Guidelines for foreign athletes living in Finland

Abstract

Finland has numerous athletes practicing and competing in different sports and levels coming from abroad. Depending on the age and personality every one of them handles and reacts to all the adjustment of this event. By starting of monitoring Finnish lifestyle, including any conditions that can have an effect on the athletes, analyzing their lifestyle and investigating different matters of physical and mental health it is possible to help other athletes who may be going through hard times as well while experiencing a new lifestyle far away from their home. Interviewing and getting to know some players and athletes in the level of their professional life (including all practices, nutrition during season, all kinds of meetings with coaches, travelling, sleeping), their school time if have, their leisure time (including resting, nutrition, activities and family) may answer unasked questions which appear in a lot of athlete’s mind to whom mental coaching might have not arrived in a sufficient level. Beside everyday life other important bases must be mentioned in order to be able to understand the actual side of living in Finland, such as how clubs work differently inside the country as well even in the same sport and the difference between dealing with official papers in a new country all alone or with the help of the club/ housing family