At RIASA, we are proud of the fantastic opportunities that we are able to provide to our student-athletes throughout their degree. Therefore, we are thrilled that three of our current students will be spending the summer in Finland, following on from the end of the football season in the UK.
Carter Eichler, Andy Garcia, and Sidh Surana have all made the journey, where they will be furthering their development both on and off the pitch. All three students took part in the Showcase Tour in Finland back in March, and couldn’t wait to revisit such an amazing and unique country.
Finland’s sub-zero temperatures during the winter call for a summer football calendar, so the trio can keep up their fitness during the UK off-season and experience the Finnish game first hand.
Carter Eichler, who has just completed his first year at RIASA, will be playing for Maskun Palloseura (MaPS), one of the teams we faced on our Showcase Tour, where he will be staying in Turku. MaPS’ first team compete in the third division of Finnish football and Carter made an excellent first impression, scoring both goals in a 2-1 victory over GrIFK!
Carter had this to say about his experience so far:
“So far settling in and playing has been a great experience. I can focus on football and exploring Finland, making this opportunity worth it.
Living and playing in a small city like Turku is a nice way to relax and escape the big cities for the summer.”
Freshman winger Andy Garcia will be wearing the bright red of Oulun Työväen Polloilijat (OTP) over the summer months, who compete in Finland’s second division. Training and competing alongside experienced pros in a totally different environment will prove to be a tough test, but Andy is eager to embrace the challenge. He expressed his excitement, saying:
“I am very excited to see what the future holds, and I’m thankful to RIASA for helping me grow in my footballing career. I hope to gain as much experience as I can and learn more about the professional game.
I feel that coming to Finland will help improve my level and also help me get my feet into professional football.”
Sidh Surana, who has just completed his third year at RIASA, will also be heading to Finland to take on a sports business role at Turun Palloseura (TPS) in the second division. After previously completing internships at English clubs, Sidh will be working with various Finnish teams over the summer, enhancing the knowledge learned throughout his studies.
“Regarding my experience, Finland has been amazing so far!
These internships definitely make me better overall and I believe after I graduate in 2025, these experiences will prove to be useful.”
At RIASA, we are committed to providing our student-athletes with unique opportunities that supercharge both personal and athletic growth. Make sure to keep an eye out on socials for more updates from Finland over the summer – we can’t wait for the new season to begin!
See Men’s Undergraduate Soccer programme