New Mentor Group Has Launched – The Mentors Bring Experience from Nearly 500 Senior International Caps

The Football Players’ Association of Finland (JPY) launched its new mentoring group and training programme this month, in which ten experienced players are preparing for a year-long period of voluntary work supporting young footballers.

Just like with the first mentor group (organized last year), the combined experience of the second group is highly impressive: nearly 500 senior international appearances and playing experience in 14 different countries. The young mentees will receive support from people who truly understand what everyday life as a player is like and what challenges it brings - both in Finland and abroad.

This year’s mentors are Niklas Moisander, Tinja-Riikka Korpela, Pekka Lagerblom, Tuija Hyyrynen, David Ramadingaye, Henri Toivomäki, Nora Heroum, Valtteri Moren, Paula Myllyoja and Joni Kauko - names that are certainly familiar to followers of both domestic and international football.

Training Began at Bolt Arena – Concluded with a Top-Class Youth League Experience

The opening of the mentor training was held in the Football Players’ Association’s own private box at Bolt Arena. The first training day culminated in HJK’s UEFA Youth League match against Manchester City’s Academy. The atmosphere reached its peak when HJK advanced superbly to the last 16 in Europe after a penalty shoot-out.

- I’m feeling really motivated, and we have a great group together. It was wonderful to hear others’ stories about their careers and to share my own experiences. It was interesting to notice that similar themes came up for many of us. This gave a real motivation boost - it feels like we are truly doing important work, says one of the mentors, Tuija Hyyrynen.

Hyyrynen enjoyed an extensive national team career and gained wide-ranging experience in top leagues in Italy, Sweden and Denmark. After her playing career, she has worked in several expert roles within football and is currently completing a doctoral dissertation at the University of Jyväskylä on head impacts and their consequences for players’ health in women’s football.

When asked about mentors during her own career, Hyyrynen says that her sister Sari was her most important source of support at the time, but that an external mentor could have been highly beneficial:

- I didn’t really have an external mentor during my career. Maybe I should have. That’s why it feels great now to give something back to football and to be that person for someone else - the person I myself once needed.

Tuija Hyyrynen

 

Experts, Shared Experiences and Practical Training

During the two-day training, mentors are given tools for meeting young players, addressing potential challenges, and building a mentoring relationship. Experts guide discussions on topics such as mental wellbeing, talking about difficult situations, and effective support practices. Mentors from the first mentor group were also involved in training: Essi Sainio and Mika Ojala shared their own lessons from mentoring, fresh experiences from the year-long mentoring programme, and valuable practical tips with the new mentors.

On the second day, mentors practised typical mentoring situations by simulating them with one another, helping to ensure that the first meeting with their own young mentee will feel more confident and natural.

- The training has been extremely rewarding, and the group is fantastic. This is going to be a great journey for both me and the mentee,” says David Ramadingaye.

Ramadingaye has played a long and wide-ranging career domestically with several clubs, numerous youth internationals, and at the age of 34 also earned a couple of senior international caps for Chad.

He says he has learned a great deal from his own career in hindsight:

- I had many experienced players around me who tried to help. For example, Mako Heikkinen is the first who comes to mind - but when I was young, I was too stubborn or too foolish to listen. That was one of the biggest mistakes of my career. Now I want to be the person a young player actually listens to.”

The training also highlighted the Football Players’ Association’s Mental Health Online service, which young players can choose to include as part of their support network. In addition, the training content has been developed strongly based on feedback from last year’s mentor group.

All ten mentors are starting their voluntary work with great enthusiasm. The basic model runs for one year, but mentor–mentee pairs can continue their collaboration beyond that if they wish. A large proportion of pairs from the first mentor group are still continuing their mentoring relationships.

David Ramadingaye 

Read more about the mentoring program (in Finnish): https://jpy.fi/fi/peliura/mentorointiohjelma 

Images: IMAGO, Juha Tamminen