FC Haka

FC Haka

Full name	Valkeakosken Haka
Nickname(s)	Haka
Founded	1934
Ground	Tehtaan kenttä, Valkeakoski
Capacity	3,516
Chairman	Olli Huttunen
Manager	Andy Smith [1]
League	Veikkausliiga
2024	Veikkausliiga, 6th of 12
Website	http://www.fchaka.fi
Home colours Away colours

FC Haka, originally Valkeakosken Haka, commonly known as Haka, is a Finnish professional football club based in the industrial town of Valkeakoski. The club was founded in 1934, competing in Finland's premier division of football, Veikkausliiga. It is one of the most successful clubs in Finland, with nine Finnish championships and 12 Finnish Cup wins.

Contents

• History
• Honours
• European campaigns
• Divisional movements
• Season to season
• Current squad
• Management and boardroom
• Management
• Boardroom
• Managers
• References
• External links

History

Haka has historically had close ties with the paper industry in the Valkeakoski area, and it is still sponsored by UPM Kymmene.

The club was founded as Valkeakosken Haka in 1934, with a strong contribution of Juuso Walden. In 1949 it was promoted to Finland's top division Mestaruussarja (now called Veikkausliiga), and in 1955 won the inaugural Finnish Cup.

The 1960s was the most successful era in the club's history, winning both the league and cup three times, including the first double in Finnish football history in 1960. The club was relegated in 1972, but came straight back, and won the double again in 1977.

The club's name was changed to FC Haka in the early 1990s. Haka won the title again 1995, but was relegated the next season. Keith Armstrong was hired as the new coach, and the club came straight back again, winning three straight championships from 1998 to 2000. ^[2] Goalkeeping legend Olli Huttunen succeeded Armstrong as coach in 2002, and has already led the club to the championship (2004) and two cups (2002 and 2005).

Haka's best performance in UEFA competition was in the 1983–1984 season when they reached the quarterfinals of the Cup Winners' Cup, losing to eventual winners Juventus 0–2 on aggregate. The club has been involved in European competitions every year since 1998, the streak ending in 2008–2009 season.

In the recent years the club's financial situation has deteriorated on two occasions (like many other small market teams in Veikkausliiga). The first one was the 2008–09 season when a group of investors led by local businessman and restaurateur Sedu Koskinen (owner and founder of a nationwide night-club chain) formed FC Haka Oy to help an essentially bankrupt team to finish the season. In 2010 Sedu Koskinen left, after having put around 1 million euros of his own money into the club.

Since then the club's operations have been reformed to make it financial sound or at least not running on deficit. The team, having been one of the most successful and high stature in Finland, had been on run of deficit for several years during the 2000s. At the same time the overall economic situation in the world and also the sponsorship payments from UPM Kymmene diminished. This forced the club to rationalize its operations and adopt a new role as one of the smaller clubs in Finnish top flight football. The current situation at the start of 2012 Finnish football season is described by the current chairman and board members as difficult but stable.

These times of financial struggles have seen the club move from a perennial championship challenger to a team usually poised for relegation. Both 2011 and 2012 the pre-season media predictions have placed the club in the bottom three. Haka finished last in the standings in 2012 and were relegated to the Finnish First Division. The club finally won promotion back to the Veikkausliiga for the 2020 season following a near perfect campaign in the 2019 Ykkönen, where the club only dropped 7 points and finished 19 points ahead of second-place TPS.

Honours

• Mestaruussarja/Veikkausliiga
  • Champions (9): 1960, 1962, 1965, 1977, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2004
• Finnish Cup
  • Winners (12): 1955, 1959, 1960, 1963, 1969, 1977, 1982, 1985, 1988, 1997, 2002, 2005
• Finnish League Cup
  • Winners: 1995
• Ykkönen
  • Champions: 1997, 2019
  • Promotion: 1973

European campaigns

Season	Competition	Round	Country	Club	Score	Agg.
1961–62	European Cup	First round		Standard Liège	1–5, v 0–2	1–7
1963–64	European Cup	Preliminary round		Jeunesse d'Esch	4–1, v 0–4	4–5
1964–65	European Cup Winners' Cup	First round		Skeid Fotball	0–1, v 2–0	2–1
		Second round		AC Torino	0–1, v 0–5	0–6
1966–67	European Cup	First round		RSC Anderlecht	1–10, v 0–2	1–12
1970–71	European Cup Winners' Cup	First round		CSKA Sofia	0–9, v 1–2	1–11
1977–78	UEFA Cup	First round		Górnik Zabrze	3–5, v 0–0	3–5
1978–79	European Cup	First round		Dynamo Kiev	0–1, v 1–3	1–4
1981–82	UEFA Cup	First round		IFK Göteborg	2–3, v 0–4	2–7
1983–84	European Cup Winners' Cup	First round		Sligo Rovers	1–0, v 3–0	4–0
		Second round		Hammarby IF	1–1, v 2–1(aet)	3–2
		Quarter-finals		Juventus	0–1, v 0–1	0–2
1986–87	European Cup Winners' Cup	First round		FC Torpedo Moscow	2–2, v 1–3	3–5
1989–90	European Cup Winners' Cup	First round		Ferencvárosi TC	1–5, v 1–1	2–6
1996–97	UEFA Cup	First qualifying round		FC Flora Tallinn	2–2, v 1–0	3–2
		Second qualifying round		Legia Warszawa	0–3, v 1–1	1–4
1998–99	UEFA Cup Winners' Cup	Qualifying round		Bangor City	2–0, v 1–0	3–0
		First round		Panionios FC	0–2, v 1–3	1–5
1999–2000	UEFA Champions League	First qualifying round		HB Tórshavn	1–1, v 6–0	7–1
		Second qualifying round		Rangers	1–4, v 0–3	1–7
2000–01	UEFA Champions League	First qualifying round		Linfield	1–2, v 1–0	2–2 (a)
		Second qualifying round		Inter Bratislava	0–0, v 0–1(aet)	0–1
2001–02	UEFA Champions League	First qualifying round		Valletta FC	0–0, v 5–0	5–0
		Second qualifying round		Maccabi Haifa	0–1, v 3–0 [3]	3–1
		Third qualifying round		Liverpool	0–5, v 1–4	1–9
2001–02	UEFA Cup	First round		1. FC Union Berlin	1–1, v 0–3	1–4
2002	UEFA Intertoto Cup	First round		FK Obilić	2–1, v 1–1	3–2
		Second round		Fulham	0–0, v 1–1	1–1 (a)
2003–04	UEFA Cup	Qualifying round		Hajduk Split	2–1, v 0–1	2–2 (a)
2004–05	UEFA Cup	First qualifying round		Etzella Ettelbruck	2–1, v 3–1	5–2
		Second qualifying round		Stabæk IF	1–3, v 1–3	2–6
2005–06	UEFA Champions League	First qualifying round		Pyunik F.C.	1–0, v 2–2	3–2
		Second qualifying round		Vålerenga IF	0–1, v 1–4	1–5
2006–07	UEFA Cup	First qualifying round		Levadia Tallinn	0–2, v 1–0	1–2
2007–08	UEFA Cup	First qualifying round		Rhyl	1–3, v 2–0	3–3 (a)
		Second qualifying round		FC Midtjylland	1–2, v 2–5	3–7
2008–09	UEFA Cup	First qualifying round		Cork City	2–2, v 4–0	6–2
		Second qualifying round		Brøndby IF	0–4, v 0–2	0–6
2023–24	UEFA Europa Conference League	First qualifying round		Crusaders	2–2, v 0–1	2–3

Divisional movements

• Top Level (60 seasons): 1945, 1950–72, 1974–96, 1998–2012, 2020–
• Second Level (18 seasons): 1938–43/44, 1945/46–49, 1973, 1997, 2013–2019 ^[4]

Season to season

Current squad

As of 7 October 2024 ^[6]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK   NIR Liam Hughes 2 DF   FIN Nikolas Talo 3 DF   FIN Niklas Friberg 4 DF   CMR Hassan Ndam 5 DF   BRA Nicolas Gianini Dantas 6 MF   POR Guilherme Morais 7 MF   FIN Elias Mastokangas 8 MF   FIN Tuure Siira 9 FW   SRB Marko Bačanin 10 MF   BEL Evangelos Patoulidis 11 MF   ENG Imani Lanquedoc (on loan from Fulham U21 ) 12 GK   FIN Anton Lepola 13 MF   FIN Oskari Sallinen 15 MF   FIN Akseli Lehtomäki

No. Pos. Nation Player 16 FW   FIN Oiva Laaksonen 17 MF   KOS Arlind Sejdiu 18 DF   FIN Ryan Mahuta 19 MF   NED Benjamin Reemst 20 DF   FIN Jesse Nikki 21 DF   TOG Haymenn Bah-Traoré 23 MF   SEN Maissa Fall 25 MF   FIN Eemeli Mäkelä 26 MF   FIN Tuukka Törmä 27 FW   FIN Anthony Olusanya (on loan from HJK Helsinki) 32 GK   FIN Oliver Heino 77 MF   NZL Oliver Whyte — MF   FIN Simon Lindholm — MF   GHA Abraham Okyere

Management and boardroom

Management

As of 15 February 2021 ^[7]

Name Role Andy Smith Head Coach Sander Guerreiro Coach Mikko Manninen Coach Pauli Jussila Goalkeeping Coach Alejandro Peris Mora Fitness Coach Janne Hannu Fitness Coach Jonna Kauppinen Team Manager Jari Jalava Kit Manager Juuso Niemenpää Doctor Kalle Myyrä Masseur

Boardroom

As of 15 February 2021 ^[8]

Name Role Marko Laaksonen Chairman Olli Huttunen CEO

Managers

• Jukka Vakkila (1982–84, 1986–87, 1993–96)
• / Keith Armstrong (January 1998 – December 2001)
• Olli Huttunen (January 2002 – September 2009)
• Sami Ristilä (September 2009 – August 2012)
• Asko Jussila (August 2012 – September 2012)
• Harri Kampman (November 2012 – June 2013)
• Asko Jussila (June 2013 – July 2013)
• Juho Rantala (July 2013 – December 2014)
• Kari Martonen (January 2015 – September 2016)
• Asko Jussila/ Olli Huttunen (September 2016 – December 2016)
• / Keith Armstrong (January 2017 – December 2018)
• Teemu Tainio (January 2019 – October 2023)
• Andy Smith (October 2023 – present)

Related Research Articles

Veikkausliiga is the premier division of association football in Finland, the highest tier of the Finnish football league structure, comprising the top 12 clubs of the country. Its main sponsor is the Finnish national betting agency Veikkaus, hence the league's name. Veikkausliiga was founded in 1990; before that the top division was called Mestaruussarja since 1930 which was an amateur or semi-professional league. Between 1908 and 1930 the championship was decided as a knock-out cup competition.

Keith Thomas Armstrong is an English former football player and coach who played in the Football League for Sunderland, Newport County and Scunthorpe United, and in Finland for a number of clubs, where he also coached.

Kuopion Palloseura, commonly referred to as KuPS, is a Finnish football club based in Kuopio. KuPS competes in Veikkausliiga, the top flight of Finnish football. The team plays its home matches at Kuopio Football Stadium.

Tehtaan kenttä is a 1934 opened football stadium in the 1st district of Valkeakoski, Finland, and the home of Veikkausliiga club FC Haka. The stadium holds an attendance capacity of 3,516. The record for attendance is 6,401 and was set in a game against rival team HJK Helsinki in 1999. In addition to its history, the stadium is noted especially for its surroundings, while located in a big park and having the nearby UPM-Kymmene paper mill lay at the southwestern end of the pitch.

FC Kuusysi is a football club in Lahti, Finland. Its men's team is currently playing in the fourth tier of Finnish football (Kolmonen), and its women's team is playing in Kakkonen. The homeground of FC Kuusysi is Lahden kisapuisto.

Olavi "Olli" Huttunen is a Finnish football coach and former goalkeeper. He is the former head coach of the Finnish national team. Huttunen is currently the CEO of Veikkausliiga club Haka.

Sami Ristilä is a Finnish football manager and former player.

The 1995 Veikkausliiga was a season of the Veikkausliiga, the top level football league in Finland. It was contested by 14 teams, with Haka Valkeakoski winning the championship.

The 2001 season was the 71st completed season of Finnish Football League Championship, known as the Veikkausliiga. At the same time it was the 12th season of the Veikkausliiga.

The 2002 season was the 72nd completed season of Finnish Football League Championship, known as the Veikkausliiga. At the same time it was the 13th season of the Veikkausliiga. This season three teams could promote from the 2nd division and only one would relegate, because the Veikkausliiga would extend its number of participating teams from 12 to 14, starting the 2003 season.

The 2003 season was the 73rd completed season of Finnish Football League Championship, known as the Veikkausliiga. At the same time it was the 14th season of the Veikkausliiga.

Kari Martonen is a Finnish football manager and former player.

The 2012 Veikkausliiga is the 82nd season of top-tier football in Finland. It began on 15 April 2012 and ended on 27 October 2012. HJK Helsinki were the defending champions and successfully defended their title.

The 2013 Ykkönen season began on 29 April 2013 and ended on 5 October 2013. The winning team was directly promoted to the 2014 Veikkausliiga. The bottom two teams were relegated to Kakkonen.

HIFK Fotboll or IFK Helsingfors is the association football section of HIFK, a sports club based in Helsinki, Finland. The men's football team currently competes in the Kolmonen whereas the women's first team is in Naisten Kakkonen. Both teams use Väinämöisen kenttä in Töölö as their home ground.

The 2015 Ykkönen began on 2 May 2015 and ended on 17 October 2015. The winning team qualified directly for promotion to the 2016 Veikkausliiga 2016, while the second-placed team had to play a play-off against the eleventh-placed team from Veikkausliiga to decide who would play in that division. The bottom two teams were relegated to Kakkonen.

The 2017 Ykkönen was the 46th season of Ykkönen, the second highest football league in Finland. The season started on 29 April 2017 and ended on 21 October 2017. The winning team qualified directly for promotion to the 2018 Veikkausliiga, while the second had to play a play-off against the eleventh-placed team from Veikkausliiga to decide who would play in that division. The bottom two teams were relegated to Kakkonen.

Janne-Pekka Samuli Laine is a Finnish professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for TFF First League club Esenler Erokspor on loan from Çaykur Rizespor.

Anton Popovitch is a Finnish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Veikkausliiga club Ilves.

Salomo Ojala is a Finnish professional footballer who plays as a centre forward for Veikkausliiga club Ekenäs IF (EIF).

References

External links

• Official website