FK Jelgava

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FK Jelgava
Full name	Futbola Klubs Jelgava
Founded
Ground	Stadions "Daugava", Jelgava, Latvia
Chairman	Ruslans Botošs
Manager	Dainis Kazakevičs
League	1. līga
2007	1. līga, 5th
Home colours 　 Away colours

FK Jelgava is a Latvian football club that is based in Jelgava. Its best results came when the team was named RAF Jelgava.

Contents 1 Team history 1.1 Automobīlists Jelgava 1.2 Metālists Jelgava 1.3 Automobīlists Jelgava 1.4 RAF Jelgava 1.5 RAF Rīga 1.6 Universitāte Rīga 1.7 RAF Jelgava (again) 1.8 FK Jelgava 2 Honours 3 Participation in Latvian Championships 4 Players 4.1 First-team squad 5 References

[edit] Team history

[edit] Automobīlists Jelgava

The car factory club Automobīlists played in lower Latvian leagues in early 1970s, but in mid 1970s it was renamed as Metālists.

[edit] Metālists Jelgava

The club first appeared in 1977 and ind its debut season in the Latvian league it finished 7th out of 13 teams. After three less than stellar season the club changed owners - it was attached again to the bus factory and renamed to Automobīlists Jelgava.

[edit] Automobīlists Jelgava

As Automobīlists the Jelgava squad also had it hard - at best it finished seasons in the middle of the table, and between 1983 and 1987 it played in the 1st league. In 1987 Automobīlists lost to Zemgale Ilūkste for a place in Virslīga but as the league got expanded under the name of RAF, Jelgava once again had a club in the top Latvian league.

[edit] RAF Jelgava

In 1988 and 1989 there were two teams of RAF Jelgava which in 1990 merged into one. One of those played in lower Soviet leagues, the other - in the Latvian league. In 1988 and 1989 under the management of Viktors Ņesterenko the "local" RAF won the Latvian league, in 1988 as a golden double it also won the Latvian Cup. Meanwhile the "international" RAF wasn't doing that good - although it had in its squad several talented young players including Vladimirs Babičevs, Dzintars Sproģis, Igors Troickis and Aleksandrs Stradiņš, its results were very disappointing. In 1989 Ņesterenko took over the unified RAF team in the Soviet league and in the Baltic league. In 1990 and 1991 the team played better, but then the Soviet Union collapsed and RAF joined the Latvian Virslīga.

In the early nineteen nineties RAF was one of the strongest teams in Virslīga, three times finishing second and once third (in 1992 they lost gold to Skonto Rīga in an additional game after finishing the season on equal points). However, when the plant ran into financial difficulties, the team received new sponsorship from the University of Latvia in 1996 and, as a result, changed their name and relocated to Rīga, it played in the Latvijas Universitātes stadions. ^[1]

[edit] RAF Rīga

As RAF Rīga the club only played one season by finishing 5th in the Latvian league, however it won the 1996 Latvian Cup. But after the season the club changed its name again - this time to Universitāte Rīga.

[edit] Universitāte Rīga

The only season under the name of Universitāte didn't bring much success to the club - 6th place in the league and club being disbanded after the season.

[edit] RAF Jelgava (again)

A team under the name RAF Jelgava appeared again in 2001 in the 1. liga. After the 2003 season the club merged with another Jelgava club - FK Viola Jelgava forming FK Jelgava.

[edit] FK Jelgava

The club currently plays in the second strongest Latvian league.

[edit] Honours

• Latvian top league winners: 2

1988, 1989 (both as RAF Jelgava)

• Latvian Cup: 3

1988, 1993, 1996 (all as RAF Jelgava)

[edit] Participation in Latvian Championships

• 1992 - 2nd
• 1993 - 3rd
• 1994 - 2nd
• 1995 - 2nd
• 1996 - 5th
• 1997 - 6th

[edit] Players

[edit] First-team squad

No. Position Player Kirils Isakovs Oļegs Ivaņica

No. Position Player Mihails Ņikiforovs Sergejs Pavčuns

[edit] References

Latvian First League 2008 v • d • e
Abuls Smiltene | Auda/Alberts Rīga | Daugava Rīga | Gulbene-2005 | Jaunība Rīga | Jelgava | Kauguri Jūrmala | Liepājas Metalurgs-2 | Metta-Latvijas Universitāte Rīga | Multibanka Rīga | Spartaks Jūrmala | Tranzīts Ventspils | Tukums 2000 | Valmiera | Zibens Zemessardze