Petteri Nykky will continue as the head coach of the Finnish Men’s national team until the end of 2022. The new agreement covers three major championships within two years.
In addition to the Men’s World Floorball Championships that were postponed to 2021, the World Games tournament will be played in July 2022 in Birmingham, USA, and the Men’s World Floorball Championships 2022 are played in Zurich, Switzerland.
Nykky has previously been the head coach during 2004–2011. His current role as head coach began in 2017. During his coaching time, the Men’s national team has won the WFC three times: 2008, 2010 and 2018.
– We wanted Petteri to continue for the next two years as the head coach of the Men’s national team. The home WFC was postponed, but also the major championships in 2022 are approaching, and our intention was, that the head coach would not change for these future events, says Pekka Ilmivalta, Secretary General of the Finnish Floorball Federation.
The head coach is looking forward to the upcoming two-year term with big goals.
– The three major championships within a short period require that the schedule and plan must be in order, and this planning work has already begun with the rest of the coaching team.
– Success at major championships is always the goal and it does not come for free. For the players, a close pace of events and the postponement to the WFC, means that a tough training summer is expected also next year, Nykky sums up.
Over the next two years, the goal is to also have new players in the national team.
– For many players, next year’s home WFC are the goal and dream they are striving for. But championships will also be played after next year, and it is clear that new faces are needed. In terms of coaching, it requires us to get new players familiar with the national team routines and training.
The new two-year contract only applies to serving as the head coach of the national team, whereas in the past the task has also included other floorball training and development tasks. The task is not full-time, but scheduled according to the national team and the international competition calendar.
In the future, the head coach of the national team will also be seen in golf coaching positions, as Nykky will start as the national team and association coach at the Finnish Golf Union this autumn.
– Petteri is one of Finland’s most respected coaches, who has huge experience in both sports. It’s great that floorball and golf benefit from his professionalism. This allows for collaboration between the sports, and can open up new development opportunities for both. I believe that we have lessons to learn from each other, Ilmivalta concludes.
Source & more information: Finnish Floorball Federation
