AKK Sports Oy and Secto Rally Finland begin cooperation with Tammerch, a manufacturer of fan merchandise – the first fan products will go on sale in March

As a result of the partnership, the rally’s fan merchandise range will expand significantly, while major investments will also be made to improve product availability. Tammerch’s Chief Operating Officer, Aki Hautamäki, promises that next summer fans will be able to find merchandise and fan engagement opportunities at Jyväskylä’s Harju area, the city’s pedestrian street, and selected special stages.

“Our motto is to be wherever the fans are,” says Hautamäki.

Tammerch has built an exceptionally extensive and successful fan merchandise business in Finnish ice hockey. According to Hautamäki, the new partnership represents the company’s largest business expansion into a new—though not unfamiliar—field in its history.

“Understanding fans and their needs is at the core of our business, regardless of the sport,” Hautamäki summarizes. “We sell passion.”

While ice hockey fandom is typically centered around individual teams, Hautamäki believes rallying is something that belongs to the entire nation. For many people, attending the FIA World Rally Championship event in Finland is a tradition and an experience that brings generations together. Although Tammerch’s broad merchandise collection is being developed with rally fans’ needs in mind, some inspiration will also be drawn from the hockey world, Hautamäki reveals. One example is the scarves that are familiar from ice hockey arenas.

The partnership between AKK Motorsport, Secto Rally Finland, and Tammerch will begin by making customized products available to fans already during the spring. The Finnish round of the FIA World Rally Championship celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, and the milestone will be reflected in special commemorative collector’s items, which will be revealed in more detail at a later date.

According to AKK’s Commercial Director Paula Paappanen, the partnership aims not only to expand the merchandise offering but also to broaden the partner network, develop new joint concepts, and create platforms where fans, brands, and communities from different sports can come together.

“Secto Rally Finland’s slogan, More than a Rally, strongly supports the direction of this collaboration: rallying is not just a competition, but part of a broader experience and cultural phenomenon in which fans play a central role,” says Paappanen.

According to Paappanen, motorsport and ice hockey audiences are united by passion, a sense of community, and a strong connection to their sport and its hero stories.

“At the heart of this partnership is the idea of bringing different audiences together: motorsport enthusiasts follow ice hockey, and ice hockey fans are interested in motorsport as well.”

AKK’s Key Account Manager for Sustainability, Lassi Paju, welcomes the new partnership. According to Paju, both Tammerch and AKK place a strong emphasis on long-term commitment, community spirit, and the sustainable development of fan culture.

“Through this partnership, we are committed to responsible manufacturing and high-quality products, whether it is fan merchandise, year-round apparel for AKK personnel working in demanding competition conditions, or the clothing provided for the approximately 4,500 volunteers of Secto Rally Finland. In addition, corporate and representative apparel is viewed as part of a professional and sustainable overall approach,” says Paju. “When values align, meaningful collaboration is created.”

AKK’s Key Account Manager for Sustainability, Lassi Paju, welcomes the new partnership. According to Paju, both Tammerch and AKK place a strong emphasis on long-term commitment, community spirit, and the sustainable development of fan culture.

“Through this partnership, we are committed to responsible manufacturing and high-quality products, whether it is fan merchandise, year-round apparel for AKK personnel working in demanding competition conditions, or the clothing provided for the approximately 4,500 volunteers of Secto Rally Finland. In addition, corporate and representative apparel is viewed as part of a professional and sustainable overall approach,” says Paju. “When values align, meaningful collaboration is created.”

AKK Sports Oy
Lassi Paju
Account Manager & Sustainability
lassi.paju@autourheilu.fi
Tel. 050 464 8328

Tammerch Finland
Aki Hautamäki
Chief Operating Officer – Tammerch
Tel. 044 785 0204
aki.hautamaki@tammerch.fi

Tommi Rintala
Sales Manager – Tammerch
Tel. 040 7387629
tommi.rintala@tammerch.fi