FC Lahti

FC Lahti was founded in 1996 when two rival clubs from Lahti – FC Kuusysi and Reipas Lahti (founded in Viipuri and moved to Lahti after Viipuri was ceded to USSR in 1947) – decided to merge. Also, the reserve club FC Pallo-Lahti was formed, but it was closed down after a couple of seasons due to economic difficulties. Both Reipas and Kuusysi controlled the junior section of the club.

FC Lahti played its first season in 1997, in the southern group of Ykkönen, the second tier of Finnish football. It finished second in the first half of the split league format Ykkönen but was placed third in the final half, behind FC Haka and PK-35, both of which were promoted to Veikkausliiga. The next season, 1998, saw success and FC Lahti finally gained promotion to the highest tier. They were relegated at the end of the 2010 season but bounced back after just one season in Ykkönen.

In the premier division, Lahti has not yet achieved the success of Kuusysi and Reipas. In 2007 Lahti won the Finnish League Cup. In 2008 FC Lahti was third in the Veikkausliiga final table and was placed in the UEFA Europa League qualification rounds for season 2009. FC Lahti repeated the success in 2014 by finishing third for the second time in their history. The club qualified to the Europa League qualifiers for the third time in 2018 when the club finished fourth in the table the season before.

• Finnish League Cup (3):
  • 2007, 2013, 2016
• Finnish League Cup runners-up (2)
  • 2004, 2005
• Veikkausliiga bronze medals (2)
  • 2008, 2014
• Finnish Cup runners-up (1)
  • 2002

As of 20 July 2018

Season	Competition	Round	Club	Home	Away	Aggregate
2009–10	UEFA Europa League	1Q	Dinamo Tirana	4–1	0–2	4–3
		2Q	Gorica	2–0	0–1	2–1
		3Q	Club Brugge	1–1	2–3	3–4
2015–16	UEFA Europa League	1Q	IF Elfsborg	2–2	0–5	2–7
2018–19	UEFA Europa League	1Q	FH	0–3	0–0	0–3

Notes

• 1Q: First qualifying round
• 2Q: Second qualifying round
• 3Q: Third qualifying round

As of 11 September 2020.

Name Role Ilir Zeneli Head Coach Mika Heino Fitness Coach Toni Lindberg Coach Ari Korhonen Goalkeeping Coach Joni Kallioinen Talent Coach Mikko Poutiainen Physiotherapist Erno Jokinen Physiotherapist Pekka Penttinen Kit Manager Janne Kaartti Masseur Jussi Juurikka Team Manager

FC Lahti's reserve team played its last season in Kakkonen in 2017. After they were relegated to Kolmonen for the season 2018 the team's activity was taken over by its administrational parent club FC Kuusysi.

• Esa Pekonen (Jan 1, 1998 – Dec 31, 1999)
• Jari Pyykölä (Aug 27, 1999 – Dec 31, 2001)
• Harri Kampman (Jan 1, 2002 – Dec 31, 2005)
• Antti Muurinen (Jan 1, 2006 – Oct 10, 2007)
• Luciano (Oct 10, 2007 – Dec 31, 2007)
• Ilkka Mäkelä (Jan 1, 2008 – Dec 31, 2010)
• Tommi Kautonen (Jan 1, 2011 – June 4, 2013)
• Juha Malinen (June 5, 2013 – Dec 31, 2013)
• Toni Korkeakunnas (Jan 1, 2014– Sep 30, 2018)
• Sami Ristilä (Oct 1, 2018–)

• (in Finnish) Official website