FC Hämeenlinna
Encyclopedia
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
club, based in Hämeenlinna
Hämeenlinna
Hämeenlinna is a city and municipality of about inhabitants in the heart of the historical province of Häme in the south of Finland and is the birthplace of composer Jean Sibelius. Today, it belongs to the region of Tavastia Proper, and until 2010 it was the residence city for the Governor of the...
. It currently plays in the Finnish First Division (Ykkönen
Ykkönen
Ykkönen is the second highest level of the Finnish football league system , although it is the highest league managed by the Football Association of Finland.-Competition:...
). The club's manager
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
is Teuvo Palkki, and it plays its home matches at Kaurialan Kenttä
Kaurialan Kenttä
Kaurialan kenttä is a multi-use stadium in Hämeenlinna, Finland. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of FC Hämeenlinna. The stadium holds 4,000 people.-External links:*...
.
The team was formed in 1991.
Initial Years
FC Hämeenlinna was founded in autumn 1991, when the town's two football teams HPK and Pallo-Kärpät decided to merge. In the Spring of 1992, K-Team took the place of HPK in the KolmonenKolmonen
Kolmonen is the fourth highest football league in Finland. The most famous club competing at this level is Helsingin Palloseura who won the Finnish Championship on 9 occasions, the last time being in 1957. They also won the Finnish Cup in 1962...
. The team were coached by Seppo Pyykkö and Teuvo Palkki.
FC Hämeenlinna in the autumn of 1993 gained promotion to the Kakkonen
Kakkonen
Kakkonen is the third tier of the Finnish football league system.-League structure:Kakkonen is divided to three groups of 14 clubs. A club plays each of the others in the same group twice, once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponents. Clubs gain three points for a win, one for a...
, where their say was short-lived as they gained promotion this time to the Ykkönen
Ykkönen
Ykkönen is the second highest level of the Finnish football league system , although it is the highest league managed by the Football Association of Finland.-Competition:...
. The club played at this level until 1998, when they were relegated back to the Kakkonen
Kakkonen
Kakkonen is the third tier of the Finnish football league system.-League structure:Kakkonen is divided to three groups of 14 clubs. A club plays each of the others in the same group twice, once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponents. Clubs gain three points for a win, one for a...
. The first team won the Ykkönen Cup in the summer of 1996.
In the Autumn of 1998 the club launched a project with the objective of achieving to top level football for Hämeenlinna. Jari-Pekka Keurulainen was hired as coach of and one of his signings was Ismo Lius. The following season Lius took on additional training responsibilities and he coached the team during the 2000 season. Then Hannu Tourujoki was hired as coach and season 2001 ended with celebrations with the team winning the play-off against in Jaro (from Pietarsaari) by 4-2 on aggregate.
Current squad
Famous past players
- Anssi VirénAnssi VirenAnssi Viren is a Finnish football player currently playing for JJK.-References:*...
- Arto Viljanen
- Hans Wikberg
- Jukka VanninenJukka VanninenJukka Vanninen is a Finnish football player currently playing for FC Lahti.-References:*...
- Marko Tuominen
- Andrew ToddAndrew ToddAndrew Jonathan Todd is an English footballer, currently at Mansfield Town as a Player-Coach.He was signed by Accrington Stanley from Conference side Burton Albion in the summer of 2006 after impressing during a loan spell at the end of the 2005-06 season.Todd was signed by Rotherham United on a...
- István Tarlósi
- Kari Suomalainen
- Jukka Suikki
- Mikko Sundberg
- Jani Sipilä
- Piracaia
- Tuomas PeltonenTuomas PeltonenToumas Peltonen is a Finish football player playing as a goalkeeper in FC Honka.-External links:*...
- Roni PorokaraRoni PorokaraRoni Porokara is a Finnish international football player, who currently plays for Beerschot AC in the Belgium Jupiler Pro League. Porokara is the first Jewish player on the Finnish national team since 1949.- FC Hämeenlinna :...
- Petri Pasanen
- Markus Paija
- Teuvo Palkki
- Lasse Ollikainen
- Esa Mattila
- Ismo LiusIsmo LiusIsmo Lius is a retired football forward.During his club career, Lius played for Kuusysi Lahti, Örgryte IS, HJK Helsinki, RoPS and FC Hämeenlinna. He made 36 appearances for the Finland national team, scoring 4 goals....
- Olli Lehtimäki
- Jussi Laihanen
- Pekka Kunnola
- Petri Koukkula
- Teemu Haaja
- Gábor SzilágyiGábor SzilágyiGábor Szilágyi is a Hungarian footballer who played for BVSC Budapest as striker.-References:* Futballévkönyv 1999 [Football Yearbook 1999], Volume I, pp. 78–82., Aréna 2000 kiadó, Budapest, 2000 ISBN 963-85967-8-3...
- Peke Huuhtanen
- Mark ByrnesMark ByrnesMark John Byrnes is an Australian football defender who currently plays for the APIA Leichhardt Tigers in the New South Wales Premier League.-Club career:...
Coaches
{||valign="top"|{| border="0" |
|-
| 1991–1995 || || Seppo Pyykkö
|-
| 1996–1998 || || Jorma Kangasmäki
|-
| 1998 || || Seppo Pyykkö
|-
| 1999 || || Jari-Pekka Keurulainen
|-
| 2000 || || Ismo Lius
Ismo Lius
Ismo Lius is a retired football forward.During his club career, Lius played for Kuusysi Lahti, Örgryte IS, HJK Helsinki, RoPS and FC Hämeenlinna. He made 36 appearances for the Finland national team, scoring 4 goals....
|-
| 2001–2002 || || Hannu Touru
Hannu Touru
Hannu Touru is an experienced football manager in Finland. Touru is considered to be one of the most tactically skilled managers in Finland...
|-
| 2003–2004 || || Ville Lyytikäinen
Ville Lyytikäinen
Ville Lyytikäinen is a Finnish football coach. He is currently the head coach of Atlantis FC in Finland's second highest tier, Ykkönen.In the past Lyytikäinen has coached FC Jokerit, FC Hämeenlinna and FC Honka...
|-
| 2004 || || Toni Korkeakunnas
Toni Korkeakunnas
Toni Korkeakunnas is a Finnish football manager and former player, currently managing MYPA in Finnish Veikkausliiga.-References:...
|-
| 2005 || || Danny Hoekman
|-
| 2005 || || Geert Meijer
Geert Meijer
Geert Meijer is a Dutch football manager and former professional player who currently coaches amateur team VV Strijen.-Playing career:...
|-
| 2006 || || Jussi Laihanen
|-
| 2007–2010 || || Teuvo Palkki
|-
| 2011– || || Jussi Lempinen
|}