FF Jaro
Finnish football club
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fotbollsföreningen Jaro (Jakobstads Rostfria), commonly known simply as Jaro, is a Finnish professional football club based in the bilingual town of Jakobstad. The club currently plays in Veikkausliiga, the top tier in Finland.
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| Full name | Fotbollsföreningen Jaro Jalkapalloseura | ||
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| Founded | 1965 | ||
| Ground | Project Liv Arena, Jakobstad | ||
| Capacity | 3,600 | ||
| Chairman | Tommy Löfs | ||
| Manager | Jens Karlsson | ||
| League | Veikkausliiga | ||
| 2025 | Veikkausliiga, 7th of 12 | ||
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History
Jaro was founded on December 18, 1965 by football enthusiasts working at Oy Jakobstads Rostfria Ab, which became the club’s first sponsor. Jaro rose through the Finnish football divisions, earning promotion to Finland’s top tier for the first time in 1988 by beating MyPa in a playoff game for direct promotion (3–2 on penalties). The club was relegated after one season but returned in 1991 and remained in Veikkausliiga until 1998. Jaro finished 5th in 1995 and played in the Intertoto Cup in 1996. Jaro also reached the Finnish Cup final in 1999 but lost to FC Jokerit.
The 2000s saw ups and downs, including financial difficulties in 2008 that were resolved through restructuring. Jaro remained in the Veikkausliiga from 2002 until 2015, when they were relegated to Ykkönen. In recent years, the club has continued to fight for promotion. In 2024, Jaro successfully returned to Veikkausliiga. In all, Jaro has played 23 seasons in the top-tier.
Stadium
Until July 2025, Jaro played their home games at Jakobstads Centralplan, a stadium originally opened in 1971 and renovated in 2003. The venue has a capacity of approximately 5,000 spectators. The stadium's attendance record of 5,611 was set during a 2007 Veikkausliiga local derby between FF Jaro and VPS. This match drew nearly 1,300 more spectators than the previous record.
The new Pietarsaari Football Stadium (named Project Liv Arena for sponsorship reasons) opened in July 2025.
Current squad
- As of 23 January 2026[1]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Management and boardroom
Management
As of 5 January 2026[2]
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Boardroom
As of 5 February 2026[3]
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Season to season
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International achievements
1996 UEFA Intertoto Cup
FF Jaro – 
Guingamp 0-0
Dinamo Bucharest – FF Jaro 0–2
FF Jaro – 
Kolkheti Poti 2–0
Zemun – FF Jaro 3–2
Former managers
Börje Nygård (1966–67)- Rainer Aho (1968–70)
- Matti Aarni (1971–74)
- Bjarne Sjöholm (1975–77)
- Esko Vikman (1978)
Ulf Larsson (1979)- Bjarne Sjöholm (1980)
- Jan–Eric Holmberg (1981)
- Kalle Jaskari (1982–84)
- Matti Huotari (1985)
- Kalle Jaskari (1986)
Richard Wilson (1987–89)- Kari Mars (1989)
- Hannu Touru (1990–93)
- Antti Muurinen (1994–96)
- Veijo Wahlsten (1997)
- Keijo Paananen (1997)
- Janne Westerlund (1998)
- Keijo Paananen (1999–01)
- Sixten Boström (2002–04)
- Hannu Touru (2004–05), (2006)
- Mika Laurikainen (2007–09)
Alexei Eremenko Sr. (Aug 19, 2009–Jun 10, 2016)- Kristian Heames (Jul 28, 2016–Jul 10, 2017)
- Calle Löf (Jul 11, 2017-Oct, 2017)
- Tomi Kärkkäinen (Jan 1, 2018-Aug 13, 2018)
- Niklas Käcko (Aug 14, 2018-Dec 31, 2020)
- Jimmy Wargh (Jan 1, 2021–Oct, 2022)
- Stephen Ward (2023)
- Niklas Vidjeskog (Jan 1, 2024 – present)
