According to Urheilu’s expert Pauliina Miettinen, KuPS is a good example of a club that has invested in women’s football. It is also reflected in the results.
Anu Karttunen,
Hinn Hirvonen
The National Football League ended again with the championship celebration of Kuopio’s KuPS. Traditional successful club HJK and Åland United took the duller medals.
Where is the National League going and what is its future? Sports expert Pauliina Miettinen and Balloliitto’s development manager Heidi Pihlaja demand quality for the players in everyday life, so that Finnish Women’s Futis can meet international leagues and players.
– In Finland, the situation is the same as elsewhere: success follows money. Where there is money, there are better players and generally better conditions. Investments have been made in Kuopio, as in HJK and Åland. The best players navigate there until they go abroad, Miettinen said.
Pihlaja emphasizes that women’s football is currently in an interesting situation. In Europe, Club teams are developing at a fast pace, and this challenges Finnish clubs. In different parts of Europe, organizations that have traditionally had strong men’s teams have recently also grown the women’s side.
– The question is, how do we strengthen our club organizations here so that we can develop better players and offer players better environments, Pihlaja said.
According to Miettinen and Pihlaja, the key to development is quality everyday life. The fact that the players are able to focus on football in better conditions. With long-term work, it can be seen on the field.
– The everyday life of the players in every club is important. The players must be made to train in the morning, not to work eight hours a day. It should be possible in every team, Miettinen said.
According to Pihlaja, every club should stop and think about what they really want in a club. What kind of environment and goals do the clubs have for top women’s soccer, right there in their own town.
At the moment, one of the problems that has emerged in Finland is that top players go abroad at a very fast pace. There are many high-quality series available in Europe, as well as in the United States. The same concern has now also been raised in Sweden, where many Finnish players have moved to play.
In Pihlaja’s opinion, the better opportunities can be offered to the players, the longer they will continue in the domestic leagues.
– I also look at the structures. (At the International Football Association) FIFA has long been preparing a breeder’s scholarship system for the women’s side as well. I see it as really important that the clubs also receive a financial incentive for cultivating good players.
The national league and Ykkönen development will be considered during the fall. According to Pihlaja, the review is going to be done critically, and the deliberations will look at, among other things, what level of requirements the league should have.
According to Miettinen, the level of requirements must be raised even further if Finland wants to stay involved in international development.
– The level and level of requirements must be raised, the quality of everyday life, and the competition must be tougher. The world is going really hard and we have to be able to respond to it in some way. That’s why our coaches must be the first to demand that quality, Miettinen said.
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