Finland’s U17 girls’ national team won the European Championship bronze in flag football at the EM tournament held in Belgrade, Serbia. In the bronze match, Italy was defeated with a score of 25–14.

The Finnish flag football girls’ tournament culminated in joyous celebrations on Sunday evening in Belgrade. After a 7–25 loss to the Czech Republic in the morning’s semifinal, the Finns recovered well and secured an impressive victory in the decisive medal match.

Spain won the European Championship in the U17 girls’ category, with silver going to the Czech Republic.

Linda Juvala named tournament MVP

Finland’s quarterback Linda Juvala, who made an outstanding debut in the flag football national team, was awarded the MVP of the entire U17 tournament.

The success of the girls’ flag football national team can be seen as a classic sports Cinderella story. Since spring 2023, Tuomas Kivisaari and Juuso Marno have been building a successful flag football team by recruiting talented athletes from other sports. Typically, flag football teams are composed of American football players, but in the U17 girls’ category, there were few suitable players from American football.

Only one player in the girls’ team that traveled to Serbia had a background in American football. Unna Törmänen from Tampere Saints was named the Rookie of the Year in the 2024 Women’s Maple League season. The other players came from sports like basketball, handball, and baseball. Tournament MVP Juvala is also a national team player in handball.

Finland’s U17 boys’ team finished in ninth place in the tournament. The U15 team, which placed fourth in its tournament last summer, finished in 11th place in Serbia.

Photo: Jani Pakkala