Jokerit Football Club – Short History

Jokerit Football Club was founded in 2012 by active members of the Eteläpääty supporters’ section. The idea was to revive Jokerit’s football tradition, which had been discontinued by Hjallis in 2004. The club’s slogan, “the supporters’ club”, was first introduced in connection with a Finnish Cup match played in Oulunkylä against IF Gnistan. Supporters had created an impressive tifo for that match, and the slogan was adopted from it. It reflects the roots of the club and the people who represent its most important strength. The supporters are the club, and therefore they must always have a role in its decision-making.

The journey truly began in the autumn of 2011, when the first training session was held on the gravel pitch in Myllypuro. Information had been shared to Jokerit fans on Facebook and the legendary JF-net discussion forum (rest in peace). On that dimly lit October evening, around 40 people showed up to see what this new project was all about. Players ranged from 14 to 40 years old, from those with A-junior national-level experience all the way to someone who looked like they had just put on football boots for the first time in their life. But all of them shared the same spark: the desire to bring Jokerit football back to the map. A club to follow with pride in the summer — and colours to wear proudly in the stands and on the pitch.

On January 13th, 2012, Mikko Westerholm — who had been organizing the trainings and served as both coach and chairman in the early years — submitted the application for the new association to the Finnish Patent and Registration Office. There was a bit of a rush: the final day to apply for a league position was January 31st, and the association needed to be registered before that. On January 30th, 2012, a new name rose into the Finnish association landscape: JFC Helsinki ry. The name had been chosen through a vote among the players and people close to the club. It was uncertain whether the “Jokerit” name would be approved, so a safer option was chosen to ensure the club could begin playing in the 2012 season in the Football Association’s leagues. The Helsinki district’s 7th division had a new team.

The club’s first match was played on April 25th, 2012, on that same gravel pitch in Myllypuro where everything started months earlier. This time the spring sun was shining, and players were amazed as people gathered around the pitch waving red and yellow flags. Administrative preparations had been overwhelming for the inexperienced organizers, and the new kits had not arrived in time. But this did not stop the players — a certain former Minister of Culture and Sports lent the club a set of original FC Jokerit shirts. A crowd of over 100 spectators witnessed Jokerit’s return to the football field, as JFC played its first official match wearing the classic FC Jokerit (1999–2004) jerseys.

The team improved after its first season, and interest kept growing. The club celebrated promotion after the 2013 season. Earlier that same year, JFC participated in the Finnish Cup for the first time, entering directly in the second round. The first opponent was FC Spede, who had surprisingly knocked out FC Kontu/2 from the 3rd division. The match went to penalties, and JFC was the more clinical side. You can relive the legendary shootout on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKmHGwCC5lA

In the next round, JFC faced IF Gnistan from the second division. Under coach Erkka V. Lehtola, Gnistan sought to crush JFC’s early dreams of glory and “European nights”. Before a crowd of 201 paying spectators at the legendary Fair Pay Arena (later Mustapekka Arena), JFC impressively kept Gnistan from scoring for more than 70 minutes. Unfortunately, the opposition struck six early goals between the 7th and 19th minute, catching JFC off guard and advancing to the next round. The atmosphere, however, was unforgettable — the songs of the red-yellow supporters echoed throughout the match.

The 2014 season began at a higher division level. It became a historic year — not only because the team dominated the league, conceding just four goals all season — but also because on June 3rd, 2014, the association’s name was officially changed to Jokerit Football Club ry. For the first time, promotion could be celebrated genuinely under the Jokerit name. The following season in the 5th division ended in a third-place finish, and the club began searching for new ideas and energy behind the bench. Until this point everything had been done by volunteers, but for the 2016 season the club made its first decision to hire a paid coach. This marked the beginning of the Unto Virkkala era, which lasted one season. Unto brought a new level of professionalism and demand, both in training and on matchdays, and the season ended with a spectacular promotion — Jokerit reached the 4th division for the first time.

The men’s first team played the 2017 and 2018 seasons in the 4th division. In the latter season, survival was lost in dramatic fashion in the final match against Valtti, collapsing to a painful 1–10 defeat. From 2019 to 2023, the team competed in the 5th division, searching for a way out. That breakthrough finally came in 2023, when head coach Joonas Silventoinen led the team back up after a successful season.

In 2018, the club also founded a women’s team, which played in the women’s 4th division. This was the largest year in club history in terms of player numbers, with as many as four teams: the women’s team, the men’s first team, the men’s second team (playing in the 6th division), and a small-field hobby team for older supporters. In May 2018, the club held its first ever Jokeri Day for football, when all teams played their league matches on the same day at the Myllypuro artificial turf. A fantastic day — but unfortunately the women’s 2018 season remained their only one, and since then the club has been represented only in the men’s leagues.

In 2023, the club gained its first junior team when the background staff of Jokerit’s 2014-born hockey juniors reached out — the boys wanted to play football in the summer. The club happily arranged this, and for two seasons now the boys have been training and playing during the summers. This has been an extremely successful project for everyone involved.

This story was written in early 2025 and tells a short version of the club’s beginning and journey — only the surface has been scratched. Time will tell what the next chapters will hold.