IFK Mariehamn
Encyclopedia
IFK
Mariehamn is a Finnish
football
club, based in Mariehamn
, capital of the Åland Islands. It currently plays in the Finnish Premier Division (Veikkausliiga
). The club's manager
is Pekka Lyyski
, and it plays its home matches at Wiklöf Holding Arena.
or Swedish
teams. The team has participated in the Finnish football leagues since 1945.
Until the 1970s, IFK Mariehamn played primarily in the Finnish football divisions 3
and 4. The club reached a peak in 1975 and 1976, when the club first advanced to division 2
and then reached division 1 (Ykkönen
) the following year. After two seasons in division 1, IFK Mariehamn was relegated to division 2, where it would remain up until the 2000s, except for a few seasons in division 3 during the early 1990s.
In 2003, IFK Mariehamn returned to division 1. After only one season in division 1, the club advanced, for the first time in its history to the premier division of Finnish football, the Veikkausliiga
, for the 2005 season. In its first season in the Veikkausliiga, IFK Mariehamn finished 12th out of 14 teams. In 2006, the club finished in 5th place and the year after 6th after an impressive run of unbeaten matches during the autumn of 2007.
In addition to playing in the Veikkausliiga, IFK Mariehamn participates in local Åland tournaments, having won the Åland cup 40 times and the Åland football championships 42 times. In recent years, the club has been the most dominant football team on Åland, having in 2008 won its 11th and 15th straight titles in these two events, respectively.
In 2009, IFK Mariehamn started its first season as a fully professional football club.
, currently in Djurgårdens IF, and formerly in West Ham
and Liverpool, and a regular in the Finnish national football team Mikael Granskog, former player in IFK Norrköping
and in the Finnish national team Anders Eriksson, former player in Östers IF
and in the Finnish national team Urmas Kaljend
, Estonian defender who earned 20 caps for the Estonia national football team
during his career Lembit Rajala
, Estonian striker who played 93 games for the club, scoring 66 goals. Paulus Arajuuri
, currently in Kalmar FF
and a regular in the Finland national under-21 football team
Idrottsföreningen Kamraterna
Idrottsföreningen Kamraterna , usually abbreviated IFK is a central organisation for a large number of sports clubs in Sweden. There are also eight IFK clubs in Finland but they are organised separately...
Mariehamn is a Finnish
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 Mariehamn
Mariehamn
Mariehamn is the capital of Åland, an autonomous territory under Finnish sovereignty. Mariehamn is the seat of the Government and Parliament of Åland, and 40% of the population of Åland live in the city...
, capital of the Åland Islands. It currently plays in the Finnish Premier Division (Veikkausliiga
Veikkausliiga
Veikkausliiga is the premier division of Finnish football, comprising the top 12 clubs of the country. Veikkausliiga is currently ranked as the 28th best league in Europe. Its main sponsor is the Finnish national betting agency Veikkaus, hence the league's name...
). 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 Pekka Lyyski
Pekka Lyyski
Pekka Lyyski is a Finnish football coach. He is currently the head coach of IFK Mariehamn in Finland's Veikkausliiga.In 2003 Lyyski took charge of the IFK Mariehamn and brought the team in two years from Kakkonen to Veikkausliiga for the 2005 season for the first time in club history.His son Jani...
, and it plays its home matches at Wiklöf Holding Arena.
History
While IFK Mariehamn was formed in 1919, the sports club did not have a football section until the mid-1930s. Initially the team participated primarily in local tournaments on Åland, only sporadically playing other FinnishFinland
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...
or Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
teams. The team has participated in the Finnish football leagues since 1945.
Until the 1970s, IFK Mariehamn played primarily in the Finnish football divisions 3
Kolmonen
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...
and 4. The club reached a peak in 1975 and 1976, when the club first advanced to division 2
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...
and then reached division 1 (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 following year. After two seasons in division 1, IFK Mariehamn was relegated to division 2, where it would remain up until the 2000s, except for a few seasons in division 3 during the early 1990s.
In 2003, IFK Mariehamn returned to division 1. After only one season in division 1, the club advanced, for the first time in its history to the premier division of Finnish football, the Veikkausliiga
Veikkausliiga
Veikkausliiga is the premier division of Finnish football, comprising the top 12 clubs of the country. Veikkausliiga is currently ranked as the 28th best league in Europe. Its main sponsor is the Finnish national betting agency Veikkaus, hence the league's name...
, for the 2005 season. In its first season in the Veikkausliiga, IFK Mariehamn finished 12th out of 14 teams. In 2006, the club finished in 5th place and the year after 6th after an impressive run of unbeaten matches during the autumn of 2007.
In addition to playing in the Veikkausliiga, IFK Mariehamn participates in local Åland tournaments, having won the Åland cup 40 times and the Åland football championships 42 times. In recent years, the club has been the most dominant football team on Åland, having in 2008 won its 11th and 15th straight titles in these two events, respectively.
In 2009, IFK Mariehamn started its first season as a fully professional football club.
Division history
- 1945 – 1971: Divisions 3 and 4 (two seasons)
- 1972: Division 2
- 1973 – 1975: Division 3
- 1976: Division 2
- 1977 – 1978: Division 1
- 1979 – 1990: Division 2
- 1991 – 1992: Division 3
- 1993 – 2003: Division 2
- 2004: Division 1
- 2005 – present: Veikkausliiga (Premier division)
Season to season
| class="wikitable"> | ||||||
| Season | Level | Division | Section | Administration | Position | Movements |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen (Second Division) | West Group | Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) | 4th | |
| 1995 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen (Second Division) | South Group | Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) | 9th | |
| 1996 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen (Second Division) | South Group | Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) | 7th | |
| 1997 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen (Second Division) | South Group | Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) | 5th | |
| 1998 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen (Second Division) | South Group | Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) | 8th | |
| 1999 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen (Second Division) | West Group | Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) | 2nd | |
| 2000 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen (Second Division) | West Group | Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) | 6th | |
| 2001 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen (Second Division) | South Group | Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) | 4th | |
| 2002 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen (Second Division) | South Group | Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) | 5th | |
| 2003 | Tier 3 | Kakkonen (Second Division) | South Group | Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) | 2nd | Playoffs - Promoted |
| 2004 | Tier 2 | Ykkönen (First Division) | Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) | 2nd | Playoffs - Promoted | |
| 2005 | Tier 1 | Veikkausliiga (Premier League) | Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) | 12th | ||
| 2006 | Tier 1 | Veikkausliiga (Premier League) | Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) | 5th | ||
| 2007 | Tier 1 | Veikkausliiga (Premier League) | Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) | 6th | ||
| 2008 | Tier 1 | Veikkausliiga (Premier League) | Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) | 12th | ||
| 2009 | Tier 1 | Veikkausliiga (Premier League) | Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) | 4th | ||
| 2010 | Tier 1 | Veikkausliiga (Premier League) | Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) | 12th | ||
| 2011 | Tier 1 | Veikkausliiga (Premier League) | Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) | 7th |
- 7 seasons in VeikkausliigaVeikkausliigaVeikkausliiga is the premier division of Finnish football, comprising the top 12 clubs of the country. Veikkausliiga is currently ranked as the 28th best league in Europe. Its main sponsor is the Finnish national betting agency Veikkaus, hence the league's name...
- 1 season in YkkönenYkkönenYkkönen 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:...
- 10 seasons in KakkonenKakkonenKakkonen 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...
Current squad
As of 31 August 2011Notable players
Daniel SjölundDaniel Sjölund
Henrik Daniel "Daja" Sjölund is a Finnish footballer who currently plays for Djurgårdens IF in the Swedish Allsvenskan....
, currently in Djurgårdens IF, and formerly in West Ham
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
and Liverpool, and a regular in the Finnish national football team Mikael Granskog, former player in IFK Norrköping
IFK Norrköping
IFK Norrköping is a Swedish football club based in Norrköping. The club, formed on 29 May 1897, is currently playing in the first division of Swedish football, Allsvenskan...
and in the Finnish national team Anders Eriksson, former player in Östers IF
Östers IF
Östers IF is a Swedish football club located in Växjö. The club, formed 20 April 1930 , is currently playing in the second Swedish league called Superettan. In 1968, Öster won Allsvenskan as newcomers. The club is affiliated to the Smålands Fotbollförbund...
and in the Finnish national team Urmas Kaljend
Urmas Kaljend
Urmas Kaljend is a retired Estonian professional footballer, who played as a defender. He was affiliated with FC Norma Tallinn, SK Tallinna Sport and TVMK Tallinn...
, Estonian defender who earned 20 caps for the Estonia national football team
Estonia national football team
The Estonia national football team represents Estonia in international association football. Team members are selected by the head coach of Estonian Football Association . Estonia play their home matches at the A. Le Coq Arena in Tallinn, Estonia....
during his career Lembit Rajala
Lembit Rajala
Lembit Rajala is a former Estonian professional footballer. He was playing the position of striker. He won a total of 26 international caps for the Estonia national football team.-External links:*...
, Estonian striker who played 93 games for the club, scoring 66 goals. Paulus Arajuuri
Paulus Arajuuri
Paulus Arajuuri is a Finnish professional footballer and central defender who plays for Kalmar FF in Sweden.- Club career :Originally from Helsinki, Arajuuri moved to the Åland Islands and IFK Mariehamn in 2008...
, currently in Kalmar FF
Kalmar FF
Kalmar FF is a Swedish football club located in Kalmar. Formed 10 January 1910, the club has won three national cup titles and 1 league title. Kalmar FF currently play in the highest Swedish league, Allsvenskan....
and a regular in the Finland national under-21 football team
Finland national under-21 football team
The Finnish national under-21 football team is the national under-21 football team of Finland. The team qualified for the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship final tournament in 2009.-UEFA U-21 Championship Record:...