Varala Sports Institute (Varalan Urheiluopisto)

Varala Sports Institute, located right by Lake Pyhäjärvi just a few minutes from Tampere downtown, is a leading sports education institute, a growing training center and a versatile center for sports, leisure and recreational activities. Varala, a pioneer in its field, was founded back in 1909 and has evolved over the years from a small gymnastics center for women to an active multifaceted sport, leisure and education center that is open to everyone. Varala’s approach to sports and leisure is extremely inclusive ranging from physical education of preschoolers to recreational activities for businesses, not to forget elderly people or families. Varala’s educational offering covers a whole range of services for sports professionals from sports instructors to top-level coaches. It includes things like vocational qualification for sport assistant, physical instructor training and vocational further education and training for professionals working for sport clubs or with children and swimming hall and spa professionals, just to name a few examples. We also offer instructor and coach education in close co-operation with various top sports associations like Finnish Judo, Volleyball, Swimming, Amateur Athletics, Sport divers and Gymnastics and Fitness Associations. Additional Varala leads Tampere Sports Academy activities. Varala has also a Testing and Consultancy Center that is a service unit for exercise testing and research in the areas of fitness, sport and physical activity. These services are available for demanding top athletes as well as to anyone else interested in getting accurate professional feedback on their physical condition. During the last years Varala has also extended its services to meet the varying needs of business customers in areas of sports, leisure and recreational activities. We organize both short and long courses in fitness and health-promoting exercise as well as fitness theme days for companies focusing on well being at work.