Club Overview

Club History

Nõmme Sports Club Kalju was founded on December 20, 1922. A year later was founded Nõmme Kalju football club, where locals footballers played football many successful years in Estonian top division, Meistriliiga.

In 1997 the team re-established from Tallinna Jalgpallikool and Õhtulehe Noorte Jalgpalliklubi's youth players. The team played eight years in a row in Estonian Third League. They played twice promotion/relegation play-offs and second time was successful for the team, because they get promotion to Second League in 2004. In 2005, Nõmme Kalju won his promotion to Esiliiga by winning Second League. In 2006, the team was unsuccessfully fighting for promotion to the Meistriliiga, eventually finishing behind FC Kuressaare and JK Tallinna Kalev. In the middle of season 2007, Nõmme Kalju hired Brazilian Fredo Getulio, who has worked with the group of coaches who led Brazilian U-17 national team to World Cup. Nõmme Kalju also bought four Brazilian footballers. They finished 6th in season 2007 and beat FC Kuressaare in promotion/relegation play-offs, thus qualifying for next year's Meistriliiga. In preparing for the next season in Meistriliiga, the team needed replenishments. Nõmme Kalju bought even 16 new players, three of them was expatriate footballers and four was ex-international players.

They finished their first season in Meistriliiga surprisingly high place as fifth, but after FC TVMK were disbanded they get forth place. The season started very well, Kalju was fighting over the positions 1-5, but they had a little ebb in the middle of the season. After signing ex-international Maksim Smirnov from FK Ventspils, the team started to do again very well, they lost the bronze position by only one point.

Club Rivalries

Stars of the Current Squad

Club Legends

Richard Barnwell
Dona
Risto Kallaste
Toomas Kallaste
Andrei Krasnopjorov
Toomas Krõm
Mati Lember
Joel Lindpere
Martin Maasing
Indro Olumets
Igor Prins

Most Appearances

Most Goals

Player Recognition & Awards

Team Honours

Club Management

Uniforms

Stadium

Sponsors

Important Links

References

Wikipedia