During February, Finnish Rugby Federation is running a campaign to encourage people to try rugby and to raise awareness of the sport. We also want to bring the spotlight to the work our member clubs do and to their activities. Clubs will organise beginners courses, open trainings or offer other low threshold ways of trying the sport. Information on these will be shared on the federation social media so follow us on Instagram and Facebook. In addition, at the end of this article there is a list of training times for the clubs as well as planned beginners courses and other activities. You can find the contact information for the clubs here.

Photo: Laura Helminen
Starting rugby does not require you to be familiar with the game beforehand. New players and people trying the sport are always welcomed at clubs so if you have always wanted to try rugby or even thought about that it might be the sport for you, check your closest club below and send them a message.
Rugby is a small sport in Finland but widely known globally. It is a growing sport and the number of players is increasing especially among women. In Finland, we play rugby union and its 15 and 7 player formats. In 15s rugby, the team is divided into back and forwards based on their strengths and roles. The different positions in 15s guarantee that there is a place for everyone on the pitch. Rugby sevens is familiar from the Olympics and is the faster format of the game. 15s rugby season in Finland is during the summer whereas 7s rugby is played over winter on artificial turf.
Rugby is for everyone and people with very different backgrounds are playing the game. Some come from other sports whereas others have not played sports before. If you are apprehensive about playing a contact sport, we can ensure that everyone is introduced to tackling safety. Some clubs also offer touch rugby, a non-contact version of the sport.
We hope to see you on the rugby pitch!
Below you can find training times for the clubs and beginners course information.
Espoo Rugby Club
Training times: Friday 20.00-21.00 Esport Areena
Training times:
Tuesday 19.00-20.00 (men + women) Pallomylly
Thursday 20.00-21.00 (men + women) Töölön pallokenttä 3
Sunday (odd weeks) 17.30-18.30 (men + juniors) Pallomylly
16.00-17.00 (women) Liikuntamyllyn painisali
Sunday (even weeks) 17.30-18.30 (women + juniors) Pallomylly
16.00-17.00 (men) Liikuntamyllyn painisali
Jyväskylä Rugby Club
Training times:
Monday 20.45-22.00 Vehkahalli
Thursday 20.45-22.00 Vehkahalli
Beginners Course: 17.2 ja 20.2. Klo 20.45-22.00, Vehkahalli
Karjala Rugby Joensuu
Beginners Course (men and women)
Tuesday 4.2. 19.30-21.30 Areena (Mehtimäenaukio 2)
Thursday 6.2. Urheilutalo tatami (Koskikatu 12)
Tuesday 11.2. 20-21.30 Areena (Mehtimäenaukio 2)
Thursday 13.2. 18.30-20 Urheilutalo tatami (Koskikatu 12)
Tuesday 18.2. 20-21.30, Areena (Mehtimäenaukio 2)
Thursday 20.2. 18.30-20 Urheilutalo tatami (Koskikatu 12)
Kiuru Rugby Club (Kiuruvesi)
Kuopio Rugby Club
Beginners Course18.-27.2.
Tuesday 20.30-22.00, Lippumäen ylipainehalli kenttä 2 (Rauhalahdentie 68)
Thursday 20.00-21.20 harjoitukset tatamilla, Kuopion Liikunta- ja kamppailukeskus Liike (Väliköntie 4)
Linna Rugby Club (Hämeenlinna)
Always open trainings: Sunday 19.00-20.00, Säästöpankki Areena
Try Rugby Saturday 15.2. 20.30-21.30 (Säästöpankki Areena)
Old Town Shamrocks (Porvoo)
Oulu Rugby Club
Training times:
Monday 20.00-21.30 Ouluhalli
Tuesday 21.30-23.00 Heinäpään jalkapallohalli
Beginners Course starts 10.2.
Pori Rugby
Saimaa Sharks (Lappeenranta)
Training times:
Monday 19.30-21.00 Lappeenrannan urheilutalo, painisali
Thursday 19.30-21.00 Lyseon lukion liikuntasali
Beginners Course starting on 3.2. for 3 weeks
Monday 19.30-21.00 (Lappeenrannan urheilutalo, painisali)
Thursday 19.30-21.00 (Lyseon lukion liikuntasali)
Seinäjoki Rugby
Training times:
Tuesday 19.30-21.00 Nurmohalli, painisali
Thursday 19.30-20.30 Seinäjoki Areena, Halli B, lohko 1
Tallinn Kalev
Tampere Rugby Club
Turku Eagles
Training times:
Monday 20.00-21.00 touch rugby, 21.00-22.00 treenit Impivaaran jalkapallohalli
Wednesday 20.40-22.00 Impivaaran jalkapallohalli
Vaasa
Warriors Rugby Club (Helsinki)
Training times:
Wednesday 19:00 – 20:30, Tali halli
Sunday 18:30 – 20:00, Tali halli
Beginners can join any training and try rugby for free for 2 months
Wizards of Oulu Rugby
Training times:
Wednesday 20.00-21.00 Kellon koulusali
Thursday 21.30-23.00 Heinäpään jalkapallohalli
Saturday 7.30-9.00 Heinäpään jalkapallohalli