FF Jaro

Jaro

Full name	Fotbollsföreningen Jaro Jalkapalloseura
Founded	1965
Ground	Project Liv Arena, Jakobstad
Capacity	3,600
Chairman	Dan Käldman
Manager	Niklas Vidjeskog
League	Veikkausliiga
2024	Ykkösliiga, 2nd of 10 (promoted via play-offs)
Home colours Away colours

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.

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.

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.

As of 28 July 2025^[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.

No. Pos. Nation Player 2 DF  ARG Guillermo Sotelo 3 DF  SWE Erik Gunnarsson 4 MF  NGA Michael Ogungbaro 5 DF  FIN Aron Bjonbäck 6 DF  FIN Johan Brunell 7 MF  SWE Samouil Izountouemoi 8 DF  FIN Alex Ramsay 9 FW  SVN Filip Valenčič 10 MF  FIN Sergei Eremenko 11 FW  FIN Albin Björkskog 13 GK  POR Miguel Santos 15 FW  FIN Rudi Vikström 16 MF  FIN Adam Vidjeskog

No. Pos. Nation Player 18 FW  FIN Elliot Holmäng 20 DF  FIN Oliver Kangaslahti 21 MF  FIN Jim Myrevik 23 DF  FIN Felix Kass 24 FW  FIN Joni Remesaho 25 GK  FIN Emil Öhberg 40 DF  GHA Robin Polley 66 MF  FIN Severi Kähkönen 77 MF  NGA Emmanuel Ekpenyong 95 FW  GUI Kerfala Cissoko 99 GK  NGA Saheed Jimoh — MF  SWE Manasse Kusu (on loan from Mjällby) — DF  FIN Sami Sipola

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

No. Pos. Nation Player 17 MF  FIN Ludvig Nyman (at KPV until 31 December 2025)

As of 20 January 2024^[2]

Name Role Niklas Vidjeskog Head coach Rasmus Wikström Assistant coach Anders Brunell Goalkeeping coach Ida Kronholm Fitness coach Johan Hult Naprapath Jesper Ahlvik Masseur Veppe Tervaskangas Team Manager Tobias Sundberg Doctor

As of 3 February 2025^[3]

Name Role Dan Käldman Chairman Tommi Levo CEO Tobias Strand COO Fredrik Haga Team Manager Mikael Byggmästar Chairman of the Youthsection Bo Lönnbäck Head of Marketing

FF Jaro – Guingamp 0-0
Dinamo Bucharest – FF Jaro 0–2
FF Jaro – Kolkheti Poti 2–0
Zemun – FF Jaro 3–2

• Official website (in Finnish and Swedish)
• Official fansite (in Finnish and Swedish)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to FF Jaro.