Save Pond Hockey

What Save Pond Hockey does

Save Pond Hockey ry is a Finnish non-profit association (registered yhdistys, Business ID: 2685136-4) founded in 2015 by Steve Baynes (Canadian, Executive Director) and Svante Suominen (Finnish co-founder, now Senior Advisor). The organization is headquartered in Helsinki and operates regional chapters in Germany, the United States, and Switzerland. It is not a technology company.

The organization's core offering is organizing outdoor pond hockey tournaments worldwide — 40+ tournaments across 5+ countries (Finland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, Canada, USA, India) following a 4v4 no-referee format emphasizing sportsmanship. Tournament registration fees, supporting memberships (€10/year), corporate sponsorships (Liiga as main partner; SmartFarm as 2025-2026 main partner), and merchandise generate revenue. The majority of proceeds are donated to climate action projects, including forest and wetland protection, CO2 emissions prevention via EU ETS allowances purchased through CO2esto Oy, and funding for an electric Zamboni for Hay River, Canada. In February 2024, the organization co-purchased 50 hectares of the Kontiosuo peat bog in Kuusamo with the Finnish Natural Heritage Foundation using €20,000 from 2023 Helsinki tournament profits.

Cumulative impact includes 40+ tournaments organized, 7,000+ participants, and over €150,000 donated to climate projects since 2015. The movement is endorsed by Hockey Hall of Famers, Olympic champions, NHL legends, and the President of Finland. Distribution runs through the Holvi.com e-commerce platform, a Partner Tournament network of 8+ events donating >1% of profits, and ambassador-led earned media. No external shareholders, parent company, or institutional investment have been disclosed; operations are funded entirely by tournament fees, sponsorships, supporting memberships, and merchandise.

Name

Save Pond Hockey

Legal name

Save Pond Hockey ry

Website

https://savepondhockey.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Save Pond Hockey ry is a Finnish non-profit association that organizes outdoor pond hockey tournaments across 5+ countries to fund climate action. Since 2015, it has run 40+ tournaments and donated over €150,000 to climate projects.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Outdoor Sports Event Organization and Climate Advocacy

NAICS

Spectator Sports (71121)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAKADAH

Amateur & Grassroots Tournament Organizers

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Sports (Leagues, Teams, Events, Venues)/Sports Event & Tournament Organizers (Tours, Championships, Meets)

SECONDARYMPAKACAL

Amateur Event & Tournament Organizers (Meets, Invitationals, Opens)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Sports (Leagues, Teams, Events, Venues)/Collegiate & Amateur Sports Organizations (NCAA, Federations, Clubs)

SECONDARYBPAGAGAE

Marine & Freshwater Conservation

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Environmental & Conservation Organizations

Keywords

• Outdoor hockey tournaments
• Climate action fundraising
• Nonprofit association
• Community sports events
• Sustainability advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Helsinki

HQ country

Finland

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Tournament Registration Fees: Teams and sponsors register for tournaments for fees that are partially donated to climate action projects. Tournament profits are the primary revenue stream.
2. Supporting Membership: Individuals can join as Supporting Members for €10/year to support the movement's growth and development.
3. Sponsorship Revenue: Corporate sponsors (such as Liiga, Ilmatar, PME Records, and others) provide sponsorship for tournaments in exchange for brand visibility.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Save Pond Hockey organizes and hosts outdoor pond hockey tournaments in a 4-on-4, no-referee format across 5+ countries (Finland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, Canada, USA, India), channeling a portion of tournament proceeds to climate action projects such as wetland protection, CO2 emissions prevention via EU ETS allowances, and electric Zamboni support. The organization complements the tournaments with a €10/year Supporting Membership, a Partner Tournament program (existing tournaments that donate ≥1% of profits), the "Saving Pond Hockey" documentary, and merchandise packages for member teams.

Product overview

Save Pond Hockey is a global movement organizing outdoor pond hockey tournaments to fund climate action. The core offering is the tournament program, held across 5+ countries (Finland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Canada, USA, India), with tournaments following a 4v4 no-referee format emphasizing sportsmanship. The organization also operates a Supporting Membership (€10/year) for individual supporters, a Partner Tournament program for existing events to join the movement, and offers merchandise packages. Total impact: 40+ tournaments organized, €150,000+ donated to climate projects, 7,000+ players参与. Climate projects funded include forest/wetland protection, CO2 emissions prevention, electric Zamboni purchases, and biodiversity initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Save Pond Hockey Tournaments Outdoor pond hockey tournaments in a 4v4, no-referee format held on natural or outdoor ice across Finland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, Canada, USA, and India, with a portion of proceeds donated to climate action projects such as wetland protection, CO2 emissions prevention, and electric equipment support.
• Supporting Membership Annual individual membership priced at €10/year that allows supporters to back the Save Pond Hockey movement's growth and development, available via the Holvi.com storefront.
• Partner Tournaments Program enabling existing outdoor hockey tournaments (such as Polar Pond Hockey in Canada, Pond Hockey World Cup in Finland, Arctic Pond Hockey Games in Sweden, Hard Pass NYC in USA, Himalayan Pond Hockey Tournament in India, Pond Hockey Austria, Himos Pond Hockey, SunCity Pipolätkä, and The Women of Winter) to affiliate with the Save Pond Hockey movement by donating at least 1% of profits to climate action.
• Saving Pond Hockey Documentary Documentary film by Jonas Julian Köck chronicling the founding of Save Pond Hockey and its founders' mission to combat climate change through pond hockey tournaments, distributed via the Save Pond Hockey website.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered main partner 2025-2026, main partner, core and minor.

• SmartFarmmain partner 2025-2026Strategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Main Partner for the 2025-2026 season.
• Liigamain partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerLiiga is the main partner of Save Pond Hockey, providing significant support for tournament organization. Liiga has also published its carbon footprint and environmental program, potentially making it the first sports league in the world to do so.
• Protect Our Winters FinlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClimate organization of winter athletes. POW Finland and Save Pond Hockey co-advocate on climate issues and have issued joint statements, including discontinuing partnerships with organizations engaged in greenwashing.
• Finnish Natural Heritage Foundation (Luonnonperintösäätiö)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to permanently protect natural forests and wetlands in Finland. Save Pond Hockey donated €20,000 from the 2023 Helsinki tournament to protect 50 hectares at Kuusamo's Kontiosuo, a carbon-storing peat bog area.
• CO2esto OycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFinnish company that handles emission allowance transactions for Save Pond Hockey. They purchase EU ETS allowances to prevent emissions. 2020 Helsinki donation of €14,000 prevented 350 tonnes of CO2e.
• Finnish Association for Nature Conservation (SLL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple donations have been made to local chapters of the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation for climate and biodiversity projects.
• Hard Pass NYCcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner Tournament - New York City's first and only hockey social club. Organized the first US Save Pond Hockey tournament at Central Park's Wollman Rink in March 2024. Beneficiary: Prospect Park Alliance.
• Polar Pond Hockey (Hay River, Canada)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner Tournament in the Northwest Territories, Canada. Donated €20,000+ towards helping Hay River purchase a new electric Zamboni.
• Pond Hockey World Cup (Levi, Finland)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner Tournament in Levi, Finland. One of the largest partner tournaments with 150 teams and 1100+ players in 2025.
• Arctic Pond Hockey Games (Luleå, Sweden)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner Tournament in Luleå, Sweden.
• Himalayan Pond Hockey Tournament (Leh Ladakh, India)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner Tournament in Leh Ladakh, India - 2026 tournament.
• Himos Pond Hockey (Finland)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner Tournament in Himos, Finland.
• SunCity Pipolätkä (Vaasa, Finland)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner Tournament in Vaasa, Finland.
• Pond Hockey Austria (Weissensee, Austria)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner Tournament in Weissensee, Austria.
• RinkWatchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization supporting the Save Pond Hockey movement.
• BadvertisingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization (alongside POW Finland and CAPE) advocating against fossil fuel advertising and sponsorship.
• CAPE (Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in joint campaign to call on IIHF to drop Esso/ExxonMobil as World Juniors sponsor.
• City of JoensuuminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for 2020 Joensuu tournament. Donation of €3,000 went to ecological restoration of Murtosuo wetland (15.5 hectares).
• City of TurkuminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Turku tournaments. Donation of €1,750 to Powershift 2020 climate forum.
• IlmatarminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsor for multiple tournaments including Helsinki and Lappeenranta.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• NHL Green: The National Hockey League's sustainability and environmental initiative — a broader incumbent operating in the same hockey-and-climate intersection with far greater resources and league-level reach.
• Climate Reality Project: Large, established climate-advocacy organization with a global chapter network and significantly broader fundraising scale. Not a direct competitor but the natural incumbent comparison for donor-facing climate nonprofits.
• Protect Our Winters (US/Global): Global parent of the broader Protect Our Winters athlete-climate movement; larger scale, broader winter sports portfolio, and longer fundraising track record than Save Pond Hockey.

Direct peers

• Protect Our Winters (POW) Finland: Athlete-driven climate nonprofit mobilizing winter sports communities for advocacy and fundraising — the closest mission-comparable peer to Save Pond Hockey, and an active partner organization.
• Hard Pass NYC: New York City's first hockey social club; co-organized the first US Save Pond Hockey tournament at Wollman Rink in Central Park in March 2024. Closely aligned mission-driven hockey community organizer.
• Pond Hockey World Cup (Levi, Finland): Large-scale outdoor 4v4 pond hockey tournament held annually in Levi, Finland (150 teams, 1,100+ players in 2025). Sister-format competitor/partner that operates the largest grassroots pond hockey event in Save Pond Hockey's network.
• Pond Hockey Austria (Weissensee): Partner Tournament on Weissensee lake in Austria; comparable European outdoor pond hockey tournament format with a similar grassroots enthusiast base.
• Arctic Pond Hockey Games (Luleå, Sweden): Partner Tournament in northern Sweden operating a multi-day outdoor pond hockey format — directly comparable event product, target community, and climate-framing.
• RinkWatch: Citizen-science initiative tracking outdoor rink and pond ice conditions as a climate indicator. Partner of Save Pond Hockey with a near-identical climate-and-outdoor-ice thesis.
• Polar Pond Hockey (Hay River, Canada): Northwest Territories pond hockey tournament and Save Pond Hockey Partner Tournament; donated €20,000+ toward an electric Zamboni for Hay River. Closely comparable grassroots tournament organizer with environmental tie-in.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/savepondhockey
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCVMpCCp_qBFrwlJyibNSAzg
• Facebookfacebook.com/savepondhockey
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pond-hockey-ry
• Instagraminstagram.com/savepondhockey

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Save Pond Hockey