FF Jaro

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==

Out on loan ==Management and boardroom==

Management As of 5 January 2026 Boardroom As of 5 February 2026 ==Season to season==

• 23 seasons in Veikkausliiga • 27 seasons in Ykkönen/Ykkösliiga • 9 seasons in Kakkonen ==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) ==References==