Veljekset (brothers) of Finland: Luka and Nooa Marttila are the rising local stars

Luka and Nooa Marttila, 23 and 21 years old, play together in the Finnish National team at CEV Enel EuroVolley Men 2026. They are also playing in the same role, hitter, but that is not a problem for the two Veljekset ("brothers" in Finnish, also the nickname of the national team). 

How did you feel the first time you were on the court together with the senior National Team?
Luka: "We already played together in the junior team, but yes it was special because it was the first time with the "real" National Team. So especially because we are still young, it was an amazing moment to share".

As brothers do you also sleep together or do you prefer to have you own space?
Nooa: "We are not sleeping together (he smiles) Luka joined the National Team before, so he has his own roommates and we didn’t want to change it, ok we could ask but we realised is better to stay like that, we already spend a lot of time together" (they laugh).

What does it mean to you to play in front of local fans in a full Nokia Arena?
Nooa: "It brings a lot more confidence because we get so much energy from the crowd, they made us doing stuff that we cannot do in other situations. 
Luka: "I think without the crowd some results would not have been the same, maybe. And it's also fun at the end of the match, because we always find a lot of friends we didn't know they were coming to watch us".

Have you ever argued because you play the same role, and the coach may choose one over the other?
Nooa: "Not so much anymore, but when we played in the junior national team, when one of us didn't play well and the coach changed him of the other, we didn't like to go out at all. Now, we understand that if one is not on the court, it's because it's better for the team".

You have a younger brother, 17 years old, who can potentially join the National Team in the next future: what do you think about that?Luka: "We wish he would come one day. He is still in the group of the young players, we know he is really good, but at the same time we don't want to put the pressure on him to become a pro volleyball player".

Talking about the CEV Enel EuroVolley Men 2026, did you expect to be in this position (second of Pool C), were you aware of your value before starting the tournament?
Nooa: "After the European League, we knew we were good, but we focused on playing at our best match after match. We believed we can win, for sure, but maybe we never thought that we could win in three sets against Serbia".

And now, how far you can go?
Luka: "We hope to win the next match. And after that, we will be, for sure, not done yet. But we will see, again, match after match".

After EuroVolley you will go to France (Nooa) and Turkey (Luka) for the club season. Have you ever had the chance to meet on the court, one against the other?
Luka: "Not yet. It would be fun to play in the same club, one day. When I played in Monza, Italy, and he was in Nice, France, we were three hours by car apart, so we had to chance to met. And also with our family we found a place where to celebrate together Christmas. This year it will be harder, but let's see".

During the club season, are you always in contact, do you support each other?
Luka: "Yes, we talk a lot, every day we are in contact. We watch our games and give feedback and support each other".
Nooa: "We also enjoy talking about something different than just about volleyball, so we can bring good balance into our lives".