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| Full name | FC Flora | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 10 March 1990; 35 years ago (1990-03-10) | ||
| Ground | Lilleküla Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 14,336[1] | ||
| President | Pelle Pohlak | ||
| Head coach | Konstantin Vassiljev | ||
| League | Meistriliiga | ||
| 2024 | Meistriliiga, 4th of 10 | ||
| Website | http://www.fcflora.ee | ||
FC Flora, commonly known asFlora Tallinn, or simply asFlora, is anEstonian professionalfootball club based inTallinn that competes in theMeistriliiga, the top flight ofEstonian football. The club's home ground isLilleküla Stadium.
Formed in 1990, Flora were founding members of the Meistriliiga, and is one of two clubs which have never been relegated from the Estonian top division, along withNarva Trans. Flora is the first and only Estonian football club to have played in the group stage of aUEFA club competition, having achieved this in the2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League season. Flora have won more trophies than any other club in Estonian football, with 35 titles; a record 15 Meistriliiga titles, eightEstonian Cups and a record 12Estonian Supercups.[2]
Flora is known for playing exclusively with Estonian players as the club's transfer policy is to sign players that are native Estonians or who hold Estonian citizenship.[3] The policy is related toEstonian nationalism and to the club's overall aim to develop Estonian football and its culture, which was also the basis upon which Flora was established in 1990.[3]
Flora was founded on 10 March 1990 byAivar Pohlak as an effort to revive Estonian football during thedissolution of the Soviet Union. The team was mainly based on players from Lõvid youth team. Flora finished theirfirst season in last place and were relegated. The situation changed after the formation of theMeistriliiga in 1992. After 52 years of the Soviet occupation (Estonian SSR), Estonian clubs could once again play for the Estonian League Championship title. Flora finished theinaugural season of the Meistriliiga in fourth place. After the first season, the league was reformed to run from Autumn to Spring. Flora finished the1992–93 season as runners-up. In 1993,Roman Ubakivi was appointed as manager. One round before the end of the1993–94 season,Tevalte, who led the Meistriliiga table at the time, was controversially disqualified over allegations of match fixing. The season ended with Flora andNorma both on equal 36 points. Flora won the championship play-off match 5–2 and was awarded their first league title. The club made theirEuropean debut in the1994–95 UEFA Cup, losing toOdense 0–6 on aggregate in the preliminary round. Flora managed to defend the league title in the1994–95 season and won the1994–95 Estonian Cup, defeatingLantana-Marlekor 2–0 in the final.[4]
In January 1996,Teitur Thordarson replaced Ubakivi as manager. Disappointing start in the1995–96 season left the team in second place. Flora finished the1996–97 season as runners-up once again. In the1997–98 season, the club won their first league title under Thordarson. Subsequently, the league format was changed and Flora managed to winanother title in the same calendar year. Flora made their debut in theUEFA Champions League for the first time in the1998–99 season, narrowly losing toSteaua București 4–5 on aggregate in the first qualifying round. The club added another Estonian Cup trophy after defeating Lantana 3–2 in the finals. Since 1999, Meistriliiga adopted the current league format with the season running from Spring to Autumn within a single calendar year. The1999 season was unsuccessful as Flora placed third. In 2000,Tarmo Rüütli was appointed as manager. Under Rüütli, Flora finished the2000 season as runners-up behindLevadia, who won the title without a single loss.[4]
In 2001, a new era began for Flora as the club moved to the newLilleküla Stadium and Rüütli was replaced byArno Pijpers. Under Pijpers, Flora won three consecutive Meistriliiga titles in2001,2002 and2003. In the 2003 season, Flora won the league without losing a single league match, extending their unbeaten run from the previous season to 37, whileTor Henning Hamre scored a record 39 goals in a season. Pijpers left Flora in September 2004, before the end of the2004 season, and was replaced byJanno Kivisild. The team failed to defend the league title for another season, finishing in third place.[4]
The2005 season was unsuccessful as Flora placed fourth, 26 points behind the league championsTVMK. This was the first time Flora didn't win a Meistriliiga medal since 1992. After the disappointing season, Kivisild was replaced byPasi Rautiainen. In the2006–07 UEFA Cup, Flora defeatedLyn Oslo 1–1 on aggregate on away goals in the first qualifying round, before losing toBrøndby 0–4 on aggregate in the second qualifying round. The club finished the2006 season in third place and placed second in the2007 season. Flora also suffered their biggest margin of defeat in the Meistriliiga thus far, losing 0–6 to TVMK in 2007.[5] Flora finished the2008 season as runners-up, behind Levadia once again, despite amassing 91 points and scoring 113 goals. Tarmo Rüütli returned to Flora for the2009 season, but failed to lead the club to winning the league, placing fourth. Flora were more successful in the Estonian Cup, winning the trophy in2008 and2009.[4]
In 2010, Rüütli was replaced by the former Flora player andEstonia national team record cap holderMartin Reim. Under Reim, rejuvenated Flora ended the reign of Levadia who had won the four previous Meistriliiga titles and won the league in the2010 season. Flora successfully defended their title in the2011 season and won the2010–11 Estonian Cup, defeatingNarva Trans 2–0 in the final. Flora finished the2012 season in third place, behind the championsNõmme Kalju and Levadia. After the season, Reim left the club and was replacedMarko Lelov in December 2012. Lelov won the2012–13 Estonian Cup, but was sacked in July 2013 after disappointing results in the league. He was replaced byNorbert Hurt, initially as a caretaker, with position being made permanent later. Flora finished the2013 season in fourth place and placed third in2014.[4]
In 2015, Flora celebrated their 25th anniversary by winning their 10th league title in the 34th round of theseason.[6] The club also won the2015–16 Estonian Cup, defeatingSillamäe Kalev 3–0 in extra time in the final. In May 2016, Aivar Pohlak resigned from the club's presidency and was succeeded by his son Pelle Pohlak. In the first qualifying round of the2016–17 UEFA Champions League, Flora lost toLincoln Red Imps 2–3 on aggregate, after which Hurt resigned and was replaced byArgo Arbeiter. Flora finished the disappointing2016 season in fourth place. Arbeiter was sacked and in January 2017, Arno Pijpers returned to take over as manager. In the2017 season, Flora won their 11th Meistriliiga title.[7] In December 2017, it was announced that Pijpers will not continue as manager.
Jürgen Henn was appointed in Pijpers' place in January 2018. Under Henn, Flora won the2019 Meistriliiga and advanced through the first qualifying round of Europa League, beatingRadnički Niš 4–2 on aggregate. Flora facedEintracht Frankfurt in the second round which brought a record 8,537 people onto the stands in Tallinn, as Flora narrowly lost 1–2 withMihkel Ainsalu scoring for the hosts.[8] The second leg saw Flora face the German side at the sold outWaldstadion, where they were again defeated 1–2 in front of a crowd of 48,000.[9] Despite the result, Flora players were celebrated by the Eintracht fans after the final whistle for their impressive performance, with Eintracht managerAdi Hütter labelling the scene as extraordinary and touching.[10][11] Led by Jürgen Henn, Flora won the treble in 2020 by lifting the 2020 Estonian Supercup, the2019–20 Estonian Cup and the2020 Meistriliiga title. The club also advanced to the UEFA Europa League qualifying play-offs, where they lost 1–3 toDinamo Zagreb on 1 October 2020.
Flora became the first Estonian side to advance to aUEFA club competitions group stage when they beatShamrock Rovers 5–2 on aggregate to qualify for the2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League on 26 August 2021,[12] where they were drawn into group B againstGent of Belgium,Partizan of Serbia andAnorthosis Famagusta of Cyprus.[13] The 2–2 draw away against Anorthosis was the first ever point picked up by an Estonian side in UEFA group stage history, withRauno Sappinen scoring both goals as Flora came from 2–0 down to earn a point in Cyprus. On match day 5, Flora made more history by beating Partizan 1–0 in Tallinn, thanks to a goal fromMartin Miller. This result meant that they became the first ever Estonian side to win a game in a UEFA group stage.
After finishing the2021 Meistriliiga season as runners-up, FC Flora won their 14th Estonian championship title in the2022 season, earning 97 points and thus repeating Levadia's 2009 record of most points in a season. Flora lifted their 15th league title in2023. On 30 November 2023, Jürgen Henn announced he will be stepping down after six years in charge, marking the end of the longest and most successful managerial tenure in Flora's history.[14]
Flora replaced Henn with their sporting director and former manager Norbert Hurt, under whom the club started the 2024 season by lifting their 12th Estonian Supercup in February 2024. However in July, Hurt resigned after a disappointing 0–5 home loss in the Champions League first qualifying round and was replaced by the club's U21 head coach Taavi Viik.[15] Flora finished the2024 season in fourth place, their first outside the top three finish in eight years. The club appointed their recently retired playerKonstantin Vassiljev as head coach for the following season.[16]
Flora crest features the Greco-Roman goddessFlora, after whom the club is named. The club's colours are green and white, symbolizing growth, purity and honesty.[17] Since 2024, Flora's first team crest also features three stars as the club won their 15th league title in 2023.
| Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997–2001 | Nike | VH Sportmedia | [18][19] |
| 2003–2004 | Radiolinja | ||
| 2005–2010 | Elisa | ||
| 2010–2013 | KH Energia-Konsult | ||
| 2014–2020 | Tele2 | ||
| 2021– | Optibet |
The club's home ground is the 14,336-seat Lilleküla Stadium. Opened in 2001 and expanded from 2016 to 2018, it is the largest football stadium in Estonia. The Lilleküla Football Complex also includes two grass surface pitches, twoartificial turf pitches and an indoor hall. Lilleküla Stadium is located at Jalgpalli 21,Kesklinn, Tallinn.[1]
Flora usesSportland Arena artificial turf ground, located next to Lilleküla Stadium, for home matches during winter and early spring months, as natural grass grounds are not playable during the period due to the region's harsh winter climate.[20]
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Flora's deepest rivalry is withFCI Levadia and the fixture between the two clubs is known as the Tallinn Derby (Estonian:Tallinna derbi). Flora and Levadia are the two biggest and most successful clubs in Estonian football. The rivalry began in1999, when Levadia enteredMeistriliiga and immediately challenged the reigning champions Flora for the title, winning the treble in their first year in top-flight football.[21] In the early 2000s, language and nationality was also one of the separating factors between the two clubs, as Levadia was seen as the club of choice for the Russian speaking population of the city and Flora for the Estonian speaking. However, that image of Levadia has since then faded away. From 2019, the two clubs also share their home groundA. Le Coq Arena. The attendance record of 3,510 was set on 28 June 2023.[22]
The fixture between Flora andNõmme Kalju FC is known asraudteederbi (English:The Railway Derby). The name derives from the fact that the stadiums of the two clubs are connected via a railway. The rivalry emerged in the early 2010s, when Kalju started challenging Flora in terms of on-field success, as well as in fan popularity. Throughout the years, the rivalry has also intensified due to an enmity between Flora's founderAivar Pohlak and Kalju's president Kuno Tehva. Flora's signing of Kalju's homegrown playersHenrik Pürg andVlasiy Sinyavskiy in 2018 caused a further strife in the relationship of the two clubs[23] and since then, no transfer deals have taken place between them. In an interview in 2023, Flora's academy graduate and current national team playerRauno Sappinen said he would rather retire than join Kalju, also calling the rival club 'appalling'.[24] The fixture's attendance record of 3,521 was set in the 2013 Estonian Cup final.[25]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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12 –Club supporters (the 12th Man)
Current technical staff[edit]
| Managerial history[edit]
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