JYP returns home as Jyväskylä arena rebuild continues
Sunday 11th October 2026 on 10:45 in
Finland
JYP will play its first home game of the league season on Wednesday after 10 away games, while construction continues at the team’s arena in the Hippos sports complex in Jyväskylä, Yle reports.
The renovation has left only part of the old ice hall open to spectators. About 3,200 people can attend games this autumn, with capacity expected to rise to around 4,000 when the closed end of the arena opens around the turn of the year. Spectators can enter from the B side, and the A1 entrance will also be opened through the construction site.
The D end of the hall was demolished last spring and replaced with a taller structure containing technical equipment for the existing and new arenas. The rink was also rebuilt over the summer with new cooling pipes. Work will continue behind a temporary wall during the league season, as construction also proceeds along both sides of the hall.
“I have to admit, the schedule became tight. The summer break at an ice hall is a really short time to build this much,” said Kai Ruuhonen, project director for the Hippos centre.
At the turn of the year, some suites will be taken out of use and the corridors along the sides will become narrower. The changes will prepare the hall for a larger renovation next summer, when its roof and another end will be demolished. The new ice sports centre will retain only the old hall’s steep concrete grandstand structures.
JYP captain Jere Lassila said the long absence from the home arena had changed the team’s routine. Players have been training at the Buugi sports centre, travelling between the two venues for practices and gym sessions.
The team’s run of away games has also brought players together, Lassila said, particularly with new members in the squad. JYP trained on the Hippos ice this week, and he said the new cooling technology had noticeably improved its quality.
JYP is scheduled to play 11 home games in October and November. “It’s a special feeling for me to hear the noise and the support again,” Lassila said.
The future Hippos ice sports centre will also include three practice rinks. Lassila said they would be important for junior activities, which have long been affected by indoor air problems at the current practice hall. Other planned facilities at Hippos include a centre for expertise, a sports centre and a parking garage.