Italy: Finland’s title winning coach Juha Hakala has transformed the defense of the Torino Giaguari

When Helsinki Roosters former head coach Juha Hakala made the decision to serve as the defensive coordinator for the Torino Giaguari in the Italian Football League for the 2025 season, it did not come as a huge surprise to those who knew him well.

He had led the Roosters to the 2024 title after helping to rebuild the team for the past five seasons and in fact has done this twice before. In 2017,  he took over as head coach of the Lazio Marines after leading the Roosters to five consecutive championships in Finland’s Maple League and then again in 2019 when he served as defensive coordinator of the Lazio Ducks.

His impact on his new team has been almost immediate. Working under head coach Kurt Ramler, Hakala has transformed the defense from being the third worst in the IFL in 2024 into the best defense in the six team B Conference allowing 14 points a game. The defense is a key reason that the Giaguari have won their first four games of the season, three of them by lopsided scores. .

AFI asked the 41 year old native of Helsinki about the move to Italy, the season so far and the differences between coaching in Italy and Finland.

AFI: You have opened the season with four straight wins and now have one of the best defenses in the league. It’s a huge improvement over last year when Torino had the third worst defense. What have you done to achieve this?

Hakala: We have just gone back to basics with the defense. Improved players’ basic techniques by positions and focused on creating a culture where we get whole defense playing fast as one unit with great pursuit on every play.

AFI:. You moved from being the head coach of the Finnish champions to defensive coordinator of the Giaguari. What prompted the move?

Hakala: Last season with Roosters did end in a Championship and also our five year re-build project came to an end, so it was a time for me to move on and also at the same time get back more to calling plays and focusing more only on coaching.

AFI: How much of a difference is it coaching in Italy compared to Finland?

Hakala: Football is football where ever you go. Of course resources and surroundings might be different. This year we have the luxury of being in a place where we have very talented group of young and hungry local players and also high quality coaching staff put together by club president Francesco Cerra, so there hasn’t been too much difference other than better weather.

AFI: You are almost halfway through the season. Are you surprised at how well it has gone?

Hakala: The team is talented, so I’m not surprised that we have been able to win games as guys has been putting in good amount of work and our preparation for the season was good and what’s the most great part we can still improve a lot, if we just keep working and committed of getting better day by day.