My Love affair with the Kokkola Cup !

When I was at Norwich City Football Club I met a Finnish football team for the first time. It was in Denmark in the late 1980,s and they were called GBK from KOKKOLA and their leader who has since become a friend was Jan-Erik Sundell. Jan-Erik has been closely involved with the Kokkola Cup for many years. 

We played each other in Denmark and he told me of the Kokkola Cup and I told him about our tournament at Norwich City called the Canary Cup. So began a series of visits to our respective countries and from the Kokkola Cup I have got to know many other Finnish football clubs and Finnish people to such an extent that my players ever since have got to know Finland really well.

I have been many times to the Kokkola Cup. I was at Norwich City from 1983-93 and came with my Norwich City teams. I then from 1993-2001 was Director of Youth at Peterborough United and came with them. In 2001 I joined Cambridge United and brought my Cambridge United teams and today I am in the process of setting up a youth system in a new emerging English club called Histon and last year we made our first visit and will be returning again in 2007.

My players have always enjoyed the Kokkola Cup. Firstly because the tournament is well organised and gives them plenty of matches. Secondly it has a great atmosphere and there is opportunity to train and also relax here. We are usually lucky with the weather and enjoy the fact that it rarely gets dark and Kokkola itself is a lively town which is fun to go into. 

Finnish clubs are invariably friendly and so we have been as a result to Tornio a few times, Helsinki and many times to our good friends in TP Seinajokki. We have visited Finland in the winter a real experience for English players.

Because I have been a very successful youth developer in English clubs many of the boys I have brought to Kokkola have become famous professionals in England. Since 1983 over 100 of my boys have become professional players but some of the players who have been with me in the Kokkola Cup include -

Andy Marshall. Norwich City & England U.21.(now Coventry)
Jimmy Nielsen. Aalborg & Denmark .
Craig Bellamy . Norwich City & Wales . (now Liverpool)
Adam Drury. Norwich City. Now captain of Norwich City.
Danny Mills. Norwich City & England. ( Leeds Utd for most of career).
Mark Tyler. Peterborough United & England U.21.
Simon Davies. Peterborough United & Wales. (now Everton).
Matthew Etherington. Peterborough United & England U.21. (now West Ham United)
Gary Woods. Manchester United & England Youth
Jack Collison. West Ham United.

The ten above are just a few examples . They all enjoyed as all my players have done the Finnish experience. Many other professionals in England talk about the great times in Kokkola with me as members of my teams.

I can recommend the tournament to any English clubs. 


KIT CARSON.