Finland U18

Helsinki organises Finland's youth football through the national federation, and the under-18 side is one of the setups run out of its training base in Tapiola, Espoo, rather than out of a stadium of its own. The team has no fixed ground and no nickname of its own — the "Huuhkajat" tag belongs to the senior men's side, not this one. Its games go by opponent and tournament venue, following a schedule built from 1981 onward.

The one title worth naming came in Saint Petersburg in January 2011, at the Valentin Granatkin Memorial Tournament. Finland topped a group that included Russia and Italy, drawing with Latvia and holding Russia to 3-3, then beat China 2-0 in the final. Mikko-Peteri Latosaari was named the tournament's best defender, and Aleksi Paananen shared the top scorer award.

What the level is really judged on is who passes through it. Teemu Pukki wore the shirt in 2007 and 2008, eighteen caps and five goals at that age, years before he became Finland's record goalscorer for the senior team. Robin Lod came through in 2011, the same year as the Granatkin win, before moves to HJK Helsinki and on to Minnesota United. The side plays friendlies rather than a fixed league programme, which makes those departures, more than any table, the measure of what it does.

Pukki's tally with the senior team since stands at 43 goals in 133 caps.