, both in Sweden and Finland. IFK clubs formed an important network of sport-based activities, including football, when Finland was still a part of the former Russian empire. The aim of the article is to analyse how the modern Finnish IFKs from four different locations (Mariehamn, Åbo, Helsingfors and Grankulla) can retrace and frame their past.


Introduction
This article presents four sport clubs in Finland connected to an organization Idrottsförening Kamraterna (Sporting Society Comrades), also known as IFK that originated in Sweden in 1895. The IFK movement was born from an intersection of a mass-media boom, interest in sport and an emerging youth culture at the end of the nineteenth century. The movement reached Finland in 1897 and spread throughout the country. 1 The beginning of the twentieth century was a period of expansion for IFK, both in Sweden and Finland. IFK clubs formed an important network of sportbased activities, including football, when Finland was still a part of the Russian empire. In Finland, IFK has been strongly attached to the Swedish-speaking minority, which in turn tends to be associated with the old, educated elites from the past. The aim of this article is to analyse how the modern Finnish IFKs from four different locations -Mariehamn, Åbo (i.e. Turku), Helsingfors (i.e. Helsinki) and Grankulla (i.e. Kauniainen) -retrace and frame their past. The article focuses on how the clubs relate to the past and how IFK's history provides elements for their identity and relevance in society.

Background
IFK was a sport organization established spontaneously by Swedish youths in 1895 through the youth magazine Kamraten (1893)(1894)(1895)(1896)(1897)(1898)(1899)(1900)(1901)(1902)(1903)(1904)(1905)(1906)(1907)(1908)(1909)(1910)(1911). It spread quickly and became a strong element in Swedish sport history, with two IFKs becoming dominant in Swedish football: IFK Göteborg and IFK Norrköping. The first IFKs in Finland were established in 1897. The Swedish language was vital for the development of this association in Finland. This includes Swedish newspapers and magazines such as NordisktIdrottslif  and the aforementioned Kamraten. The common symbol developed for the organization is a blue star on a white background, and these colours are used by many IFK clubs. The central IFK organization still exists in Stockholm, but the clubs are independent entities. 2 In 2007 there were 170 IFKs registered in Sweden and representing different sport disciplines. 3 Finland used to be the Eastern part of the Swedish kingdom for centuries and became a part of Russian Empire after the Swedish-Russian war in 1809, but it was subjected to cultural influx from Sweden throughout the 1800. The Swedish-speaking population was a minority but formed a strong and educated part of the Finnish society. The booming market of new press in Sweden in the nineteenth century prompted the appearance of the first Finnish newspapers in Swedish 4 and the access to the new mass media was crucial for establishing IFKs in Finland. 5 The establishment of IFK was in line with the promotions of sports and games. A good citizen was a healthy, strong citizen. The Swedish military and sports enthusiast Viktor Balck produced three volumes that introduced different sports to Swedish-speaking audiences. His works were known in Finland and Helsingfors IFK presented him as 'the father of Swedish sports'. 6 Balck had a strong influence, and lobbied for Finland's appearances in the Olympic Games, even though the country was not independent. 7 In the beginning, IFKs were united by the magazine Kamraten. The IFK clubs in Finland shared their sporting results on the magazine's pages in letters to their 'Swedish comrades', described their lives as students and told stories from excursions and trips. For instance, in 1898, George Doubidsky, one of the founders of Helsingfors IFK, sent a text about news from Finland. He explained that because of a lack of snow they could not have many winter sport competitions, but organized an impressive party for a hundred people. 8 Letters from IFKs in Finnish cities of Vasa, Viborg and Uleåborg appeared regularly as well.
The development of IFKs in Finland show how IFK helped to establish football in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Since IFK were strongly connected to the Swedish language, they were associated with the Swedish-speaking minority in Finland. Minorities can have a strong influence on a state's culture, politics and economy and find different expressions of their unique positions. 9 The Swedish press in Finland introduced many new sports. It was in Hufvudstadsbladet that football rules were published in Finland for the first time in the 1870s. 10 Sports convey processes that take place in society through stories about football, players, coaches and sports venues. Hence, sport is rarely only about sport, and its history have become a hot issue. 11 Historian David Lowenthal states that saving the past has become a universal concern and 'possessing' a heritage is 'as vital a nutriment as food and drink'. 12 IFK exemplifies a development from a youth activity to well-established football clubs in both Sweden and Finland. The introduction of 'the English sport' -football -took many different paths. 13 Swedish newspapers and magazines were important sources for popularizing football and the Swedish-speaking population in Finland took advantage of the opportunity to participate in discussions that were taking place in Sweden.

Methods and material
The four clubs included in this article are Helsingfors IFK (est. 1897), Grankulla IFK (est. 1925), Åbo IFK (est. 1908) and IFK Mariehamn (est. 1919). Because the material from primary sources is in Swedish, the place names used in the article are in Swedish too. 14 Three of the clubs (Helsingfors, Åbo and Grankulla) reside in the south and south-west area, which also are the areas of Finland with the largest Swedish-speaking populations. Mariehamn is the capital of Åland, a group of islands between Sweden and Finland, which is autonomous from Finland in many regards, though formally a part of it. The official language in Åland is Swedish.
This article is based on interviews and archive material. Interviews were conducted between August 2019 and March 2021. 15 Fieldwork possibilities for this project 16 were unfortunately limited due to the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. The interview material comes from four interviews with officials working for each of these clubs, plus two interviews with supporters (one a supporter of IFK Mariehamn and the other a supporter of Helsingfors IFK). 17 The analysed archival material includes magazines, newspaper clippings and annuals. The main source is the Swedish youth magazine Kamraten. Swedish and Finnish newspapers from the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century were scanned as well. 18 The visited archives include Lund University Archives, Brages Press Archive in Helsingfors, archives at the Sport Museum in Helsingfors, and Helsingfors IFK's own archive.
The difficulty with archive material is its selectiveness. Unfortunately, there are holes when it comes to continuity. The material was approached by close reading and qualitative interpretation. 19 Literary scholar Michael Oriard, who worked on similar archival material, demonstrated in his study how (American) football was established with the help of growing mass media in the 19 th century and how the sport was attributed with a certain cultural symbolism with the help of daily press, radio, and films. 20 Because of the political situation (Finland being a part of Russia 1809-1917), newspapers published in (or imported for) the Finnish market had to deal with Russian censorship for many decades. 21 Officially, Sweden avoided clashes with Russia, but publications in Kamraten strike a clear pro-Finnish tone, in favour of Finnish independence from Russia, and Stockholm served as a basis for underground publishing that was intended for Finnish readers. 22 Reports from sporting events appeared regularly in the Finn-Swedish press, like football results from England and Sweden, especially after 1910.

Theoretical framework
The theoretical framework includes historian David Lowenthal's and folklorist Henry Glassie's approaches to functions of historical knowledge. 23 This article does not use one specific theory but is motivated by work on how the past is constructed and how history is used to frame and negotiate the present. Lowenthal's publication The Past is A Foreign Country stresses the bricolage-like approach to history that used to be the norm and has been seemingly abandoned. 24 This understanding of history is found in IFKs' narrations. The more contemporary publications about the clubs are characterized by nostalgia as they attempt to connect the present-day clubs to a beautiful and captivating past. This may be partly because the transmission of history through, about and within IFK is done on semi-formal level, for instance in books that are written by enthusiasts. 25 The 'good old days' appear often in stories concerning sports such as football. 26 Lowenthal expresses a critical view of such 'nostalgic obsession': Besides nostalgia's starry-eyed view of wretched times, falsified history, kitschy commerce, and regressive elitism, it is faulted for foolish faith that issues were faced, action taken, crises averted, and problems solved better and faster in the past. 27 Sport is a category that highlights everyday life in a historical context, making the past alive. 28 Henry Glassie has also analysed the transmission, time frames and passing of history. On the basis of his study in a small town in Northern Ireland, he highlights a pragmatic element of history: what survives and is taught further has to have a point for the future. He writes: 'Stories are narratives artfully ordered to do the serious work of entertainment, pleasing their listeners in the present, then carrying them into the future with something to think about'. 29 Artfully ordered narratives, as Glassie phrases it, are found in chronicles and reports about nineteenth century football. The material used here links sport activities to educating and nurturing of young patriots expected to inherit leading roles in society. These texts present a specific picture of Sweden and Finland. At times, it seems that it was still the same country. The political realities of Finland being a part of Russia are artfully omitted. Further, the texts referring to the past (year books and jubilee books), as well as stories gathered through interviews, focus on certain elements creating a picture of modern IFK organizations, framing them in a socio-cultural context that is desired and useful. Glassie also discusses the importance of geographical locations: In other traditions, historians link unconnected events because they occupy the same age. Here it is place. Space joins past events to each other, and it unifies past and present in two ways: progressively and mythically. 30 The geography of IFKs is narrated as crucial for their existence. The links to Stockholm and Swedish socio-cultural spheres are important elements in Finnish IFK identities. The sphere of Swedishlanguage influence in Finland encompasses mostly the west coast and the Åland Islands. It forms a fringe of the country, but culturally it represents (in common understanding at least) a set of privileges related to the position between Finnish and Swedish identity. 31 IFKs' stories in Finland share a common origin with their Swedish counterparts, but have a unique narrative about their own country and additionally about the individual clubs.

The puzzle of the past in the present
In February 1895, a student from Stockholm, Louis Zettersten, posted a question in the youth magazine Kamraten asking if there were other 'comrades' wishing to engage in various sports. 32 The response was immense, triggering new local sport clubs, named IFK after some deliberations, around Sweden.Finland had an additional 'birth moment' as in 1897 Finnish readers of the magazine sent a question asking if they too could establish IFKs. The answer to that question, entitled 'Till vårafinskakamrater' (To our Finnish comrades), 33 is an important element in the IFK mythology. It is treated with equal if not greater respect than the original question posted by Zettersten.
The original Finnish request came from Lappvik (i.e. Lappohja), a small municipality in southern Finland, but the place seemed too small to attract followers. Shortly after, IFK Uleåborg and Helsingfors IFK were established. Later appeared IFK Viborg, 34 Grankulla IFK, Åbo IFK, IFK Mariehamn, and Vasa IFK. The race to create new branches is visible on the pages of Kamraten. New IFK clubs were regularly announced in the magazine. Soon after, Kamraten started to report sport results and events from both countries, providing sections for Sweden and Finland. 35 Finland, although not part of Sweden anymore, was still within its cultural sphere of influence. Swedish-speaking high schools (lyceums) were common in bigger cities, and they had access to magazines like Kamraten. IFKs in Finland sent reports about their activities, results and could in turn read about football as it slowly established itself in Sweden. For instance, two issues of Kamraten from 1903 published lectures for Swedish youths about football in England given by an English trainer called Donald E. Kidd. 36 The multiple origin stories present rich material for revisiting the past. 37 In the introduction of a book marking fifty years of Åbo IFK, 38 it is stated that it was the first diverse Swedish-speaking sports club in the city. It created a space for 'Swedish-speaking sportsmen'. 39 It is stated twice that the impulse for creating it in 1908 came from the magazine Kamraten, referred to (erroneously) as IFK's official magazine. A comment from William Fock, one of the men who established Åbo IFK, describes that it was Fock's good friend, Aarne Eklund, who subscribed to the magazine and then passed it on to him and others who 'read it with great interest'. 40 Eklund asked IFK in Sweden for permission to use the name IFK. Many of the first hundred members came from the Swedish high school. 41 As various IFKs retell their histories, recurring patterns become clear, not least in relation to their origin stories and the connections between the popular press and youth culture of the late nineteenth century. The students, located in a spatial-temporal context, represented youth enthusiasm and energy to create, connect, and unite across borders. This shows how an exchange between students created a lasting movement in (and between) Sweden and Finland. The nostalgia visible in the texts can be related to how Lowenthal interprets nostalgia as a guide to needs and wishes: The dreams and nightmares of revisiting the past are no less intrusive for being unlikely. They offer clues to what of the past we truly need and can accept or should avoid and reject. And they throw light on deep-seated stances towards tradition and change. 42 Åbo IFK's founders emerge as well-educated, sport-interested Swedish-speaking men who cared about the language context. Helsingfors IFK and IFK Mariehamn have clear origins in Swedishspeaking educational facilities in both cities. Grankulla IFK's employee, Mats, offered a theory for their birth: Grankulla was at that time . . . well it was a summer house . . . city, for rich Helsingfors residents. [. . .] And they had summer houses there and then, this area started to grow . . . So I would think that idea came from Helsingfors. 43 During our conversation, Mats focused on current strategies and teams, saying that perhaps the club was not good at retelling its history. He mentioned an ambition to engage with history, because in 2025 the club will be celebrating its centenary. Longevity of sports clubs is often viewed as an achievement in itself. 44 Henry Glassie states that 'People achieve connection to the progressive past retrogressively through action in the built environment'. 45 Using history as a kind of cultural capital happens often in clubs. Retracing the origin can help to frame a club's position in the modern times. Grankulla IFK is a satellite in a bigger narrative, as Mats pointed out: 'Our name tells a story about the history so it is important for the team to have such a name'. 46 The involvement with the environment, the space, can create the link to the past. 47 The origin story often involves a creator or founding father. As mentioned, Louis Zettersten figures in all publications considering IFK. Additionally, every IFK has its own father, adding to the richness of the myth. In a book from 1944 that celebrated IFK Mariehamn's 25 th anniversary, several 'founding fathers' are listed: a 'father number 1', a 'number 2' and even three 'additional fathers'. 48 Although the founder of the oldest surviving club, Helsingfors IFK, was George Doubitsky, he is not the most narrated character. He published texts in Kamraten, sent letters and results, and was an active member, but he is relatively overlooked when it comes to the IFK history pages. Herbert, who works for Helsingfors IFK, commented in an interview: Interviewer: But when it comes to Doubitsky . . . He's a pretty enigmatic figure, I think. I cannot find much about him.
Herbert: Not that there is meat on the bones . . . It's just names and years. And he, Johnny Harlin, the first chairman, I think you know even less about. About the circumstances when he then became the first chairman.
Interviewer: Yes, it was an anniversary book, I think it was . . . from the 40-50s so they visited his grave [. . .]. Is it something one still does?
Herbert: On the 120-year anniversary it was done. The chairman and a small delegation he picked . . . And then, to our shame (sighs heavily), we noticed that there is not even much left anymore. The family has, like . . . not done it . . . they stopped taking care of the grave. 49 Herbert attributed the neglect to questions of time and money. Even though traces exist and the story is known, Doubitsky is not a subject of commemoration or attention. Keeping dead heroes alive is not easy and requires devotion and attention. 50 Instead, Uno Westerholm is narrated as an important character. He was in the group that started Helsingfors IFK, but he was also a leading figure behind the Finnish Football Association and established FinsktIdrottsblad (Finnish Sport Magazine, published in Swedish) in 1904. 51 IFKs in Finland arrange their histories through time and space. As Glassie commented on this kind of ordering, 'Historical stories are fixed in time by more than numbers and sequence. When told, they are joined to facts beyond them, to history known but unordered'. 52 Numbers and sequences are tools to carve out an identity around the clubs. IFKs are independent, yet united. My informants stressed that changing names or crests is unthinkable. Such a move would destroy their cultural heritage. 53 Alex, a young Helsingfors IFK supporter, when asked about the history of the club, mentioned: History is important. Very important. The year, that it is 1897, is important. It is the original club, the first. And won many (Finnish) championships. And of course the history . . . that it was the higher class, you know, the Swedish-speaking class. Those who studied in the Swedish schools, so they did not study in Russian. And that was an important language . . . language difference. [. . .] But of course now it is bilingual. So we are a bit like Bilbao, you know (laughs). 54 The growing IFKs established football clubs among the educated elites and based on a linguistic minority. Alex talked about the class and language, marking them as historical and social categories that structured the club in its early days. Even though the founding year is the mythical origin year for the entire club, the football section developed later with the first club-level matches recorded in the early 1900s. 55 The comparison with Bilbao is intriguing. Athletic Bilbao, established in 1898, officially uses two languages: Euskara (the Basque language) and Spanish. Alex's narrative connected uniqueness with patterns seen throughout the football world. Several different elements of social identity -class, ethnicity, or language -can be used to structure a club's history.
'Bättre folk' and the cultural capital of the past 'Bättre folk' ('better people') was a slogan used in 2018 when Helsingfors IFK's ice hockey section launched a new supporter organization under that name (Figure 1). It is used sporadically in Finland to refer to the Swedish-speaking minority there. In local Finnish folklore, the Finn-Swedesare sometimes referred to as the better class of people. 56 Posters with a shield of Helsingfors IFK and the club's colours appeared around Helsinki during the 'Bättre folk' campaign. 57 Reactions were strong and plentiful. In the interview, Herbert mentioned it: Herbert: When you look at fans so it's a cocky brand. It is Helsinki-centered, against the countryside, and a bit Finn-Swedish and a bit . . . (. . .) well it is self-ironic and has the slogan 'Better People'.
Interviewer: Yes, I have seen it.
Herbert: It may sound better in Finn-Swedish. At least those from Stockholm had a hard time appreciating it (laughs).
Herbert:You have to understand that self-irony. But it is a strong brand that divides opinions. 58 According to the club's marketing director, hardly anyone believes in the 'old myth' about 'bättre folk', but they knew it would draw attention and wanted to 'give the myth new meaning'. 59 To use the words of Glassie again: 'History is not the past, but a map of the past drawn from a particular point of view to be useful to the modern traveller'. 60 The expression connects to the idea that the Swedish-speaking minority is a privileged group. 61 The phrase appeared in late nineteenth century, producing an ironic description of Finn-swedes, with an underlined accusation of mistreatment towards the Finnish-speaking majority. 62 Even though the division of well-educated Swedish speakers and less fortunate Finnish speakers is a narrative of the past, it is used as an element that is known and understood, hence allowing for the navigation of the present, as Lowenthal puts it: The past renders the present recognizable. Its traces on the ground and in our minds let us make sense of current scenes. Without past experience, no sight or sound would mean anything; we perceive only what we are accustomed to. Features and patterns become such because we share their history. 63 IFKs' cultural capital would lead to different initiatives. The comrades in Sweden were clear about their striving for patriotic sentiments and a mission for patriotic upbringing. 64 They arranged meetings with other IFKs, as well as balls, parties and excursions. Dancing seemed as important as results in cross-country skiing at the turn of the nineteenth century. 65 Football faced competition from other sports, but gained a strong position in IFKs. The elitist feel around football was strengthened by the involvement of the Swedish aristocratic family of von Rosen. Count von Rosen sponsored a contest for the von Rosen trophy, an important football event in Sweden around 1900. He was also the editor-in-chief of NordisktIdrottslif, a sports journal that promoted football. NordisktIdrottslif provided regular reporting on football for Finnish readers. The Finnish IFK clubs were dominant when the first Finnish championships were played, starting from 1908. ÅboIFK won the title in 1910, 1920 and 1924. Helsingfors IFK won seven times in their history, in 1930, 1931, 1933, 1937, 1947, 1959, and 1961. Another IFK club from Finland's west coast, Vasa IFK, won in 1944, 1946, and 1953. 66 These clubs associated with the Swedish language were dominant and commonly reached the top positions of the football competitions.
The common Swedish language meant direct access to the Scandinavian cultural sphere, defying the Russian administration, which tried to cut links with Stockholm. Finnish nationalism and patriotism was expressed in Kamraten and in NordisktIdrottslif. 'Swedishness' became an active element of opposing the Russian regime and striving for independence. 67 The IFK movement, with direct links to Swedish youths and access to that cultural capital, could communicate different agendas through sports like football.
Uno Westerholm (of Helsingfors IFK) represented Finland during the FIFA congress in 1912. 68 In a book commemorating 100 years of Helsingfors IFK there is a story from 1899: Westerholm, arranged and advertised in Kamraten 69 a summer meeting at Raseborg Castle ruins that attracted around 200 Finnish IFK members. A dramatic situation occurred when Russian officials arrived. The place was swiftly stripped of flags and banners, although these were later restored once the Russians disappeared. The meeting continued with singing of Vårt land, 70 which later became Finland's national anthem. 71 The IFK movement could at times be transformed into pockets of political resistance. When asked about the reason for establishing IFK, Herbert connected the cultural and linguistic struggles with the youth movement of that period: It was that umbilical cord to the western world. During the period of Russification. Then of course, from a different perspective so this school youth, still 15-16-year-old boys who founded it, so it was such a generational issue as well. 72 IFKs past and present have always offered a variety of sports, and ice hockey has had a strong position in Finnish sports for decades, but football has remained a crucial component, attracting many members in present-day clubs. 73 Ulf, who works for IFK Mariehamn, connected football's position to Åland's Swedish links: [H]ockey is quite strong in many places. [But] here it is football that is deliberately strongest. And I think it has to do with the fact that we have strong ties to Sweden. And there, football is very strong. And big. And that we have taken a lot for the Swedish style and culture and . . . and football has always been big on Åland. [. . .] I think it has to do with this Swedish . . . Swedish connection quite simply. 74 Åbo IFK could claim football success already in 1910, the club won the Finnish championship, and continued to play in the finals in 1911, 1913, 1915, 1916, and 1917. 75 Helsingfors IFK claimed the title as champions of Finland seven times between 1930 and 1961. 76 The 'golden era', which many old clubs refer to and construct their stories with, 77 helps sustain their image and promote their historical importance. As the IFKs in Finland predate the state itself, their glories often belong to the past, which leads to nostalgia. 78 IFK Mariehamn presents a different narrative. When its representatives are asked about an important historical event, 2016 stands out. In 2016 the club won the Finnish league for the first time. The year provided a record crowd attendance, a historical national win and even entry to the qualification rounds of the European Champions League. As Björn, an IFK Mariehamn supporter, expressed it: After the Finnish Championship gold in 2016, it is so . . . . Plus the cup, that we have won the cup. After you achieve such successes [. . .] You have experienced the best already so that . . . it (IFK) suffers a bit from it already. I think. It succeeded in the impossible, to win the Finnish league. The team was good, good players, good balance between Ålanders and foreign players, etc . . . Oh, that was so great. 79 The success was the culmination of decades of support, hard work and devotion. All the emotional investment in the club paid off. IFK Mariehamn gave people a historic achievement to be proud of and connect to. IFK Mariehamn's past has just happened, in a sense. This relates to Glassie's remark that football clubs have a rudimentary function for small communities, namely to connect past, present and future: 'Football teams are established so future men will be able to assemble and save future hay'. 80 This quote indicates that the sustainability of a small community, such as Mariehamn, may be guaranteed by playing sports together. More generally, as Finland struggled through preindependence and tried to negotiate its position, organizations like IFK offered a place to gather, discuss and unite. The Swedish language was an additional component in this mix. Team sports, like football, proved fruitful in building connections and establishing networks that connected to other contexts in society.
Local patriotism and identity were stressed by my informants. Björn remarked that IFK Mariehamn was like a national team for a small island nation, stretching its meaning beyond local football. Their biggest achievement was recently experienced and a sense of fulfilment carries the club towards the future.

Olympic team without a country
Something often referred to by the IFK clubs in Finland is the Finnish football team's participation in the Olympic Games before the country itself gained independence. During the Stockholm Olympic Games in 1912, Finland was a part of Russia, but the young Football Association received permission to represent Finland without showing national colours. 81 It was unclear until the last minute whether the team would be allowed to participate. Of the eleven football teams that participated in Stockholm, Finland had the smallest squad of only 15 players. 82 Herbert referenced the games: But the Stockholm Olympics must be remembered. You may have heard that anecdote . . . yes it is not an anecdote. But like it was part of the Tsarist Russia . . . but Finland played with its own team, and . . . then did not have its own flag, nothing, and the Finnish national team . . . if you can call it that . . . so half were IFKmembers and played in IFK shirts, with only the star covered by the Finnish coat of arms. 83 The Olympic team consisted of players from just three teams: the Finnish-language Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi, and the Swedish-language Kronohagens Idrottsförening and Helsingfors IFK. Five players from Helsingfors IFK's ranks were chosen for the national squad. 84 Several of them became crucial for the development of football in Finland. 85 A colourful character who played both at the Olympic Games and in two of the Finnish IFKs -Helsingfors IFK and IFK Viborg -was Algoth Niska. Born in the city of Viborg 86 and belonging to the Swedish-speaking minority, Niska was a good football player who later became a legendary smuggler. He smuggled alcohol during Finland's prohibition period that began in 1919. He rescued Jews during World War II, smuggling around 150 people. He also wrote an autobiography. 87 Niska has become a folk hero representing Finland's turbulent twentieth century history. His folk hero status may be considered in light of Glassie's comments on the use of certain characters in narratives: 'Real people are used in story to symbolize abstract principles. They are formed in words, set in action, to enable philosophical discourse'. 88 Niska's sporting achievements are lifted as well, making him a complex figure and an interesting protagonist in stories. 89 In a sense, he symbolizes a perfect comrade, embodying the characteristics of stamina, friendship, and skill.
As Finland did not have a national football kit for the Olympics, red football shirts from Helsingfors IFK were adopted, with a yellow lion replacing the star that symbolizes IFK. 90 Finland finished fourth, which remains their best achievement in an international competition. The national team's victory over Russia was especially crucial and had 'big psychological meaning' for the team and the country. 91 In the official report from the Olympic Games in Stockholm, 92 a brief statement from the Russia-Finland game reads: The early hour at which this match was played, and the interesting events which were to come off later on in the day, had the result that there were only a couple of hundred spectators present when the referee blew the whistle for the start. It could be seen from the first that the two teams knew each other's "points" very well and, although they were the least bit stiff after the fatiguing match against Italy, the Finns played all the time as if they knew that they would win. [. . .]No complaint could be made as to the pace of the play, which was very fast the whole of the time -the remarkable pace of the Russian players contributing not least to this -but there is not SO much to say as regards the science and combination shown. A couple of first-class Swedish clubs could have shown better form. 93 Finland's involvement in the Olympic Games before independence was largely due to the enthusiasm of school youngsters who embraced ideas of sport, turned it into associations and used them for strengthening and spreading other narratives present in society. IFK is not the only force that made Finland appear on the international football arena, but it certainly had a big impact.
Russia tried to stop the Finnish team altogether and protested against their marching music, emblems and any other signs of Finnish nationalism. When it was finally allowed to participate, the Finland team was banned from using its flag if it received medals, and was instructed to use Russia's flag instead. 94 The president and founder of the International Olympic Committee, Pierre de Coubertin, was against this compromise and commented that Russia's demand was motivated purely by its desire to see its own flag on proud display. 95 After the match between Finland and Russia, two Russians flags were waving, with one additionally decorated with the words: 'Finland won'. 96 With nine medals won (while Russia won none), it was a success story for Finland, and its diplomatic efforts during the Olympic Games were regarded by Russia as political.
Modern re-telling of these events present them as a step towards national identity, a statement of independence from Russia and a leap in the process that helped to shape a new, independent country. Those, such as Uno Westerholm, who played and held leading positions in IFKs during that time used their international contacts and built networks. My informants had no doubts that the IFK club network was an important factor in building and sustaining the Finnish national football team. Krista commented on the successful players from ÅboIFK: Because we had many, many national players then and during this period . . . so . . . it says in our history that we nurtured . . . during a 20-year period, 1914 to 1934, we had almost an entire opening team. And [. . .] we had many who played in the national team. 97 Krista named Charles Stormbom, Börje Root and Einar Grannas as some of the prominent players. The claim that Åbo IFK provided an entire national team is a bold one, but a look into the statistics shows that it is not entirely true. 98 Many of Finland's national team players between 1911 and the 1930s came from IFK clubs and, at some matches (for example in the early 1930s), IFKs' members clearly dominated the Finnish squad. At times, though, many footballers came from Helsinki's predominantly Finnish-speaking club Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi (est. 1907). 99 Yet, the importance and position of the IFK clubs is clear. The existence of IFK was connected to the Swedish cultural sphere, and their growth was possible because of the language connection. They helped, in turn, to nurture Finnish football.

The order of the four-pointed star
One additional organization within IFK was formed in 1928. Den Fyruddiga Stjärnans Orden (The Order of the Four-Pointed star or DFS) was, according to the organization itself, established: [B]y the same men who started the IFKmovement, so that IFK members, after their active time, would be given the opportunity to meet and socialize with other older IFK members [. . .] within and outside their own association. 100 The organization is still active, with Swedish and Finnish members. Its ideology is built on the symbol of IFK, a blue four-pointed star on a white background. The four points symbolize persistence, skill, power and friendship. The DFS writes further on its web page: It all culminates in IFKKAMRATERNA, whose members with IFK's guiding star as a symbol must show PERSISTENCE through continuous training, practice their SKILLS and inherent aptitudes for certain sports and gather the POWER, strength and condition required for good sports performance. The order is organized in lodges, with a 'grand master'. The main lodge is in Stockholm, but two are in Finland, in Helsingfors and in Mariehamn. Krista, who works for Åbo IFK, knew about the DFS but had no immediate interest in it. 104 One has to be a member in one of IFKs to be admitted to the DFS. The organization operates like any other club, and its historical value is often stressed. The elements of IFK that might have been lost in the whirlpool of history have been transferred to the DFS for safekeeping. Thus, IFK can be a rather anonymous sporting activity, or acquire different flavours from their surroundings and specific contexts, as the philosophical understanding of 'what it is to be IFK' can be found somewhere else. This is of course not a strict distinction. However, it highlights another layer of communication developed through IFK.

Concluding remarks
'The saga of IFK' 105 is also a saga of football development in Finland and of the cultural capital that could be used to build its independence and its nationality. Based on its former 'mother-country' -Sweden -the IFK movement was able to import different elements from the emerging sport movement and youth culture, from schools that prepared the next generation's educated classes that could be established in Finland because of cultural, historical and geographical proximity. 106 When browsing through the sporting achievements in Kamraten and NordisktIdrottslif, Sweden and Finland merge together, sharing contests, competitions, and excursions, and communicating through letters and accounts from young sport enthusiasts. IFKs evolved and adapted to the changing socio-cultural climate. My informants looked at their history as a resource, a reason for their club's existence, and a point of pride. History marks both continuation and change.Henry Glassie connected the two elements in his analysis of a changing community and stated that change is 'the normal state of human affairs. History, like the weather, is an inescapable condition. It must be watched so life can be adjusted to its power'. 107 The IFK clubs discussed here are active and visible. They provide their members with a package of cultural capital that make the engagement meaningful. Historical upheavals and political and ideological battles are visible through the IFK clubs' histories. Further, the movement's Swedish heritage means that the clubs can claim a forefront in the shaping of Finland's emerging identity. Krista from Åbo IFK, when asked about the importance of being connected to the organization, replied: 'Once a comrade, always a comrade'. The phrase is well-known and used in the IFK context. In her narrative, the social was blended with the will to stay strong and healthy, but also to build connections that would remain for life.
The phrase 'Once a comrade, always a comrade' has been popular throughout the last 100 years. For example, a book commemorating 30 years of Helsingfors IFK ends its introduction with those words. United around a seemingly trivial activity, as sports in general and football in particular, the IFKs could be viewed as a process, as a movement through times and spaces, that provided Finland with elements that became important for its national identity.