IFK Mariehamn

IFK Mariehamn.
.
Full name Idrottsföreningen Kamraterna
Mariehamn
Nickname(s) Grönvitt (Green White)
Saarelaiset (The Islanders).
Founded 1919 (1919)
Ground Wiklöf Holding Arena,
Mariehamn.
Ground Capacity 4,000
Chairman Robert Söderdahl
Manager Peter Lundberg and Kari Virtanen
League Veikkausliiga
2016 1st
Website Club home page

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 is managed by Peter Lundberg and Kari Virtanen, 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 Finnish 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 following qualyfing the October 2004 games against FC Jazz.[1] 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. In 2015, the team won the Finnish Cup for the first time.

On 23 October 2016, IFK Mariehamn defeated FC Ilves 2-1 to secure the first ever Veikkausliiga Championship for the island club.[2]

Domestic history

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 Play-offs – Promoted
2004 Tier 2 Ykkönen (First Division) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 2nd Play-offs – 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
2012 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (Premier League) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 4th
2013 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (Premier League) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 4th
2014 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (Premier League) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 5th
2015 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (Premier League) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 6th
2016 Tier 1 Veikkausliiga (Premier League) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 1st

European history

Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate
2013–14 UEFA Europa League 1QR Azerbaijan Inter Baku 0–2 1–1 1–3
2016–17 UEFA Europa League 1QR Norway Odds BK 1–1 0–2 1–3
2017–18 UEFA Champions League 2QR
Notes

Current squad

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

No. Position Player
2 Finland DF Albin Granlund
3 Finland DF Kristian Kojola
4 Sweden DF Philip Sparrdal Mantilla
6 Finland DF Petter Hemming
8 Finland DF Jani Lyyski (captain)
9 United States FW Brian Span
10 Finland FW Rezgar Amani
14 Sweden MF Gabriel Petrović
15 Kenya MF Amos Ekhalie
No. Position Player
17 Finland MF Robin Sid
18 Finland MF Thomas Mäkinen
20 Kenya MF Anthony Dafaa
24 Finland GK Johan Sundman
26 Finland MF Joel Mattsson
30 Finland GK Marc Nordqvist
33 Finland FW Aleksei Kangaskolkka
55 Sweden DF Bobbie Friberg da Cruz

Management

Name Role
Finland Peter Lundberg Head coach
Finland Kari Virtanen Head coach
Finland Daniel Norrmén Assistant coach
Finland Johan Sundman Goalkeeper coach
Finland Kristoffer Weckström Fitness coach
Finland Kari Ahtola Doctor
Finland Kristian Eriksson Doctor
Finland Jan-Ove Eriksson Leader staff

Honours

References

  1. Ann-Lis Fredriksson (16 October 2004). "IFK Mariehamn avancerar till ligan". Svenska Yle. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  2. "IFK vann årets ligaguld". ifkfotboll.ax (in Swedish). IFK Mariehamn. 24 October 2016. Retrieved 23 October 2016.

External links

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