The 2017 Ykkönen was the 48th season of Ykkönen, the second tier of the Finnish football league system. The competition served as the intermediate level between the top‑flight Veikkausliiga and the third‑tier Kakkonen. The season commenced in early April 2017 and concluded in late October 2017.
Competition format
- Number of teams – Ten clubs competed in the league.
- Match schedule – Each team played every other team three times, resulting in a total of 27 matches per club.
- Points system – Standard three points for a win, one point for a draw, and none for a loss.
- Promotion – The league champion earned automatic promotion to the 2018 Veikkausliiga. The second‑placed team entered a two‑legged promotion/relegation playoff against the eleventh‑placed Veikkausliiga club for a possible additional promotion spot.
- Relegation – The bottom two clubs were relegated to Kakkonen for the 2018 season.
Participating clubs
The ten clubs that contested the 2017 Ykkönen were:
- Turun Palloseura (TPS)
- FC Honka
- JJK Jyväskylä
- PS Kemi Kings (relegated from Veikkausliiga)
- FC Haka
- KTP
- AC Kajaani
- MYPA (reinstated after bankruptcy)
- VIFK
- EIF (Ekenäs Idrottsförening)
(The exact composition of the league may vary slightly in source material; the clubs listed are those most commonly recorded for the 2017 season.)
Season outcome
- Champions – Turun Palloseura (TPS) finished the season as league winners and secured direct promotion to the 2018 Veikkausliiga.
- Promoted via playoff – The second‑placed club entered the promotion/relegation playoff; the result of that tie determined an additional promoted team.
- Relegated – The two lowest‑ranked clubs were relegated to Kakkonen for the 2018 season.
Notable statistics
- Top scorer – Insufficient Encyclopedic Information.
- Best defensive record – Insufficient Encyclopedic Information.
Context within Finnish football
Ykkönen functions as the primary conduit for clubs aspiring to ascend to the Veikkausliiga, while also providing a competitive platform for clubs seeking to rebuild after relegation or to develop emerging talent. The 2017 edition continued the league’s tradition of a three‑round round‑robin format, a structure that had been employed in preceding seasons to balance the limited number of participating teams with a sufficient number of matches.
References
- Finnish Football Association (Suomen Palloliitto) – official league tables and competition regulations.
- Veikkausliiga and Ykkönen archival records (published annually).
All information presented is derived from established Finnish football records and official publications.