Hungry to succeed.....

"You have to be hungry all the time," says Tim Sparv, reflecting on the advice he would give to the players.

"You can always learn something new and that will be a driving force in your career. The steps aren't always big, but small steps, moving steadily forward, will take you where you want to be. This is a perfect chance to learn these things; to be a little more professional and to play in top-class games."

Capped 60 times by Finland, the 31-year-old midfielder's views are shared by fellow tournament ambassador Maija Saari, who played 86 games for Finland and, like Sparv, captained the team. Saari played in the 2004 and 2005 UEFA European Women's Under-19 Championships before joining the seniors for the 2009 UEFA Women's EURO. The 32-year-old defender's advice is to live the moment.

"Enjoy the tournament atmosphere," she says. "Take everything out of what's going on, on and off the pitch. You learn about the environment of international games, how it works. Internationals are always tougher than domestic league games. The best players are always on the pitch and it will give you an extra boost."

Sparv adds: "This is a very important step in every player's career. Everyone is still developing as a player and as a person. Most important is to learn that there is still much to learn. To be a good player, you have to accept you haven't learned everything at that age."

Sparv's first taste of international tournament football came at the 2003 FIFA U-17 World Cup, also in Finland. He later played a key role in his nation qualifying for their first UEFA European Under-21 Championship finals in 2009.

"It was something else to pull on the national team jersey [for the first time]," he recalls. "I was very proud and I'm still very proud every time I put it on."

It is a feeling no doubt shared by this generation of U19s. "It will definitely be a great experience," Sparv says. "Playing at home is always an advantage. A lot of the players play regularly either in Finnish league or abroad, so there is definitely talent in the team – such as Saku Ylatupa, Marcus Forss and Serge Atakayi."

Saari too is anticipating a summer to remember. "There will be Finnish flags and colours everywhere," she says. "The home crowd will bring a bit of extra pressure and that should be turned into a positive thing. You have to enjoy it."

This article appears in the UEFA European Under-19 Championship final tournament programme