The champion team KuPS and the silver medalist HJK played to a 2–2 draw in the final round of the National League. The match was the last of 36-year-old Essi Sainio’s long playing career.
KuPS and HJK met in the final round of the National Football League on Saturday, and the match ended 2-2. It had already been confirmed that the people of Kuopio would celebrate the championship and that HJK would grab the silver.
At the same time, another wonderful career also came to an end, when HJK’s Essi Sainio, 36, played his last match as a professional. In his career that lasted more than 20 years, Sainio also played in Germany and Sweden. The midfielder appeared 58 times in the national team.
Read more: “It feels like I was afraid for nothing” – Essi Sainio ends his long career
Sainio, who also took a break from playing for a couple of years during his career, returned to HJK in 2015 and to the national team in 2020.
In Sainio’s opinion, the current National League can offer young players a good springboard towards bigger circles.
“For the youngest, it offers a springboard, even though the National League is not necessarily on the agents’ top lists. However, I think that if a young player plays a good and intact season, it will also be noticed”, says Sainio.
One in the future, the name that ventures into bigger circles and Helmarii may very well be KuPS Nanne Ruuskanen20. The defender played a strong season in the ranks of the champion team.
“In my opinion, when aiming for international fields, everyday life requires a professional environment, the opportunity to focus only on football and hard and developing games. I feel that the National League has moved forward in these matters. The investment in these things has started to be seen at least in some clubs,” says Ruuskanen.
“In the teams of the tough and developing series, investments should be made more evenly, so that the differences in level do not grow too large. In addition to the level differences between the teams in their own series, the biggest gap with international clubs should be caught up.”
in Finland there are currently a total of approximately 34,000 female and girl players. The number has been increasing in recent years. In the opinion of Sainio and Ruuskanen, its concretization in the future up to the National League still requires work.
“We lack certain age groups between B-girls and women’s teams. There is a big leap for women’s teams. Women want to do things professionally, but not all clubs are able to pay such sums so that the players don’t have to go to work,” says Sainio.
“It is wonderful that the number of enthusiasts has been increased. In order to maintain genuine enthusiasm until the transition to the women’s series, it requires an investment in the quality of training. I think the coaches are key here. The power of example cannot be overemphasized either. You have to get the juniors into the stands. That’s how the idea arises that ‘I want to be there one day,'” says Ruuskanen.
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