The sand field of Runosmäki ripples with water. The ice lurking under the water makes it difficult, almost impossible, to move on foot.
However, the paint chipped from the piles of snow plowed to the edges of the field and the green, dilapidated booth wall reveal that we are in the right place.
Here, on a small field surrounded by gray apartment buildings, is a piece of the most beautiful Finnish football history, because the story of many top football players began on this field.
“We also played here”, reads above the three male figures painted on the wall of the green booth.
– Lukas Hradecky, Joni Kauko and Kairinen toogrew up in the neighboring district of Pallivaha Elli Pikkujämsä make an educated guess.
Littlefoot’s figure can’t be found on the wall yet, even if there is a reason. The 23-year-old Finnish defender recently signed a rare contract for a Finn, when he joined Racing Louisville, who plays in the American professional league NWSL, on a two-year contract.
The NWSL has been characterized as one of the hardest leagues in the world, which is watched by stars Megan Rapinoe, Martha and by Christine Sinclair legends like
Established in 2012, only one Finn has played in the series so far: last season’s winner Natalia Kuikka.
And then, starting next season, Pikkujämsä, or Pick-oo-yawm-suh, as the new club’s website guides you to pronounce the challenging Finnish name.
Identity crisis behind us
Turku has been a good place for many athletes to grow up, including Pikkujämsa. An active child, he enjoyed basketball, swimming, athletics, tennis, and snowboarding.
He was also attracted to football by a member of a well-known sports family from Turku.
– Lehkonen’s Iines asked if I would like to come along and try football. That’s where it really started, Pikkujämsä remembers his jaunty years on the side of the field.
In the years 2014–2016, Pikkujämsä won silver and bronze at the Youth World Snowboarding Championships and silver at the Youth Winter Olympics. In 2015, she broke into the TPS women’s representative team and also played soccer in the youth national team.
In 2017, it was time to choose a sport. Snowboarding can’t take a backseat, and not just because of Pikkujämsä’s own decision. The invitation to the national team camp no longer came.
The choice of sport is no longer thought about, and the identity crisis is behind us.
– Of course I miss snowboarding, but not in the same way anymore. There is no longer an identity crisis and I can happily look back on those years. Now I got a job in football, and I don’t regret anything.
The second season in Honga was much easier than the first. Pikkujämsä also received an invitation to the national team in 2019, which was rare for new players Swedish coach Anna Signeulin in the era.
The following year, Pikkujämsä changed clubs to the Swedish Damallsvenskan. The Finnish defender spent three years at KIF Örebro.
– It was a big development step. I hope I also developed as a person. I really liked the city. Örebro is quite similar to Turku, only the sea is missing. And I made quite a few lifelong friends, which I also consider important.
Pikkujämsä is also known for his versatility, as he can play in the fullback and midfield positions in addition to top. Even in Örebro, he occasionally played in the middle of the midfield, and finished with five hits last season.
Before the European Championships, Pikkujämsä was not part of Signeul’s almost stone-hewn starting line-up. Due to some illnesses and injuries, he finally played full minutes in all of Finland’s matches in the Games.
– I was really happy, what could be better than playing 90 minutes in every game. I would say that this season was better in Örebro compared to the previous one. Scoring a goal always makes you feel good, even as a defender.
Pikkujämsä doesn’t like to remember the results of the European Championships. As expected, Finland lost all three matches of the “group of death”, i.e. to Denmark, Spain and Germany. The tournament ended in the first group.
At the end of the year, however, there was happy news when the contract with the NWSL club Racing Louisville was announced.
– It was a good three years in Örebro. Now I wanted to look at the options. Racing and coach Kim Björkegren contacted. Kim said that he would be interested in the way I play and that it would fit their style of play. There were other options, but the agent and I talked about what would be profitable in terms of career and we ended up with Racing.
He had heard a lot about the club from his friend and former teammate From Freja Olofsson, who had also played for an NWSL club. Pikkujämsä admits that he also talked with Kuika, who represents Portland.
– Yes, we also called him. We’ve also discussed at the camps how he’s been enjoying himself, and now more so when I made soup. He helped me a little in decision-making, Pikkujämsä reveals.
There is also a Nordic color in the ranks of Racing Louisville, as the club is represented by a Danish striker Nadia Nadim. Pikkujämsä got to wrestle with a Dane in the European Championships.
Recently, however, the series has been in the headlines thanks to its non-superstars. According to a report published in October, systematic inappropriate behavior, bullying and sexual harassment and harassment have occurred in the NWSL in recent years.
The report also revealed one new case: who coached Racing Louisville in 2021 Christy Holly got fired after sexually harassing a player. The reasons for the firings were not yet made public.
Pikkujämsä admits that he thought about his decision for a long time from this point of view as well.
– Racing published a press release and a long list of measures they plan to take to ensure that something like this never happens. I would think that these are behind us now.
With these prospects, Pikkujämsä will be able to move to his new hometown in mid-January – if the visa issues have been resolved by then. There is already an apartment waiting in Louisville and rehearsals will start in January.
The fairytale transfer is a continuation of the success of the football fields.
But the year still hasn’t been all joy. Far from it, although it is hard to see it from the surface of the always cheerful Finnish defender.
In November, the Finnish defender missed the Helmariten’s camp in Spain due to injury. In the last game of the season, the thigh started cramping.
Throughout the year, recovery has been a bit challenging, and sleep has not always returned to its former pattern.
Pikkujämsä lost his father in the spring during the Helmariten World Championship qualifying matches. In the Georgia match, Helmarit played with mourning bands, and the cameras captured a touching moment when Pikkujämsä arrived on the field to hug his teammates.
– It was quite difficult, the most difficult moments of my life. There are still good moments and bad moments. Now especially during Christmas, this was an important time for me and my father to be together.
– I don’t even know how many games they missed in Finland. When there were snowboarding trips in Vuokatti, Rovaniemi, Levi, they always drove all the way there from Turku. They always pushed me everywhere and I’m really glad they’ve been such a big part.
In difficult times, Pikkujämsä says that he focused on football and put all his good energy into it.
– That’s what my father wanted me to do. I try to make him proud.