Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
HJK

Full name	Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi
Nickname(s)	Klubi (The Club)
Founded	19 June 1907; 117 years ago (1907-06-19)
Ground	Bolt Arena
Ground Capacity	10,770
Chairman	Olli-Pekka Lyytikäinen
Manager	Toni Koskela
League	Veikkausliiga
2022	Veikkausliiga, 1st of 12, (champions)
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi, usually called HJK Helsinki or just HJK, is a professional football team from Helsinki, Finland. The club plays in Finland's top football league, the Veikkausliiga. HJK was started in 1907 and has almost always played in the highest division of Finnish football. Their home stadium is Bolt Arena, which holds 10,770 fans. They have played there since the year 2000.

HJK is known as Finland's biggest and most successful football club. They have won the Finnish championship an amazing 32 times! They have also won the Finnish Cup 14 times and the Finnish League Cup 5 times. Many famous Finnish players started their careers at HJK before moving to play abroad. The club also has a very successful women's team that plays in the Kansallinen Liiga.

HJK is the only Finnish club to have ever played in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League. This happened in 1998 after they beat Metz in a play-off game. They have also played twice in the group stages of the UEFA Europa League (in 2014–15 and 2022–23). Plus, they were part of the very first UEFA Europa Conference League in 2021–22. One of their biggest wins in a European competition was a huge 13–0 victory over Bangor City from Wales in 2011–12, which included a 10–0 win at home!

HJK's traditional team colors are blue and white striped shirts with blue shorts and socks. Their club badge has stayed almost the same for over 100 years, with only a small change to make the font look more modern.

Club History: How HJK Started

The club was founded in 1907 by Fredrik Wathén. It was first called "Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi – Helsingfors Fotbollsklubb." The first official game they ever played was against Ekenäs IF, and HJK won 4–2.

In the early days, HJK was popular with Finnish-speaking students. Later in 1908, the club decided to use only Finnish as its language. Because of this, many Swedish-speaking members left to join other clubs like HIFK.

HJK players celebrating their first championship win in 1911.

In 1909, HJK chose blue and white as their colors to support the Finnish culture movement. They also added bandy as their second official sport. The club moved to a new stadium called Eläintarha Stadium. In 1910, Lauri Tanner became the club's chairman for a very long time. HJK won its first championship title in 1911.

In 1915, the club moved again to the new Töölön Pallokenttä stadium. During the Finnish Civil War in 1918, two HJK members who fought for the "Whites" sadly died.

Bolt Arena, HJK's home stadium in Helsinki.

In 1921, HJK won its first bandy championship. They won three more titles in the next five years! In 1928, ice hockey became an official sport for HJK, and they won their first ice hockey championship in 1929.

During World War II, HJK lost 22 members who were serving in the military. In 1943, handball was added as the club's sixth sport. The HJK women's handball team played for 22 seasons at the top level.

In 1963, HJK played its last season in the second-highest football league. They won 20 out of 22 games and scored 127 goals! In 1964, after being promoted, they won their tenth championship title. The next season, in 1965–66, they played their first European Cup (now UEFA Champions League) match against Manchester United.

In 1966, HJK won its first ever Finnish Cup title. Over time, HJK stopped playing other sports. The bandy section closed in the late 1960s. Figure skating was added in 1966 but ended in 1972. The ice hockey section also stopped in 1972, and handball in 1978. After that, HJK focused only on football.

The 1998–99 season was a big one for HJK. They became the first and only Finnish club to play in the UEFA Champions League group stage! They beat Metz to get there. In the group stage, they earned five points, beating Benfica at home and drawing with Benfica away and 1. FC Kaiserslautern at home.

HJK's current home stadium, the Bolt Arena, opened in 2000. They won their 20th championship title in 2002 and their tenth Finnish Cup in 2008. From 2009 to 2014, HJK had an amazing winning streak, taking home six championship titles in a row!

In 2014, HJK became the first Finnish club to play in the UEFA Europa League group stage. They beat Rapid Wien to qualify. In their group, they finished third with wins over Torino and Copenhagen at home.

In 2015, HJK signed new players and started the season by winning the League Cup, which they hadn't won since 1998. They also played their first local derby against HIFK since 1972, which ended in a 1–1 draw. In 2017, HJK had a fantastic season, losing only three games and winning both the league and the cup.

Team Badge and Colors

Badge Design

In 1910, HJK held a competition to find a new badge for the club. However, the club leaders were not happy with the ideas. The badge was finally designed by Osmo Korvenkontio in 1913. It has only had very small changes over the years.

Kit Colors

HJK's first uniform was a plain white shirt, black shorts, and black socks with a few white stripes. In 1909, HJK introduced its famous blue and white striped shirt. The blue and white colors were chosen to honor the Finnish culture movement. Black shorts were used for many years.

In 1973, the shirt was changed to a solid blue color because sponsors wanted their logos to be more visible. The club's ice hockey department had financial problems, and sponsors demanded more attention. By 1986, the club's money situation was better, and fans asked for the striped shirt to come back. It has been striped ever since!

HJK home colours 1907–08

HJK home colours 1909–50s

HJK home colours 1960s–72, 1986–

HJK home colours 1973

HJK home colours 1979

HJK home colours 1985

Club Achievements

Football Titles

• Veikkausliiga (Finnish Championship):
  • Winners (32 times): 1911, 1912, 1917, 1918, 1919, 1923, 1925, 1936, 1938, 1964, 1973, 1978, 1981, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1997, 2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022
  • Second Place (14 times): 1921, 1933, 1937, 1939, 1956, 1965, 1966, 1982, 1983, 1999, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2016
• Finnish Cup:
  • Winners (14 times): 1966, 1981, 1984, 1993, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2011, 2014, 2016–17, 2020
  • Second Place (6 times): 1975, 1985, 1990, 1994, 2010, 2021
• Finnish League Cup:
  • Winners (5 times): 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2015
  • Second Place (3 times): 1995, 2009, 2012

Women's Football Titles

• Finnish Women's Championship:
  • Winners (23 times): 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1991. 1992, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2019
• Finnish Women's Cup:
  • Winners (17 times): 1981, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2017, 2019

Ice Hockey Titles

• Finnish Championship:
  • Winners (3 times): 1928–29, 1931–32, 1934–35
  • Second Place (6 times): 1930–31, 1932–33, 1937–38, 1938–39, 1940–41, 1971–72
• Finnish Cup:
  • Winners (1 time): 1970

Bandy Titles

• Finnish Championship:
  • Winners (5 times): 1921, 1923, 1924, 1928, 1937
  • Second Place (3 times): 1925, 1927, 1946

Figure Skating Titles

• Finnish Champions
  • Pia Wingisaar: 1966, 1967
  • Anuliisa Numminen: 1970
  • Tarja Säde: 1971
  • Tarja Näsi: 1972

Supporters and Rivalries

HJK fans cheering at the Bolt Arena.

For a long time, HJK was supported by Finnish-speaking middle-class people in Helsinki. The club was open to everyone, no matter their language or background. HJK became especially known as a club from the Töölö area of Helsinki.

Over the years, HJK's image has changed as society has changed. The club is now supported by people from all over the city.

The Helsinki Derby and Other Local Rivalries

HJK's main rivals in Helsinki used to be Kiffen, HPS, and HIFK. These were the four big clubs in Helsinki. HJK and HPS were Finnish-speaking clubs, while HIFK and KIF were Swedish-speaking. These clubs also competed in other sports like bandy and ice hockey.

The HJK team in 1964.

HJK and HIFK have the biggest rivalry because they are two of the oldest and most successful clubs. A game between them is called the Stadin derby. The language difference was a big reason for their rivalry. HIFK was the club for Swedish speakers, and HJK for Finnish speakers. HIFK was promoted back to the top league in 2015 after 40 years. Because HJK stopped playing other sports in the 1960s and 1970s, the rivalry became less intense. Many people even supported both clubs at the same time (HJK in football and HIFK in ice hockey). However, with the rise of fan groups in the 2000s, there is now a lot of excitement and tension between the most passionate supporters.

HJK also had a short but strong rivalry with FC Jokerit in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Jokerit was popular because of its ice hockey team, and the clubs also played against each other in ice hockey.

Helsinki-Lahti Rivalry

HJK has played against clubs from Lahti since the 1960s. Between 1964 and 1980, HJK and Lahden Reipas had a small rivalry. Both clubs were successful and had good support.

A more important rivalry was against Kuusysi from the early 1980s to the mid-1990s. Between 1981 and 1992, HJK won six league titles, and Kuusysi won five. Both clubs also won the cup twice. Today, matches between HJK and FC Lahti (formed when two Lahti clubs merged) are known for exciting fan activity. These games often bring more away fans because the cities are not far apart.

HJK-Haka Rivalry

HJK and Valkeakosken Haka are the two most successful football clubs in Finland. HJK has 32 league titles and 14 cup titles, while Haka has 9 league titles and 12 cup titles. This rivalry is sometimes called "city vs. countryside" because HJK is from Helsinki, Finland's biggest city, and Haka is from the smaller town of Valkeakoski.

Current Players

First Team Squad

No. Position Player 1 GK Conor Hazard (on loan from Celtic) 2 DF Paulus Arajuuri 3 DF Janne Saksela 4 DF Joona Toivio 5 DF Arttu Hoskonen 7 FW Santeri Hostikka 8 FW Lucas Lingman (on loan from Helsingborg) 9 FW Riku Riski 10 MF Nassim Boujellab (on loan from Schalke 04) 11 FW Roope Riski 12 GK Jakob Tånnander 14 MF Matti Peltola 15 DF Miro Tenho 16 DF Valtteri Moren 17 MF Manuel Martic

No. Position Player 18 FW Bojan Radulović 19 MF Casper Terho 20 DF Murilo 22 DF Jukka Raitala 23 MF Pyry Soiri 24 FW David Browne 28 DF Miska Ylitolva 29 FW Anthony Olusanya 31 GK Halil Bağcı 37 FW Atomu Tanaka 44 FW Fabian Serrarens 56 MF Përparim Hetemaj 58 MF Johannes Yli-Kokko 77 FW Malik Abubakari (on loan from Malmö) 79 GK Matias Niemelä

Players on Loan

No. Position Player GK Elmo Henriksson (at IFK Mariehamn until 31 December 2022) DF Kevin Kouassivi-Benissan (at Lahti until 31 December 2022) DF Patrik Raitanen (at IFK Mariehamn until 31 December 2022)

No. Position Player FW Samuel Anini Jr (at Oulu until 31 December 2022) FW Kai Meriluoto (at Ilves until 31 December 2022)

Klubi 04

HJK also has a reserve team called Klubi 04. They currently play in the Kakkonen, which is the third-highest division in Finnish football.

Team Management

Coaching Staff

Updated June 22, 2022

Name	Role
Toni Koskela	Manager
Toni Korkeakunnas	Coach
Mikko Lignell	Coach
Tuomas Silvennoinen	Coach
Ville Wallén	Goalkeeping Coach & Operative Sport Director
Niklas Virtanen	Fitness Coach
Boris Wistuba-Marino	Kit Manager

Medical and Support Staff

This team also works with the women's team and reserve team. Updated March 30, 2022

Name	Role
Niklas Virtanen	Head of physical therapy and fitness coaching
Álvaro Molinos	Fitness Coach
Toni Taipale	Physiotherapist
Pauliina Pitkänen	Physiotherapist
Tuomas Brinck	Doctor
Klaus Köhler	Doctor
Antti Peltonen	Mental Coach

Managers and Captains

Team Managers

Team Captains

European Competitions

HJK's Record in UEFA Club Competitions

Updated August 6, 2019.

Recent European Matches

Season	Competition	Round	Opposing team	Home Score	Away Score	Total Score
1998–99	UEFA Champions League	1st Qualifying Round	FC Yerevan	2–0	3–0	5–0
1998–99	UEFA Champions League	2nd Qualifying Round	FC Metz	1–0	1–1	2–1
		Group F	PSV Eindhoven	1–3	1–2	4th in Group
			1. FC Kaiserslautern	0–0	2–5
			Benfica	2–0	2–2
2014–15	UEFA Champions League	2nd Qualifying Round	FK Rabotnički	2–1	0–0	2–1
		3rd Qualifying Round	APOEL	2–2	0–2	2–4
2014–15	UEFA Europa League	Play-off Round	SK Rapid Wien	2–1	3–3	5–4
		Group B	Copenhagen	2–1	0–2	3rd in Group
			Club Brugge	0–3	1–2
			Torino	2–1	0–2
2021–22	UEFA Champions League	1st Qualifying Round	Budućnost Podgorica	3–1	4–0	7–1
		2nd Qualifying Round	Malmö FF	2–2	1–2	3−4
	UEFA Europa League	3rd Qualifying Round	Neftçi Baku	3–0	2–2	5–2
		Play-off Round	Fenerbahçe	2–5	0–1	2–6
	UEFA Europa Conference League	Group A	LASK	0–2	0–3	3rd in Group
			Alashkert	1–0	4–2
			Maccabi Tel Aviv	0−5	0−3
2022–23	UEFA Champions League	1st Qualifying Round	RFS	1–0	1−2 (aet)	2–2 (won 5–4 on penalties)
		2nd Qualifying Round	Viktoria Plzeň	1−2	0−5	1–7
	UEFA Europa League	3rd Qualifying Round	Maribor	1–0	2–0	3–0
		Play-off Round	Silkeborg	1–0	1–1	2–1
		Group C	AS Roma	1−2	0−3	4th in Group
			Ludogorets Razgrad	1–1	0−2
			Real Betis	0−2	0−3

UEFA Club Ranking

This is how HJK ranks among European clubs according to UEFA.

Rank	Team	Points
108	Torino	12.413
109	Jablonec	12.000
110	Rijeka	11.500
111	Maccabi Haifa	11.000
112	HJK	11.000
113	Vitesse	11.000
114	FCSB	11.000
115	Legia Warsaw	11.000
116	Rosenborg	11.000

See also

In Spanish: HJK Helsinki para niños