Jacqueline Hand, who represented New Zealand at the soccer World Cup, celebrates the bronze medal with Åland United. The ending season will be Handi’s last in Finland.
KuPS and Åland United meet in the final round of the season on Saturday 14.10. The live broadcast on TV2, Areena and ‘s website starts at 2:40 p.m.
On Saturday, KuPS will win the gold medals of the National League for the third time in a row in Kuopio. Before the final round, the fate of the other medals is also clear: like last season, HJK will take the silver and Åland United the bronze.
Another season for Åland United To Jacqueline “Jacqui” Hand the fate is familiar from last fall.
However, this season has differed from the first in that in the summer Hand went to his home country to play the World Cup in sold-out stadiums.
– Playing in the Games was a dream come true for me. The experience really exceeded all my expectations.
– Playing in front of the home crowd and hearing the roar of the crowd in my hometown at Eden Park was incredible. I’m really grateful that I got to experience everything, especially in my home country, Hand returns to the mood of a couple of months ago.
At the World Championships itself, Hand performed well. He played full minutes in all three of New Zealand’s opening group matches and started, among other things of Hannah Wilkinson the winning goal against Norway. Against the Philippines, Hand hit the post once, and a moment later the goal, but his shot was disallowed after a VAR review.
At the time, the New Zealander’s excellent moves also impressed ‘s experts.
– Hand is now in the biggest showcase where an individual player can be. All eyes are on the World Cup. If it succeeds there, the transfer market will be hot. It will be really interesting to see if Åland United manage to keep Handi after the summer transfer window. However, I would believe that by the winter transfer window at the latest, Hand will move to harder arenas, Jonne Kunnas povaisi after a successful World Cup opening.
Hand injured his ankle in the last preliminary series match against Switzerland, and stayed in his home country for another week after the games ended.
In addition to ‘s experts, Hand’s performances also impressed foreign clubs, and Hand received offers from outside Finland.
However, he decided to return to the island and play the rest of the season in Åland’s shirt.
– I have been part of this team for a couple of seasons now. They have treated me so well, Steve Beeks has been an absolutely amazing coach and the team has been incredible. I wanted to come back here to finish the season and do my best, Hand begins.
– All the support I’ve received from the club even during the World Cup. It didn’t feel right to leave in the middle of the season.
Hand arrived in Finland at the beginning of last season with the intention of staying only for a couple of months and helping the injured group from Åland. However, Hand was convinced by what he saw, stayed for the rest of the season and decided to continue on the island in the following season as well.
However, Saturday’s match will probably be the New Zealander’s last season in Finland.
– I have had discussions with a few clubs, but I haven’t signed any contract yet. I have looked in the direction of Sweden, England and a few other places. Nothing has been locked in yet. Let’s see where the road leads, Hand spins.
In Finland, he will especially miss the people and his home island of Åland.
– I will definitely miss my teammates, this island and its culture. This has been an absolutely wonderful place to live for the past two years.
The best memories are related to sports: soccer and favorite hobby frisbee golf.
– Life has pretty much revolved around football, so my best memories are related to playing in my home stadium. We have a small group of fans who cheer us on at every home game. I will also definitely miss frisbee golf courses, but aren’t they found in other parts of the world? Hand concludes with a laugh.
The final round of the National Football League will be played on Saturday, October 14, starting at 15:00. shows the match between KuPS and Åland United, broadcast on TV2 and Areena from 14:40.