The Danish football club FC Midtjylland participated in five different Finnish Football Association’s Huuhkaja and Helmaripolku international events (Girls U12, U13 and boys U12, U13, U14) in Eerikkilä. The head coach of the club’s Girls U13 age group, Simon Hede Steffensen, attended the event for the first time. He stated that his team played high-level matches and had the opportunity to conduct player tests that had not yet been done at home.
“We get more high-quality matches here than at home. It is important to test the players because otherwise, it is difficult for us to evaluate and compare them. We are also looking forward to the results of the player surveys to understand how they have experienced this event.”
Steffensen said he was quite satisfied with his players’ test results and performances on the field.
“We will repeat at least some of the tests later to monitor their progress.”
The coach also noted some distinctive features of the matches played in Eerikkilä.
“Finnish teams seem very strong and play a different style of football than what we are used to. They are aggressive, physical, and technically skilled. This has been a very good experience for us.”
Midtjylland ultimately finished second in the tournament held during the event, with the Finnish Football Association’s United team emerging as the winner. You can find the tournament statistics in the Finnish Football Association’s results service. More information about the Huuhkaja and Helmaripolku program can be found here (in Finnish).
