The Finnish Football Show

IN THIS EPISODE... Producer Mark was invited onto the new UK sports radio station, Track Radio, to talk about Finnish football with host (and, it turns out, former Helsinki resident) Russ Williams. Apart from getting the time of the makkaraminuutti slightly wrong 🤦🏻‍♂️ he did a pretty good job! 📻 https://www.trackradio.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------------ SUPP...

Blog: show notes and links https://finnishfootballshow.com/2026/06/23/national-teams-in-action-huuhkajat-helmarit-u21-veikkausliiga-update/ IN THIS EPISODE... Mark W and Keke finally return to action (sorry for going MIA!) to look back at the recent friendlies for the Finland men's national team, as the Huuhkajat played – and lost – away to Germany and Hungary. The women's national team, the Helma...

Blog: show notes and links https://finnishfootballshow.com/2026/03/31/the-fans-preview-of-veikkausliiga-2026/ IN THIS EPISODE... The FFS 2026 Veikkausliiga preview, in which fans preview their Veikkausliiga team. Includes hopes & fears for this season, players in & out and dislike for new kits (and badges)!! In this episode, we hear from Johan Lindblom on IFK Mariehamn, Jussi on Inter Turk...

Blog: show notes and links https://finnishfootballshow.com/2026/03/25/huuhkajat-at-the-fifa-series-2026/ IN THIS EPISODE... Mark W & Keke return after the winter break to look forward to the FIFA Series. A weekend of practice games, that sees Finland travel to the other side of the world, to play against New Zealand and Cape Verde. Matches that provide World Cup practice for those countries an...

Blog: show notes and links https://finnishfootballshow.com/2025/12/27/highs-and-lows-of-2025/ IN THIS EPISODE... Mark W, Ally and Rasmus take a look back at the 2025 Finnish football season. This is not just a highlights show, they take a fresh look at their own experiences of the past year and invite some regular contributors to join them. So, we also hear from Jules (SJK Seinäjoki), Joe (Musan S...

Blog: show notes and links https://finnishfootballshow.com/2025/11/13/huuhkajat-match-previews-veikkausliiga-finale-kups-crowned-champions/ IN THIS EPISODE... This episode is brought to you by Mark W, Keke, Ally and Rasmus; a full squad for a full episode. They start by looking at the upcoming games for the Huuhkajat, a World Cup qualifier against Malta and a home friendly against Andorra. They al...

Blog: show notes and links https://finnishfootballshow.com/2025/10/20/huuhkajat-match-reports-veikkausliiga-update-haka-relegated/ IN THIS EPISODE... Mark W & Keke are joined by a couple of guests for a bumper episode. Firstly, Jussi Hartikainen, from Suomen Maajoukkue Kannatajat ry and Football Supporters Europe, comes on to discuss the latest two World Cup Qualifiers for Finland, a 2-1 home...

Blog: show notes and links https://finnishfootballshow.com/2025/10/15/in-conversation-with-salim-yussif/ IN THIS EPISODE... In this episode, Mark W is joined by SJK Seinäjoki defender, Salim Yussif, who talks through his unconventional route to Finland. From a childhood living in a slum in Accra, through teenage years on a football scholarship in the USA, to becoming a regular starter for SJK near...

Blog: show notes and links https://finnishfootballshow.com/2025/10/06/huuhkajat-world-cup-qualifiers-ilves-fans-bust-up-in-seinajoki/ IN THIS EPISODE... Mark W and Keke look at the upcoming World Cup qualifiers for the Finland men's national teams, as the Huuhkajat face Lithuania at home before travelling to play the Netherlands in Amsterdam. Finland need as many points as possible to have any hop...

Blog: show notes and links https://finnishfootballshow.com/2025/09/16/is-finland-heading-backe-to-the-future/ IN THIS EPISODE... Mark W and Keke again with match reports from Finland's two away games; a 1-0 friendly defeat to Norway, followed by a 3-1 defeat in the World Cup qualifier against Poland. Keke shares tales from his trip to Chorzów, Poland. They revisit the topic of an early episode* to...

Blog: show notes and links https://finnishfootballshow.com/2025/09/09/veikkausliiga-2025-runkosarja-reviewed-by-fans/ IN THIS EPISODE... Producer Mark rounded-up our band of Veikkausliiga fans to record an update to our preview episodes. As the ‘runkosarja’ has now finished and the league table splits in two, we asked each fan to give us an update on their club’s season so far. You will hear each...

🎭 Ally Manson’s play “The Inheritors” https://teatteritoivo.net/ohjelmistossa-nyt/the-inheritors/ Blog: show notes and links https://finnishfootballshow.com/2025/09/02/huuhkajat-match-previews-veikkausliiga-splits/   IN THIS EPISODE...   Mark W and Keke get back together after a long summer break. They give a brief update on the Veikkausliiga* as the league season splits into the Mestaruussarja a...

Blog: show notes and links https://finnishfootballshow.com/2025/07/14/veikkausliiga-update-first-round-of-european-games/ IN THIS EPISODE... Mark W & Rasmus get back together during Finland's 2025 summer heatwave and spend another hour discussing the current situation in the Veikkausliiga, which includes a very congested top half led, but not dominated, by Inter Turku. They also consider the f...

Blog: show notes and links https://finnishfootballshow.com/2025/06/26/200th-episode-of-ffs-with-stevie-grieve/ IN THIS EPISODE... Special episode, this one, as FFS achieves its 200th episode. SJK Seinäjoki Head Coach, Stevie Grieve joined Mark W and Ally to chat about SJK's season so far. They are then joined by occasional contributor, Seppo, who is the middle of a busy summer of international foo...

New Kit For Finland. Helmarit Nations League Match Reports. Huuhkajat World Cup Qualifier Previews. U21 Euros Preview. Veikkausliiga Update. Blog: show notes and links https://finnishfootballshow.com/2025/06/08/national-teams-in-action-veikkausliiga-update/ IN THIS EPISODE... Keke hosts again as Producer Mark is 'otherwise engaged' feeling poorly. He is joined by Ally and Rasmus to look at a very...

Blog: show notes and links https://finnishfootballshow.com/2025/05/20/ffs-awaydays-travelling-to-finland-for-a-football-fix/ IN THIS EPISODE... Producer Mark gets together with two football fans from England who both travelled to Finland just to watch football. Well that and to try Finnish food. Yes, really! Longtime FFS follower, Joe Parr caught Mark's attention with a shout-out on The Sweeper po...

Blog: show notes and links https://finnishfootballshow.com/2025/05/01/veikkausliiga-vappu-update/ IN THIS EPISODE... Hyvää vappua kaikille! Mark W & Rasmus get together on the Labour Day holiday and spend an hour mulling over the first month of Veikkausliiga action. All teams have played 4-5 games which is a good point to discuss the front-runners, the chasing pack and those lagging behind. He...

Blog: show notes and links https://finnishfootballshow.com/2025/04/15/huuhkajat-and-helmarit-match-reports/ IN THIS EPISODE... Keke and Mark H are 'let loose' on the pod as Producer Mark is either a) skiving or, b) recovering from the three Veikkausliiga preview pods – you decide listener 😉  Mark & Keke look back at Jacob Friis' first competitve games as Huuhkajat head coach. Two matches that...

Blog: show notes and links https://finnishfootballshow.com/2025/04/03/veikkausliiga-2025-preview-sjk-jaro-kups-vps/ IN THIS EPISODE... The third and final episode in this series, in which the FFS team present previews for each Veikkausliiga team. In this episode, we hear from Petter Brunell on Jaro, Julian Dawe & Lari Paski on SJK, Jouni Laukkanen on KuPS and Sebastian Pundars on VPS. Prod...

Blog: show notes and links https://finnishfootballshow.com/2025/04/01/veikkausliiga-2025-preview-ktp-gnistan-inter-turku-ilves/ IN THIS EPISODE... The second episode in a series of shows, in which the FFS team present previews for each Veikkausliiga team. In this episode, we hear from Sami Lindfors on KTP, John Ehrnstén on IF Gnistan, Inter Turku fan Jussi and FFS regulars Jamie and Rasmus discuus...

Blog: show notes and links https://finnishfootballshow.com/2025/03/30/veikkausliiga-2025-preview-haka-mariehamn-oulu-hjk/ IN THIS EPISODE... This is the first in a series of shows, in which the FFS team present previews for each Veikkausliiga team. In the first episode, we hear from Ally Manson on HJK Helsinki, Johan Lindblom on IFK Mariehamn, Tuomas Komulainen on AC Oulu and Tuomas Vaalta on FC H...

Blog: show notes and links https://finnishfootballshow.com/2025/03/16/world-cup-qualifier-previews-jacob-friis-first-huuhkajat-squad/ IN THIS EPISODE... Mark W and Keke with a hastily arranged episode, recorded the day after new Huuhkajat head coach, Jacob Friis, names his first squad. They look for any surprising selections, discuss the positives of continuity and consider the significance of the...

In another collaboration with the “Seinäjoki Football Supporters Podcast”, Mark & Jules speak with Ash Civil, Academy Head Coach at SJK Seinäjoki. Ash tells them about his journey from the UK to Finland via USA and Iceland, explains his love of player development, how the pathway from Kuortane Sports High School (Kuortaneen lukio ja urheilulukio or the Kuortane Lukio and Sports Academy) provid...

Blog: show notes and links https://finnishfootballshow.com/2025/02/08/new-huuhkajat-head-coach-liigacup-transfers-finns-overseas-suomen-cup-juuson-kierros/ IN THIS EPISODE... Mark W, Keke and Rasmus return from the winter hibernation with a round-up of recent events in the world of Finnish football. They start by sharing what they know about new Huuhkajat Head Coach, Jacob Friis, and it turns out...

In Conversation with Former SJK Head of Recruitment, Paul Riley Producer Mark & friend-of-the-show Jules also publish an SJK fans pod. This has returned for a 2025 ‘pre-season practice pod’ and an long-planned interview with Paul Riley. He explains how he became SJK Head of Recruitment, how his role (working remotely) works and how he identifies the right new players for Stevie Greve’s young s...