Seinäjoen Jalkapallokerho

Seinäjoen Jalkapallokerho, commonly referred to as SJK, also internationally SJK Seinäjoki, is a Finnish professional football club from the city of Seinäjoki. The club plays in the Veikkausliiga, the highest tier of the Finnish league system. Their home ground is OmaSP Stadion, which is located near the city center and next to SJK's training facility Wallsport. SJK was formed in 2007 after the merger of TP-Seinäjoki and Sepsi-78.

SJK Seinäjoki
Full nameSeinäjoen Jalkapallokerho
Nickname(s)SJK, Kerho (The Club)
Founded5 November 2007 (5 November 2007)
GroundOmaSP Stadion,
Seinäjoki, Finland
Capacity5,817
ChairmanRaimo Sarajärvi
ManagerStevie Grieve
LeagueVeikkausliiga
2023Veikkausliiga, 4th of 12
WebsiteClub website

History

The early years

SJK was formed on 5 November 2007 as a merger between the first teams of TP-Seinäjoki and Sepsi-78. It was told to the public five days later. Sepsi-78 had a board meeting on 24 October and TP-Seinäjoki on the next day. Both clubs supported the merger.[1] Sepsi-78 and TP both gave up their place in Kakkonen.[2] The first signing of the new club was Petri Huttu.[3] There were several negotiations about the merger over the years. The main reason was the inadequacy of players. The clubs continued doing junior work after the merger, but could also have their own team in the lower divisions. The work name of the club was Seinäjoki Futis, and there was a contest about the official name, where everyone could suggest a name. The final name was Seinäjoen Jalkapallokerho, that had been suggested by many people. There was also a contest about the logo and uniform.[4] The registered name of the club is Seinäjoen Jalkapallokerho ry, and it was registered on January 22, 2008.[5] Mikko Latomäki was chosen as the first chairman. Jukka Saarijärvi was chosen as the vice chairman. Saarijärvi was a former TP-Seinäjoki chairman.

Promotion to Veikkausliiga

In 2013 SJK started its second season in Ykkönen. In 2012 SJK had been placed second. SJK made some signings for 2013, which included a Spanish La Masia graduate Josu and Estonian Mihkel Aksalu. SJK started the season on May 4 with a 2–1 win over PK-35 Vantaa. SJK played AC Kajaani on June 30 and won 1–7. Kajaani made a complaint to Palloliitto about the amount of foreigners in SJK. The complaint went through and AC Kajaani was changed as the winner of the match. SJK complained about the decision and the result was again changed. AC Kajaani complained again, but later canceled it.[6] After that SJK lost five matches in a row. SJK however did win eight matches in a row after that. The promotion to Veikkausliiga was confirmed on 29 September 2013 in a homematch against FC Haka. There was a record breaking attendance (4 798). The match was a 1–1 draw.

SJK started the season 2014 with winning the League Cup. SJK won the final 2–0 against local rivals Vaasan Palloseura.[7] The season started poorly, at the end of May the club was at the eleventh place. After that SJK won seven games in a row and those results lifted SJK to the second place. HJK won the league and SJK was second. SJK was the only club to win against HJK under Mika Lehkosuo. SJK lost only two of the last 24 games. The most important players were Mihkel Aksalu, the league's best defender Cedric Gogoua, Johannes Laaksonen and Toni Lehtinen.[8]

For the 2015 season SJK got even stronger. There were new signings like Mehmet Hetemaj and Ariel Ngueukam. SJK was considered as the biggest challenger of HJK. SJK was at the top of the table in September. SJK won HJK 3–0 in Seinäjoki. At the end of the season SJK's biggest challenger was Rovaniemen Palloseura. SJK won the league with one point difference to RoPS. The most important players were Roope Riski and Liverpool FC loanee Allan. SJK was chosen as the team of the year in Finland's sports gala.[9]

SJK won the Finnish Cup in 2016. It was the first time in the club's history.[10]

SJK's head coach Simo Valakari was surprisingly sacked on February 17, 2017. He was replaced by Sixten Boström.[11] Sixten Boström got also sacked after poor results in May and was replaced by Spanish José Manuel Roca[12] Roca was sacked in September. SJK Akatemia coaches Brian Page and Toni Lehtinen did the job for the rest of the poor season.[13] Under Page and Lehtinen SJK lost the Finnish Cup final to HJK.[14] Tommi Kautonen was hired as the new head coach in October 2017.[15] The season 2018 didn't start as planned and Kautonen was sacked. He was replaced by Aleksei Borisovich Yeryomenko. Yeryomenko could save SJK from relegation.[16] Yeryomenko continued as the head coach in 2019. SJK signed for example Sergei Eremenko and Moshtagh Yaghoubi.[17][18] SJK didn't win a single game in the group stage of the Finnish Cup in the winter.[19] The Veikkausliiga-campaign started well, because SJK won in the first round for the first time ever.[20] SJK won KPV in the end of April and was at the first place of the league.[21] Despite the good start, SJK couldn't get good results. Yeryomenko was sacked in August. The replacement was Brian Page.[22] SJK didn't win any games for the rest of the season. SJK placed ninth.

After the season SJK appointed Jani Honkavaara as the new head coach.[23] Honkavaara signed many prolific players for the 2020 season, such as Ariel Ngueukam, Robin Sid, Tero Mäntylä and Niko Markkula.[24] In the winter, SJK once again could not get through from the group stage of the Finnish Cup.[25] As the Veikkausliiga season started in July, SJK won in the first round against TPS.[26] SJK had a good start to the season, but the results started to get worse quite quickly.[27] In the summer transfer window the club signed a couple of players, such as Jake Jervis and Emmanuel Ledesma.[28] They proved themselves quickly and with their lead SJK could end the season somewhat brightly. SJK finished seventh, which was disappointing for the club and the supporters.[29]

On 6 March 2023, SJK announced a co-operation deal with Ghanaian football academy Vision FC.[30]

Domestic history

Season Level Pos Pld W D L For Against Points Finnish Cup League Cup Top goalscorer (League)[31] Top goalscorer (All competitions)
20083rd8261079573737 Tommi Haanpää  – 10-
200952614111565243Third round Mikael Muurimäki  – 14-
20105261196463142Fifth Round Mikael Muurimäki  – 9-
20111262240721470Seventh Round Petter Meyer  – 23-
20122nd2271458422947Fifth Round Toni Lehtinen – 13 Toni Lehtinen - 14
20131271854511759Third round Toni Lehtinen – 10 Toni Lehtinen – 10
20141st23316116402659Quarter-finalWinners Akseli Pelvas – 11 Akseli Pelvas – 12
20151331869502260Fifth RoundQuarter-final Akseli Pelvas – 14 Akseli Pelvas – 20
201633317610493657WinnersRunners-up Roope Riski – 17 Roope Riski – 25
201763313812424747Runners-up Billy Ions – 12 Billy Ions – 14
20189338817283732Quarter-final Johannes Laaksonen – 6 Johannes Laaksonen, Aristote M'Boma  – 6
20199277911182930Group-stage- Denys Oliynyk - 8 Denys Oliynyk - 10
2020722859272929Group-stage- Emmanuel Ledesma - 5 Joonas Lepistö - 6
20213271467453448Quarter-final- Ariel Ngueukam –14 Ariel Ngueukam – 14
202262710512333835Quarter-finalSemi-final Jake Jervis –6 Jake Jervis – 10
2023 4271269353342Fourth roundGroup-stage Jaime Moreno –11 Jaime Moreno – 12

European history

Accurate as of 28 July 2022
CompetitionPlayedWonDrewLostGFGAGDWin%
UEFA Champions League 201124−2000.00
UEFA Europa League 401304−4000.00
UEFA Europa Conference League 410369−3025.00

Legend: GF = Goals For. GA = Goals Against. GD = Goal Difference.

Season Competition Round Opponent Home Away Aggregate
2015–16 UEFA Europa League 1Q FH 0–1 0–1 0–2
2016–17 UEFA Champions League 2Q BATE Borisov 2–2 0–2 2–4
2017–18 UEFA Europa League 1Q KR Reykjavík 0–2 0–0 0–2
2022–23 UEFA Europa Conference League 1Q Flora 4–2 (a.e.t.) 0–1 4–3
2Q Lillestrøm 0–1 2–5 2–6
Notes
  • 1Q: First qualifying round
  • 2Q: Second qualifying round

Stadium and sponsors

Stadium

SJK play their home matches at OmaSP Stadion. Previously SJK played their home matches at Seinäjoen keskuskenttä.

In 2010, it was reported for the first time that SJK were planning a new football stadium. Eventually, in autumn 2014 it was announced that the construction of SJK's new stadium would start soon. The construction began in summer 2015 and the new stadium was completed in June 2016.[32] Stadium has a capacity of 5817 seats.

SJK play their friendlies and cup matches during the winter at Wallsport Areena which is an indoor training facility owned and operated by the team.

Kit suppliers and shirt sponsors

As of 3 April 2022[33]
Period Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsors Ref
2008–2009 Umbro Nordea, S-Market
2010–2011 Adidas Nordea, Carlsberg, Eepee
2012 Kotijoukkue, Prisma
2013 Kotijoukkue, Lähitapiola, ABC, Sokos Hotels
2014 Conline, Ilkka, Lähitapiola, GapCon, Sokos Hotels
2015 Conline, Kotijoukkue, Lähitapiola, EPPK, ABC, Sokos Hotels
2016 Conline, Kotijoukkue, Lähitapiola, EPPK, Prima Power
2017 FinCap, I-Print, OmaSp, Lähitapiola, Prima Power, Elisa
2018 Visura, ProPrint, Peab, Lähitapiola, OmaSp, Elisa [34]
2019 Atria, ProPrint, Peab, Lähitapiola, OmaSp, Elisa
2020 Atria, ProPrint, Lähitapiola, OmaSp, Elisa
2021 Atria, ProPrint, Ilkka-Pohjalainen, Lähitapiola, OmaSp, Elisa
2022 Ilkka-Pohjalainen, ProPrint, Lecklé, Lähitapiola, OmaSp, Pihlajalinna

Honours

Players

First team squad

As of 26 June 2024[35][36][37]

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  FIN Roope Paunio
2 DF  POR Babacar Fati
4 DF  CPV Kelvin Pires (on loan from AS Trenčín)
5 DF  FIN Oskari Väistö
7 FW  FIN Rasmus Karjalainen
8 MF  ARG Valentin Gasc (3rd captain)
9 FW  NCA Jaime Moreno (vice-captain)
10 MF  FIN Pyry Hannola
11 FW  FIN Eetu Mömmö (on loan from US Lecce)
14 MF  FIN Lauri Laine
15 MF  GHA Salim Yussif
16 DF  FIN Otto Kemppainen
17 DF  FIN Ville Tikkanen (captain)
No. Pos. Nation Player
18 MF  FIN Markus Arsalo
19 FW  FIN Tuomas Kaukua
21 FW  GHA Kingsley Ofori
24 DF  CIV Ibrahim Cissé
25 GK  NCA Miguel Rodríguez (on loan from Diriangén FC)
26 DF  FIN Dario Naamo
36 MF  FIN Denis Cukici
37 FW  FIN Kasper Paananen
44 DF  SEN Fallou Ndiaye
47 FW  BEN Olatoundji Tessilimi
80 GK  FIN Hemmo Riihimäki
FW  FIN Jeremiah Streng
DF  SCO Lewis Strapp

Out on loan

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
MF  MAS Nooa Laine (at Selangor until 31 December 2024)

SJK Akatemia

Reserve team squad

As of 1 April 2024[38]

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  FIN Asseri Heinämäki
6 FW  GHA Emmanuel Essel (on loan from Vision F.C.)
9 FW  FIN Miro Turunen
14 MF  FIN Topias Helle
15 FW  FIN Elias Hyytinen
16 DF  FIN Tuomas Koivisto
21 DF  FIN Oskari Väistö
23 DF  FIN Joona Lahdenmäki
24 DF  FIN Eemeli Löytökorpi
25 GK  FIN Juho Kaunismäki
26 FW  FIN Eemeli Honkola
No. Pos. Nation Player
29 FW  FIN Akseli Tervaniemi
38 FW  FIN Elari Hautamäki
MF  GHA Bob Armah (on loan from Sporting Club Accra)
FW  FIN Artur Atarah
DF  FIN Gabriel Oksanen
DF  FIN Tobias Karkulowski
FW  BRA Vinícius Ribeiro
FW  GHA Emmanuel Akansase
DF  GHA Sayibu Yakubu
DF  NGA Nathaniel Tahmbi
FW  FIN Onni Hänninen

Out on loan

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
FW  GHA Kwame Otu (at SalPa)

Management and boardroom

Management

As of 30 April 2024[39][40][41][42][43]

Name Role
Stevie Grieve Head coach
Toni Lehtinen Assistant coach
Martim Perestrelo Assistant coach
Risto-Matti Toivonen Fitness coach
Luís Fernando Goalkeeping coach
Tiitus Lehtinen Physiotherapist
Pekka Lehtinen Team Manager
Ranno Kukk Doctor
Paul Riley Head of Recruitment
Adriel Gabilan Analyst/Scout
Arttu Aromaa SJK Akatemia Head coach
Niko Hasa SJK Akatemia/2 Head coach
Ash Civil Talent coach

Boardroom

As of 28 July 2024[44]

Name Role
Raimo Sarajärvi Chairman
Richie Dorman Technical director
Elina Paavola Finance Manager
Joonas Kuivalainen Sales Manager
Joonas Kuivalainen Sales Negotiator
Tommi Kilpiö Marketing

Records and notable stats

Club Records

  • Biggest home win: SJK 8–1 TUS (30 May 2008)
  • Biggest away win: RoPo 0-8 SJK (15 April 2024)
  • Biggest home loss: SJK 0–6 HJK (10 August 2017)
  • Biggest away loss: HJK 6–0 SJK (31 May 2017)
  • Most consecutive matches without lost: 44 (18 August 2010 – 30 May 2012)
  • Most consecutive wins: 9 (11 July 2011 – 27 August 2011)
  • Most consecutive losses: 5 (8 April 2022 – 7 May 2022)

Individual Records

Most appearances

As of 28 June 2024
#NameMatches
1 Mihkel Aksalu221
2 Mehmet Hetemaj207
3 Johannes Laaksonen200
4 Richie Dorman168
5 Ville Tikkanen143
6 Ariel Ngueukam133
7 Matej Hradecky131
8 Timo Tahvanainen128
9 Toni Lehtinen118
10 Denys Oliynyk116

Club captains

Name Nat Period
Juha-Pekka Salminen[45] 2008
Petri Niemi[46] 2009
Ville Ylinen[47] 2010
Chris Cleaver[48] 2011–2013
Pavle Milosavljević[49] 2014–2015
Mihkel Aksalu[50] 2016–2018
Mehmet Hetemaj[51] 2019–2022
Matej Hradecky[52] 2023
Ville Tikkanen 2024-

Supporters player of the year

[53]

Name Nat Period
Jani Asuintupa 2008
Ville Pajula 2009
Ville Pajula 2010
Aki Sipilä 2011
Patrik Lomski 2012
Pavle Milosavljević 2013
Cedric Gogoua 2014
Mihkel Aksalu 2015
Roope Riski 2016
Mehmet Hetemaj 2017
Johannes Laaksonen 2018
Denys Oliynyk 2019
Emmanuel Ledesma 2020
Ville Tikkanen 2021
Jake Jervis 2022
Ville Tikkanen 2023

SJK All Stars

In April 2020, SJK fans participated in a fan vote selecting their 11 favourite SJK players from the 2014-2019-seasons.[54]

NamePosNatYearsGamesGoalsLeague
games
League
goals
Mihkel AksaluGK2013–201922101580
Richie DormanRB2012–20181687954
Pavle MilosavljevićCB2013–2015771381
Cedric GogouaCB2014–2015593523
Timo TahvanainenLB2013–20171284792
Johannes LaaksonenCM2013–20182001814114
Mehmet HetemajCM2015–2002214214
Denys OliynykCM2018–2022116299423
Ariel NgueukamRW2015–2016
2020–2021
1333610828
Roope RiskiCF2015–201658344625
Billy IonsLW2016–202074196417

Managers

References

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