KANGASALA. In the global world and in global ball sports, you rarely see a major league club seeking success with only domestic forces these days.
The situation is the same in the volleyball women’s Championship League. Kuusamo, who has dominated the series for the last three seasons, has built its dynasty on strong foreign reinforcements. Even smaller league clubs usually have at least one player who learned volleyball outside of Finland.
LP Kangasala is an exception to the rule: its large player circle consists only of Finnish players.
The only help from abroad is the Swiss head coach Nicholas Buserwhich is also strongly associated with the blue cross flag. Buser, who coached the women’s national team for the past two years, has lived in Finland for half a decade and has also coached youth national teams. At the Kuortanene coaching center, he has instructed several age groups in Finnish volleyball.
– According to my passport, I am still Swiss. But I have adapted to the Finnish lifestyle in the last five years. I love this country and the people here, Buser, who was elected head coach of LP Kangasala in the spring, smiles.
– We are privileged when we do not have to rely on foreign reinforcements. The players wanted to come here, and we got the players we wanted, Buser explains.
The fact that no fewer than eleven LP Kangasala players played in either the adult or youth national team fits the pattern well. Also, for example, a wood chipper who has struggled with his health for a long time Iina Andrikopoulou is at his best a national team-level ball killer.
Buser has a group in his hands that can bring Kangasa the first Finnish championship in the club’s history after four silver medals. The head coach himself does not mention the championship goal out loud, but the central defender, who has become the regular face of the women’s national team Netta Rekola says directly what almost two national team level players on the field means in practice.
– We are all very ambitious and work hard to achieve our goals, Rekola says.
– Yes, the goal of the whole season is definitely to win that championship.
Developing environment
You can’t draw an equal sign between the main players of the national team and the LP Kangasala team, even though more than one of the red shirts on the field has experience with the women’s national team. Of the LP Kangasala group, only Rekola is currently a clear player in the national team’s starting line-up, but there is quality in the second passer Emmi from Jalos general player Iida Pöllänen. The playing style is also close to the national team.
– A fast attacking game is an international trend, and that’s what we strive for. However, this team has different strengths than the national team. Here we have eight, nine months to develop our common game, says Buser about the departure from coaching the national team.
The goal is to develop not only the team’s game, but also the players. The development opportunities at the individual level have indeed attracted many youth national team players to Pirkanmaa.
– I knew that the players are taken care of here and there are good training conditions here. The 16-year-old top promise who attends Sampo sports high school can also combine training with school Annika Koivuniemi justifies his choice.
Nikolas Buser is known to many young players from the youth national teams.
– He is a good coach who gives a lot of help for playing individually and as a team. I am satisfied, praises Koivuniemi.
In addition to the training and conditions, the presence of adult national team players also fascinates young people. 19 years old Eevi Lehmus glows the demanding, but developing atmosphere of the exercises.
– I have received tips from much more experienced players, it’s nice to receive it. Here, we encourage and want to move individuals and the team forward, but especially individuals. Especially when there are a lot of young players, it’s really important.
Add top players to the national team
The development of players is important not only on an individual level, but also for Finnish volleyball. Nikolas Buser’s two-year contract as head coach of the Finnish national team ended this fall. He will not apply for a continuation in his profession, but will focus on coaching the club team in the future.
Even though the national team gets a new head coach, the Swiss tries to promote Finnish player development in Kangasa.
– Ours [Suomessa] must be able to develop more players to the top level. Our opponents have players in absolute top leagues such as Italy, Turkey and the USA. Now we just have Kaisa Alanko at the very top level, Buser describes the situation.
– It is partly the task of the club teams in Finland, partly the Finnish national team. We all have to work to improve the level.
Buser sees a lot of potential in the youth age groups. The under-20 and 18-year-old teams have achieved promising results, ranking in the top ten in the European Championships. For example, the twenties defeated the top team in Serbia at the European Championships in August. At the level of adults, however, the level difference between Finland and Serbia is huge.
– The question is whether we can build an environment where they can practice so that they can continue their development. That the level difference wouldn’t grow so big in adults, Buser thinks.
The Swiss’s role in LP Kangasala’s team is quite similar to that of the national team’s head coach. At the same time, you should be successful and develop players. The national team didn’t have success in the European Championships a year ago or in this fall’s European Championship qualifiers, but Kangasa always has opportunities until the championship.