Harju JK Laagri
Wikipedia - Harju JK Laagri
Harju Jalgpallikool Laagri, commonly known as Harju JK, or simply as Harju, is an Estonian professional football club based in Laagri, Harjumaa. Founded in 2009, the club competes in the Meistriliiga, the top flight of Estonian football, following promotion from the 2024 Esiliiga as league champions.
Harju entered senior football in 2015, debuted in Meistriliiga in 2023 and will compete in the top flight again from 2025.
History
Harju Jalgpallikool was founded on 27 August 2009 with the aim of focusing on youth football and developing players for the Estonian national youth teams and foreign academies. Harju JK entered senior football in 2015, when their first team entered IV Liiga, the lowest division in Estonian football.
In 2019, Harju JK appointed Portuguese Victor da Silva as their manager and in the following seasons gained promotion four consecutive seasons. During the period, Harju's team consisted mostly of their youth system players, which resulted in youth prospects Karel Mustmaa signing a three-year professional contract with Benfica and Imre Kartau moving to Venezia F.C. Harju JK won Esiliiga in the 2022 season and were promoted to Estonian top flight Premium Liiga for the first time in its history. Despite a number of strong performances, the club finished the 2023 season in last place with 23 points and were relegated back to Esiliiga. Harju won promotion back to top flight at their first attempt as the 2024 Esiliiga champions.