– I feel that in this game we have seen a sort of condensation of the current problems in women’s football.
This is how Urheilu’s football expert described it Hanna Ruohomaa PK-35 from the opening half of the meeting between Helsinki and Åland United on Saturday in the round of the National League.
– There are too many knee injuries, and discussions about bad conditions, lack of resources and whether there are enough staff and club workers, Ruohomaa continued.
Even before the start of the match, the players of Åland United criticized the poor condition of the artificial grass field in Pihlajamäki and were surprised that the field is still the same as it was five years ago.
After about half an hour of playing, Åland United Senja Salo remained lying on the surface of the grass holding his knee. After a moment of first aid, Salo was carried off the field on a stretcher – by the players’ own strength.
Who is responsible?
Chairman of the board of the National League Mariet Louhennon the criticism presented is by no means new. Louhento admits that the conditions at the women’s major league level are variable.
– We have a rather unequal arrangement between clubs and fields. Some clubs have significantly better conditions than others.
According to Louhenno, the conditions are related not only to the construction of sports venues and society’s investments, but also to the responsibilities of clubs and municipalities and the development of the game as a whole.
Therefore, the question of who should be responsible is not a simple one.
– License criteria can of course be used to guide these things, and as we know, the criteria in the Veikkausliiga are very strict.
On the women’s major league side, we have to balance what is possible at that particular moment and how long transition times are given with the requirements, says Louhento.
However, he emphasizes that he does not want the discussion to turn into a confrontation between men and women, as men’s series are also played on many fields.
– I could see that the safety of the players, above all, is an extremely important thing to consider. Hopefully we will develop and develop in that direction to an increasing extent.
Louhento sees that the tightening licensing criteria will give clubs the opportunity to have a discussion in the direction of the municipalities.
Players go to the Swedish divar
In the summer transfer window, players from the Finnish premier league have also left for other non-top clubs abroad.
For example, from Honga Noora Hämäläinen moved to Eskilstuna, which plays in Sweden’s second league level, and Liisa Tuomi Gintra to the Lithuanian league.
– As a league, we need to think about whether everything is fine here if the players prefer to play in the Swedish divar or the Lithuanian league, Åland United defender Anni Miettunen comments on the situation in the National League before Saturday’s match.
Miettunen himself played the 2022 and 2023 seasons in the Swedish premier league.
The series system of the national league will change in the coming season. The three worst teams of this season are relegated directly to the First Division. The best team eligible for promotion will go from first place to the main league. In the same context, the main series and the No. 1 are combined under the same brand to form a national entity.
It is hoped that the measures will promote the development of domestic football.
According to Miettusen, reducing the number of teams alone is not enough. He sees that competitiveness will not increase if there are no changes in the clubs’ operations.
– We need to look in the mirror, start appreciating our own activities, put on our overalls and do better, Miettunen said, emphasizing the responsibility of the clubs.
– There is a lot of talk about having this and that and visibility and money.
– A good example is that now came here to film the game. The producer and the cameraman must have been scratching their heads as to how to handle the job when the light poles are on the road on the field and our booths are in barracks. This is not what major league football should be like in Finland. We have a lot of work to do, the defender continued.
The players are not responsible
Expert Essi Sainio understand that playing abroad and getting paid for playing is attractive to players.
– Yes, here in Finland we need to make this league so level and interesting that the players want to stay here and play for a gang.
According to expert Hanna Ruohomaa, the departing players cannot be blamed in the situation.
– We are talking about whether the level of the National League is going down all the time, as good players leave younger and younger and more of them leave. It is not the responsibility of those players to stay here and support the league.
The experts emphasize that the clubs must create such conditions for the players that they want to stay in Finland. Sainio reminds that the players cannot be expected to win the championship if the resources offered to them are not sufficient.
According to them, mere talk about improving everyday life is not enough, but concrete actions are also needed in the situation.
– This is not only about money, that the salaries should be really high. But it’s that the player’s everyday life has to be where he wants to stay, says Ruohomaa.
The role of the clubs is taken into account in the strategy
Mariet Louhento also agrees that clubs must also take responsibility to improve things. The new four-year strategy for the national team also considers the roles and responsibilities of the clubs in the development of Finnish women’s football.
According to Louhenno, the league wants to emphasize the importance of the economy in the development of sports content.
– In the future, we will focus quite significantly on developing the commercial expertise of the clubs, so that we can lay the foundation for long-term efforts that will resonate and be reflected as soon as possible in the quality of sports as well.
– Then it can be seen in the quality of the league, which means that we will hopefully be able to keep the players developing here at home for longer. But equally, of course, we want our best players to develop and then move abroad to play in even tougher leagues.