November 29th, 2025

​CURRICULUM VITAE – TIMO VIRTANEN
​Coach • Humanitarian Project Leader • Sports Educator • Massage Therapist
Specialist in Physical Education for Excluded / Marginalized Children & Youth
Freelance Reporter/photographer.
Website: www.cype-academy.org
Nationality: Finnish
Education: Sports Coach & Sports Masseur

PROFILE SUMMARYDedicated international coach, humanitarian coordinator, and educator with more than 35 years of experience developing physical education, football programs, and inclusion projects for excluded and marginalized children and youth in Finland, Bosnia–Herzegovina, Afghanistan, Canada and Ukraine.
Founder of several long-term humanitarian and educational initiatives, including EVERYBODY IS IMPORTANT (1995–), which has provided sports, camps and educational activities to tens of thousands of vulnerable children and youth globally. Experienced leader in special groups sports (deaf, visually impaired, CP, intellectually disabled), women’s elite football, and crisis-area sport development.

KEY COMPETENCIES

• Inclusion & empowerment of excluded / marginalized children and youth
• Special groups coaching (deaf, visually impaired, CP, intellectually disabled)
• Humanitarian project coordination
• Football coaching (women, youth, goalkeeper coaching, elite teams)
• Physical education development
• International cooperation (UN, NATO/SFOR, municipalities, NGOs)
• Public speaking, training & education
• Author of several books and sports manuals
• Freelance Reporter/photographer.
• Sports massage, rehabilitation & athlete wellbeing

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE (Chronological)1986

• Coach & organizer for a football club serving excluded children, Hakunila Church / Parish
• Player-coach, Roihuvuori Gymnasium Football Team (1986–1987)

1993–1996 – FC PoHU & KyIF

• Player-Coach, FC PoHU (1993–1995)
• Coaching Manager, FC PoHU (1994–1995)
• Coach of the Year 1994, FC PoHU
• Youth Talent Coach, FC PoHU (1995)
• Goalkeeper Coach, FC PoHU (1993–1995)
• Goalkeeper Coach, FC KyIF Women, Finnish Premier League (1995, autumn)
• Goalkeeper Coach, KyIF/FCK Juniors (1996)

1995–2000 – Coaching in Disability Sports

• Head Coach, Finland Deaf Men’s National Football Team (1995–2000)
• Head Coach, Finland Deaf Youth National Team (1996–2000)
• Founder of Finland’s first disability football school for children and youth (1995)
• National development & organization of disability football for children & youth
• Founder & Coordinator of EVERYBODY IS IMPORTANT, 21.08.1995
• Pohjola FAIR PLAY Award (10,000 €)

1997–1998 – Visually Impaired Sports

• Head Coach, Finnish Women’s Goalball National Team
• Coach of the Year 1997 – Finnish Federation of the Visually Impaired
• Women’s Goalball Team – Athlete of the Year 1997
• European Championship Gold (1997), Nordic Championship Silver (1997)
• World Championship Gold (1998)
• Team achieved 14 medals at Finnish National Athletics Championships (1998)

1997

• Degree in Sports Massage – Finnish Sports Institute

1998–1999 – International Humanitarian Work

• Humanitarian Project EVERYBODY IS IMPORTANT, Bosnia–Herzegovina
  (7 sports education events, 50 m³ aid delivered with UN & NATO/SFOR)

1998–2000

• Founder, Chairman & Executive Director
  Finnish Children’s & Youth Physical Education Association
• Freelance Reporter/photographer.

1998

• Muscle Care Specialist, Nagano Paralympic Team

1999 – Special Groups & Youth Projects

• Head Coach, Finnish CP Football National Team
• FAIR PLAY Trophy Winner
• Member, Children’s & Youth Division – Finnish Sports Association for the Intellectually Disabled
• Founder and operator of KUPERKEIKKA national sports club for children & youth with developmental disabilities
• Organizer, national school-sport events under EVERYBODY IS IMPORTANT

2001–2008

• FAIR SPORT TRAINER – sports massage & physical conditioning specialist

2004–2005 – “In Our Team EVERYBODY IS IMPORTANT”

• Program for workplaces and families
• Lecturer; author of multiple sports education books
• Freelance Reporter/photographer.

2006 – FC Espoo Women & Training Roles

• Head Coach, FC Espoo Women (Finnish Premier League)
• Goalkeeper Coach, FC Espoo Women & B-Girls
• Coordinator of women’s and girls’ coaching
• Marketing Manager, Kuusijärvi Outdoor Center (2006–2007)

2005–2020 – Humanitarian Work in Afghanistan Conflict Areas

• Coordinator, EVERYBODY IS IMPORTANT – Afghanistan
• Delivery of sports & educational materials
• School events, sport festivals, community support

2007–2014 – Health & Wellbeing Sector

• Wellness day organizer & massage therapist
• Coach, FC HyPS Special Groups Football Team (2010)
• Organizer: Sport Against Violence Days
  • Kabul (2011, 2012)
  • Toronto (2014)

2015

• Coordinator of EVERYBODY IS IMPORTANT 20-Year Celebration
• Vice Chairman, AFA Finland–Afghanistan Association
• AFA / Coach for girls’ and boys’ football programs
• Founder:
  • World Heart Trainers Academy
  • World Children’s & Youth Physical Education Academy
  • World Children & Youth Rights Academy

2009–2023 – Cultural Work

• Poetry readings in senior and veteran homes
  • My Father’s Land – Fatherland
  • Wartime Girl – Pearl of Ladoga

2025–2035 – Ukraine Projects

• SAVE OUR SCHOOLS – S.O.S. Project (2025–2035) 18.04.2025
• EVERYBODY IS IMPORTANT 30-Year Anniversary Event with GO FLAMO , Mykolaiv, Ukraine (21.08.2025)

2026–2036

• Launch of EVERYBODY IS IMPORTANT – United Nations Education Day 24.01.2026 Project in Ukraine (2026–2036)

FOUNDER ROLES

• EVERYBODY IS IMPORTANT (1995–) – Major international program for excluded children & youth
• Finnish Children’s & Youth Physical Education Association (1998)
• Kuperkeikka Sports Club – Board Member (1999)
• AFA Finland–Afghanistan Association – Vice Chairman (2015)
• World Heart Trainers Academy (2015)
• World Children’s & Youth Physical Education Academy (2015)
• World Children & Youth Rights Academy (2015)

LANGUAGES

• Finnish – native
• English – fluent