‘Turku Ratapiha’ destination par excellence

Article posted by Coliseum, January 8^th, 2025

Image: Coliseum GSVA

Päivi Rytsä comes across a person with a calm demeanor and she is full of intense excitement over the largest experience and event center envisioned in Turku (Finland) which will serve as a hub for the Nordic countries.

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Rytsä hopes that the Ratapiha Arena being planned for the top-notch ice hockey team of Finland – HC TPS – as part of the above development will be ready by 2029 “when we will be celebrating 800 years of Turku’s existence which is the oldest City in Finland which was found in the year 1229”.

Päivi Rytsä is the Board Member of HC TPS since 2020 and has over 25 years of experience in service business development and management. She is also a Board Member of the Turku Ratapiha development project.

In a talk with ‘Coliseum’, Päivi Rytsä, Board Member, HC TPS and New Arena Ratapiha, Finland, underscores that it is essential that venues boast smooth transportation facilities for ease of the fans as well as the visitors and she says that the venue being planned for TPS as part of the ‘Turku Ratapiha’ project will ensure reaching the facility is a cakewalk. She also pointed out that venues located near the City Center is a big plus for the fans in terms of accessibility and also opens up geyser of opportunities.

HC TPS

The HC TPS is an ice hockey team and 10-time champion of SM-Liiga (the top professional ice hockey league in Finland). They play in Turku, Finland, at the 11,820-capacity Gatorade Center.

Päivi Rytsä informed that the HC TPS is one of the biggest sports club in Finland.

‘Turku Ratapiha’ Project

The ‘Turku Ratapiha’ project is a large-scale urban development plan in Turku, Finland, focused on transforming the City’s railway yard area into a vibrant new City Center with a world-class event arena, hotels, shops, restaurants, offices, and apartments aiming to significantly enhance the daily lives of the Turku residents through top-tier technology and service design. The Ratapiha Arena is also being planned for the HC TPS as part of the project.

Rytsä termed the above development as a “new unique experience hub in the Nordic countries with Finland as the City Center with an arena planned and other facilities. The new arena being planned for TPS will not only host ice hockey events but it will also serve as a venue for concerts, public events, corporate events, trade fairs, and so on.”

The ‘Turku Ratapiha’ project will not “just be a destination but it will be an experience in itself. It will enjoy apartments, sport facilities, a hotel will sit next to the arena, office spaces, a year-round destination for the tourists, grocery stores, and daycare facilities which will suit the families’ fine. The overall price tag will stand at 700 million euros.”

Rytsä described the above as “a very big development in Finland and in general in the Nordic countries and we plan to start the construction in 2025 or 2026. The new hub will sit next to the Logomo (a cultural center located in Turku, Finland) and the City Center will also sit near to the entire development.”

She pointed out that the Gatorade Center where the TPS play right now is not situated near to the City Center and the present arena is not fan-friendly in terms of smooth transportation “and is in middle of Norway”.

Rytsä stated that the new arena being planned will be cutting-edge and the capacity will be “10,000 for concerts, for ice hockey less than 9,000. It will also boast eateries, kiosks and rooftop restaurants”.

Wrap-up

She said that the location aspect of a venue is “very important and we want to make it easier for our fans and guests to reach the arena by bus, in the future by tram, walking, cycling, or even by cars. Being near to the City Center also opens up endless opportunities. Content is another important factor.”

Päivi Rytsä concluded by informing that though the above development was planned more than seven years back but COVID coupled with the Russia-Ukraine war proved to be stumbling blocks but “we are on our way and it is a great development”.

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