FC Haka
Full nameValkeakosken Haka
Nickname(s)Haka
Founded1934
GroundTehtaan kenttä, Valkeakoski
Capacity3,516
ChairmanOlli Huttunen
ManagerAndy Smith[1]
LeagueVeikkausliiga
2023Veikkausliiga, 9th of 12
WebsiteClub website
Tehtaan kenttä, home of Haka on a matchday

FC Haka is a Finnish football club based in the industrial town of Valkeakoski. It competes 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.

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. 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

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
  • Promoted: 1973

European campaigns

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

Season to Season
Season Level Division Section Administration Position Movements
1937 Tier 3 Maakuntasarja (Second Division) West Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) Promotion Playoff - Promoted
1938 Tier 2 Itä-Länsi-Sarja (Second Division) West League, Northern Group Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 6th
1939 Tier 2 Itä-Länsi-Sarja (Second Division) Western League, Group 3 Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 2nd
1940-41 Tier 2 B-Sarja (Second Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 8th
1943-44 Tier 2 SPL Suomensarja (Second Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 4th Promoted
1945 Tier 1 SPL Mestaruussarja (Premier Division) Groub B Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 6th Relegated
1945-46 Tier 2 SPL Suomensarja (Second Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 8th Relegation Playoff
1946-47 Tier 2 Suomensarja (Second Division) South Group Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 3rd
1947-48 Tier 2 Suomensarja (Second Division) South Group Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 4th
1948 Tier 2 Suomensarja (Second Division) South Group Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 3rd
1949 Tier 2 Suomensarja (Second Division) West Group Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 1st Promoted
1950 Tier 1 Mestaruussarja (Premier Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 8th
1951 Tier 1 Mestaruussarja (Premier Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 4th
1952 Tier 1 Mestaruussarja (Premier Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 7th
1953 Tier 1 Mestaruussarja (Premier Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 4th
1954 Tier 1 Mestaruussarja (Premier Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 8th
1955 Tier 1 Mestaruussarja (Premier Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 2nd
1956 Tier 1 Mestaruussarja (Premier Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 5th
1957 Tier 1 Mestaruussarja (Premier Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 2nd
1958 Tier 1 Mestaruussarja (Premier Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 7th Relegation Playoff
1959 Tier 1 Mestaruussarja (Premier Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 3rd
1960 Tier 1 Mestaruussarja (Premier Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 1st Champions
1961 Tier 1 Mestaruussarja (Premier Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 3rd
1962 Tier 1 Mestaruussarja (Premier Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 1st Champions
1963 Tier 1 Mestaruussarja (Premier Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 2nd
1964 Tier 1 Mestaruussarja (Premier Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 4th
1965 Tier 1 Mestaruussarja (Premier Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 1st Champions
1966 Tier 1 Mestaruussarja (Premier Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 3rd
1967 Tier 1 Mestaruussarja (Premier Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 6th
1968 Tier 1 Mestaruussarja (Premier Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 7th
1969 Tier 1 Mestaruussarja (Premier Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 7th
1970 Tier 1 Mestaruussarja (Premier Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 8th
1971 Tier 1 Mestaruussarja (Premier Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 8th
1972 Tier 1 Mestaruussarja (Premier Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 12th Relegated
1973 Tier 2 I Divisioona (First Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 2nd Promoted
1974 Tier 1 Mestaruussarja (Premier Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 8th
1975 Tier 1 Mestaruussarja (Premier Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 10th Relegation Playoff
1976 Tier 1 Mestaruussarja (Premier Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 2nd
1977 Tier 1 Mestaruussarja (Premier Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 1st Champions
1978 Tier 1 Mestaruussarja (Premier Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 3rd
1979 Tier 1 Mestaruussarja (Premier Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 7th Championship Group 6th
1980 Tier 1 Mestaruussarja (Premier Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 4th Championship Group 2nd
1981 Tier 1 Mestaruussarja (Premier Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 4th Championship Group 3rd
1982 Tier 1 Mestaruussarja (Premier Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 3rd Championship Group 3rd
1983 Tier 1 Mestaruussarja (Premier Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 3rd Championship Group 3rd
1984 Tier 1 Mestaruussarja (Premier Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 1st Championship Playoffs 4th
1985 Tier 1 Mestaruussarja (Premier Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 8th
1986 Tier 1 Mestaruussarja (Premier Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 5th
1987 Tier 1 Mestaruussarja (Premier Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 9th
1988 Tier 1 Mestaruussarja (Premier Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 6th Championship Group 6th
1989 Tier 1 Mestaruussarja (Premier Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 4th Championship Group 4th
1990 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (Premier League) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 8th Playoffs – QF
1991 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (Premier League) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 3rd
1992 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (Premier League) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 6th
1993 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (Premier League) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 10th Relegation Group 4th
1994 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (Premier League) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 6th
1995 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (Premier League) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 1st Champions
1996 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (Premier League) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 11th Relegation Group 11th – Relegated
1997 Tier 2 Ykkönen (First Division) North Group Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 1st Upper Group 1st – Champions – Promoted
1998 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (Premier League) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 1st Champions
1999 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (Premier League) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 1st Championship Group 1st Champions
2000 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (Premier League) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 1st Champions
2001 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (Premier League) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 4th
2002 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (Premier League) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 3rd Upper Group 3rd
2003 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (Premier League) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 2nd
2004 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (Premier League) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 1st Champions
2005 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (Premier League) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 4th
2006 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (Premier League) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 3rd
2007 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (Premier League) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 2nd
2008 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (Premier League) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 8th
2009 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (Premier League) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 6th
2010 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (Premier League) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 8th
2011 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (Premier League) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 10th
2012 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (Premier League) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 12th Relegated
2013 Tier 2 Ykkönen (First Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 2nd
2014 Tier 2 Ykkönen (First Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 5th
2015 Tier 2 Ykkönen (First Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 6th
2016 Tier 2 Ykkönen (First Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 7th
2017 Tier 2 Ykkönen (First Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 6th
2018 Tier 2 Ykkönen (First Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 5th
2019 Tier 2 Ykkönen (First Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 1st Champions – Promoted
2020 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (Premier Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto)

10th

[5]

Current squad

As of 12 January 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 Finland FIN Anton Lepola
3 DF Finland FIN Niklas Friberg
8 MF Finland FIN Tuure Siira
16 FW Finland FIN Oiva Laaksonen
18 DF Togo TOG Haymenn Bah-Traoré
21 DF Finland FIN Ryan Mahuta
23 MF Senegal SEN Maissa Fall
MF Finland FIN Eemeli Mäkelä
MF Finland FIN Elias Mastokangas
No. Pos. Nation Player
DF Portugal POR Rodrigo Macedo
DF Brazil BRA Nicolas Dantas
MF Portugal POR Guilherme Morais
DF Finland FIN Nikolas Talo
DF Cameroon CMR Hassan Ndam
MF Belgium BEL Evangelos Patoulidis
GK Northern Ireland NIR Liam Hughes
MF Finland FIN Tuukka Törmä
GK Finland FIN Oliver Heino

Management and boardroom

Management

As of 15 February 2021[7]

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

Boardroom

As of 15 February 2021[8]

Name Role
Finland Marko Laaksonen Chairman
Finland Olli Huttunen CEO

Managers

References

  1. FC HAKA SIIRTYY ULKOMAALAISKOMENTOON – UUSI PÄÄVALMENTAJA VAIKUTTUNUT FC HAKASTA!
  2. Karel Stokkermans (17 June 2018). "English Energy and Nordic Nonsense". RSSSF. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
  3. The original result of the second leg was a 4-0 victory to Maccabi Haifa, but Haka were awarded a 3–0 walkover victory after it was determined that Haifa had fielded two ineligible players.
  4. "Finland – Divisional Movements 1930–2009". RSSSF. 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-17.
  5. "Football Archive - Index of SPL Finnish League Suomen Cup Seasons".
  6. "Hakan edustusjoukkue". fchaka.fi/ (in Finnish). FC Haka. 19 January 2020. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  7. "Hakan edustusjoukkue" (in Finnish). FC Haka. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  8. "Yhteystiedot" (in Finnish). FC Haka. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
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