Jarkko Suominen is the new head coach of the youth flag football national teams

The board of the Finnish American Football Association has appointed Jarkko Suominen as the head coach of the youth flag football national teams. Suominen will be responsible for the boys’ and girls’ U17 national teams as well as the U15 mixed team.

All of Finland’s youth national teams have reached the medal battles in their age group EM tournaments in the 2020s. The most successful of these teams, the U17 girls’ national team, has impressively won bronze medals in two consecutive competitions. The ongoing successful activities of the youth national teams will be continued by the 43-year-old Jarkko Suominen.

Suominen is an experienced coach who has focused particularly on American football and flag football in recent years. He has been coaching various teams within the Jyväskylä Jaguars organization since the 2019 season and led the club’s U15 flag football team to become the Finnish champion in the 2024 season.

Previously, Suominen has coached at the national level in fly fishing: he served as the head coach of the Finnish fly fishing national team in 2016 and from 2018 to 2021 and as the head coach of the youth national team in 2018. Additionally, he has gained coaching experience in floorball and children’s artistic gymnastics.

Suominen highlights three things that he considers important as he begins his new role:

-It is important to provide players with an environment where everyone can develop holistically – as an athlete, a teammate, and a person. The national team must be a place where every young person understands their role, receives clear feedback, and feels part of a larger whole.

-Another important aspect is to work in good cooperation with clubs, regardless of the players’ sport. Most of the daily lives of young athletes are spent with club teams and coaches. The national team is not an isolated island, but rather supports and complements that daily life.

-The third point is to create and maintain the culture of the national team. The atmosphere must be both open and goal-oriented. The national team is a safe environment where every young athlete dares to try, make mistakes, discuss, and grow together with others. When the culture is right, every player can give their best, and athletic goals are achievable.

“An environment where everyone dares to be themselves”

Suominen praises the excellent work done by his predecessors with Finland’s youth teams and players. His intention is to continue that effort, help young players on their journey to the top, and keep Finland’s youth at the forefront of Europe competing for medals in the future.

The new head coach has a clear message for players aiming for the national team:

-You don’t get into the national team by chance; everyone deserves their place there. I expect commitment and a desire to develop from the players. At the same time, we provide an environment where everyone dares to be themselves and play boldly. The activities are built for you, not the other way around.

In the youth national team, smooth and open cooperation with the young athletes’ parents is also essential. These are the messages the new head coach sends to the athletes’ guardians:

-The support of parents and family is a very important pillar in the daily life of a young athlete, and I greatly appreciate it. National team activities are open and responsible, and they are conducted with respect for the long-term development and well-being of young athletes.

The main goal for Finland’s youth flag football national teams in 2026 is the EM tournament to be held in September, with the host country yet to be determined. In flag football age group national teams, the player pool typically undergoes significant changes annually, so the new head coach’s most important task is to build three junior national teams and coordinate their activities in close collaboration with team-specific coaches and team leaders. Suominen approaches his new role with a strong attitude:

-Representing Finland’s colors is always an honor, an experience that only some athletes and coaches get to have. I am very excited to coach the youth national team.

According to the SAJL’s operational rules, the positions of head coaches of national teams are temporary, and at the end of the terms, the positions will be opened for public applications. The position of head coach for the youth flag football national teams was opened for applications at the beginning of November.

Photos: Laura Helminen, Inka Grahn