Sports and outdoor life

People in Åland are very much interested in sports. There are plenty of opportunities for you if you want to play football, floorball, ice hockey, golf, tennis, badminton, and many other sports.

Athletic Åland

Sports clubs have ambitious child and youth programmes and gladly welcome new members, including adults.

Sports facilities to be mentioned are the Islandia rink in Mariehamn, Eckerö hall with a full sized indoor football field in Eckerö, and the beautiful golf course with two 18-hole tracks in Kastelholm. The Mariehamn sports yard with its bowling lanes, courts for tennis and padel, and gymnastics hall among others, is a popular gathering point.

There are also many Disc golf courses. The goal is one course in each municipality.

Åland offers swimming experiences for all choices in the Mariebad bath in Mariehamn, and the swimming and sports facility in Godby.

Exciting and speedy harness racing events are arranged on the Ålandstravet in Jomala during summer and early autumn, with both professional and amateur coaches from Sweden and Finland.

Mariehamn has two sailing clubs with a number of member activities for both sailboat and motorboat enthusiasts. Both clubs offer also great possibilities for children and adolescents that wish to develop their skills.

Long distance skating is becoming more and more popular during winter; the inner bays freeze over early and stay frozen until late spring. A relaxing experience in the nature that differs from the ordinary.

Sports clubs

A selection of different sports clubs in Åland (information mostly in Swedish):

Outdoor life

The archipelago nature offers fantastic sceneries and contrasts. Red granite slabs contrasting with snow in winter, an explosion of flowers in spring, white sails on the blue bay or leafy greenery in summer, and fireworks of green, yellow, and red in autumn. The surrounding sea preserves the summer warmth so you feel it even in autumn. Opportunities for picking berries and mushrooms, trekking and exciting outings are endless.

The people of Åland love to spend time close to and on the sea. Most have their own personal boats, sometimes even two or three. When you look at the map, you’ll understand why. Water is always close to your home, but it takes most likely more than a lifetime to discover all the bays, beaches, and uninhabited islands in the archipelago.

The rules of the legal right of access to private land (allemansrätten) are largely the same in Åland as they are in rest of Norden, with some exceptions. Fishing permit is required for all fishing without an angle.

Read more about the legal right of access to private land on Visitaland.com