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AC Oulu

Full name	AC Oulu
Nickname(s)	Laivastonsiniset (The Navy Blues)
Founded	2002; 22 years ago (2002)
Ground	Raatti Stadium, Oulu
Capacity	5,000
Chairman	Tomi Kaismo
Manager	Mikko Isokangas Rafinha
League	Veikkausliiga
2024	Veikkausliiga, 9th of 12
Website	https://acoulu.fi
Home colours Away colours

AC Oulu is a Finnish professional football club based in Oulu, currently playing in Finland's premier division, Veikkausliiga. Formed in 2002, the club have played six seasons in Finland's highest football league Veikkausliiga and 16 seasons in the second highest league. They currently play their home games at Raatti Stadium, and the club colours are navy blue, and white.

History

Early years; 2002–2010 and the first promotions

AC Oulu was founded in 2002 as a joint initiative of the OLS, OPS, OTP and Tervarit clubs with the aim of bringing top level football back to Oulu. FC Oulu played in the Veikkausliiga in the early '90s as the most recent team from Oulu to play top-tier Finnish football.

After four seasons in the Ykkönen, AC Oulu reached the Finlands premier division Veikkausliiga in 2007. However, they were relegated back to the Ykkönen at the end of their first season in the top division. After two seasons in the second tier AC Oulu won promotion again to the Veikkausliiga at the end of the 2009 season after finishing top of the Ykkönen.

Having finished 11th in 2010 season the club were initially going to continue in the Veikkausliiga for the 2011 season. However, they were denied a league licence for financial reasons and therefore dropped down to the Ykkönen.

"Eternal Ykkönen"; 2011–2020

Since the relegation for financial reasons in 2010, AC Oulu played in Ykkönen for ten years, where it was considered as a candidate to promote for a long time. During 2009–2014, the former Finland national team winger Mika Nurmela played for the club, and simultaneously worked as a sporting director in AC Oulu. During 2016–2018, the former national team defender Markus Heikkinen played for the club as a player-coach. Since 2017, he has also been working as a sporting director for the club. In 2018, Tomi Kaismo and his investment company OTC-Sijoitus Oy, became the biggest shareholder of the club. The club managed to create stability to their economy during those years, and finally won Ykkönen in the 2020 season with head coach Jyrki Ahola, gaining a promotion back to Veikkausliiga for the 2021 season, previous time being in 2010.

Veikkausliiga; 2021–present

In the 2021 Veikkausliiga season, after the run of poor results, the head coach Jyrki Ahola was sacked in September and replaced by Portuguese Ricardo Duarte. AC Oulu finished 11th in the league, and successfully defended its place in the relegation play-offs against RoPS.

In the 2022 season, the club finished in the 7th place, after having narrowly missed the top-6 championship group in the league. AC Oulu established its place in the league, after having mostly played in the second-tier Ykkönen since its foundation in 2002.

In the early 2023, AC Oulu reached to the final of the pre-season Finnish League Cup tournament, after winning Inter Turku on penalties in the semi-final. They eventually fell short to HJK in the final, losing the game 2–1. Before the league season started, the club sold its own local protégé Miika Koskela to Norwegian club Tromsø IL, and in the summer transfer window Otso Liimatta was sold to Portuguese Primeira Liga club FC Famalicão.

In August 2023, the head coach Duarte announced that he will leave the club after the season, and his option will not be exercised. Only a couple of weeks later, the club announced that Duarte was sacked with an immediate effect, following the loss in the 2023 Finnish Cup semi-final against Ilves, and the miserable results in the league. However, in the end of the season, the club renewed its position in 7th place in the league, having narrowly missed the top-6 again.

After the club had turned 20 years of age in 2022, AC Oulu started the documentary project with a local production studio Feeniks Visual, to highlight the early years when the club was formed starting in 2002. The one-hour long documentary film was first published in the late June 2023 exclusively, and later in April 2024 for the public.

2024

For the 2024 season, the club acquired Tuomas Silvennoinen the new head coach. Due to his lack of the required UEFA Pro coaching license, he was officially named the associate head coach in the coaching staff with Rauno Ojanen and Mikko Viitsalo. The budget for the new season was increased also. In April, it was announced that Hanna Väänänen would step aside from the club's CEO position and later Jani Kotikangas took the charge as the new CEO. The team started the season poorly, and eventually the whole coaching staff was fired on 13 June 2024, after 11 league matches, with a record of one win, five draws and five losses. The reserve team coaches Mikko Isokangas and Rafinha were named the caretaker coaches of the first team, leading the team to advance in the Finnish Cup with a win against KäPa, and drawing with VPS in the league. On 20 June 2024, a former Volos head coach Kostas Bratsos was named the manager of AC Oulu. The team reached the quarter-finals of the 2024 Suomen Cup, but was knocked out by SJK 2–0 in the early July in the OmaSP Stadion in Seinäjoki. On 2 September, after Bratsos had received his third consecutive red card of the season in his 10th league match, he and his whole coaching staff were fired, and the reserve team coaches Isokangas and Rafinha were appointed the interim managers again for the rest of the season. At the time of their departure, the club was sitting in the 9th place of the Veikkausliiga table, just above the relegation play-offs line. Eventually, they finished their disappointing and messed-up season in the 9th place of the table.

Stadium

• Castrén Stadium, Oulu: 2002 – 2010
• Raatti Stadium, Oulu: 2011 – present

  

Honours

• Finnish League Cup
  • Runners-up: 2023
• Ykkönen (second-tier)
  • Champions (2): 2009, 2020
  • Runners-up: 2006

Statistics

Divisional History

• 6 seasons in first-tier Veikkausliiga
• 16 seasons in second-tier Ykkönen

  

Current squad

As of 5 November 2024

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 2 DF  FIN Samuli Hölttä 6 MF  FIN Asla Peltola 10 MF  WAL Danny Barrow 12 FW  USA Justin Rennicks 14 MF  FIN Niklas Jokelainen (captain) 16 MF  FIN Otto Salmensuu 18 MF  GRE Dimitrios Metaxas 19 MF  FIN Aleksi Paananen (vice-captain) 21 MF  FIN Roope Salo 23 GK  FIN Johannes Pentti 25 DF  GAM Musa Jatta 26 DF  FIN Niklas Orjala 33 MF  FIN Julius Körkkö

No. Pos. Nation Player 38 DF  NED Léon Bergsma 44 DF  FIN Eetu Saarela 51 DF  FIN Julius Paananen 57 FW  FIN Santeri Silander 99 FW  FIN Eemil Merikanto — DF  FIN Joel Lehtonen — DF  FIN Mikko Pitkänen — MF  FIN Matias Ojala — DF  FIN Otto Kemppainen — FW  FIN Tuomas Kaukua — GK  FIN Niklas Schulz — MF  FIN Onni Tiihonen — DF  GNB Adramane Cassamá

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Reserve team squad

AC Oulu/OLS

As of 14 September 2024

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 31 FW  FIN Narit Sarkkinen 34 FW  FIN Olli Sassi 36 FW  FIN Rene Kähkönen 38 FW  FIN Eemil Merikanto 41 DF  FIN Santtu Seppänen 48 DF  FIN Otso-Pekka Parkkila 51 FW  FIN Julius Paananen 63 FW  FIN Aleksi Isomäki 68 GK  FIN Johannes Pentti 71 FW  FIN Eemeli Raittinen — DF  FIN Nikolas Similä — MF  FIN Asla Peltola

No. Pos. Nation Player — DF  FIN Anselmi Nurmela — DF  FIN Eetu Saarela — MF  FIN Jesse Korhonen — DF  FIN Kasper Flygare — DF  FIN Touko Ridanpää — FW  FIN Lauritapio Tiainen — GK  FIN Juuso Saarikoski — MF  FIN Hugo Karlsson — GK  FIN Onni Sillanpää — FW  FIN Aleksi Räisänen — MF  FIN Vili Saarikoski — MF  FIN Lucas Piirto — FW  FIN Antti Torniainen — DF  FIN Santeri Silander

Youth and reserve teams

• AC Oulu/OLS, the reserve team in Kakkonen, promoted to Ykkönen for 2024 season
• AC Oulu/OLS U17
• OsPa, in Kolmonen

In the summer 2020, AC Oulu and one of its founding member clubs Oulun Luistinseura (OLS) signed a new co-operation deal, by which AC Oulu acquired the U-17 team and OLS first team under its command.

In the end of the 2023 season, the club's U17 team won the silver medal in the league of their age group. In addition, the club's reserve team OLS gained a promotion from Kakkonen to new Ykkönen.

On 13 November 2023, the club announced that they had signed a co-operation deal with one of their associate clubs Oulunsalon Pallo (OsPa), and acquired the control and the management of the OsPa first team in Kolmonen, as AC Oulu's second reserve team for youth players.

After the 2023 season, Olli-Pekka Piisilä, the head coach of the AC Oulu/OLS U17 team, was awarded The Best Coach of the Boys' Team by the Football Association of Finland.

Management and boardroom

Management

As of 18 November 2023

Name Role Mikko Isokangas Head Coach Rafinha Assistant Coach Mikko Lignell Assistant coach Mikko Mannila Reserve team head coach Jani Luukkonen Goalkeeping Coach Luke Robertson Performance Coach Olli Kyösti Technical Assistant Pasi Moilanen Team Manager Matias Ahola Kit Manager Ari Korkala Physiotherapist Ville Puukka Doctor

Boardroom

As of 23 November 2023

Name Role Tomi Kaismo Chairman Timo Kalermo Vice Chairman Jani Kotikangas CEO Markus Heikkinen Sporting director

Managers and captains

Managers

• Ari Härkönen (2003–2004)
• Steven Polack (2005)
• Harri Kampman (2006–2007)
• Juha Malinen (2008–2012)
• Rauno Ojanen (2013–2017)
• Mika Lähderinne (2018–2019)
• Rauno Ojanen (2019)
• Jyrki Ahola (1 January 2020 – 25 September 2021)
• Teemu Tavikainen (interim, 26 September 2021 – 5 October 2021)
• Ricardo Duarte (6 October 2021 – 24 August 2023)
• Rauno Ojanen and Jussi-Pekka Savolainen (interim, 2023)
• Tuomas Silvennoinen (1 January 2024 – 13 June 2024)
• Mikko Isokangas and /Rafinha (caretaker)
• Kostas Bratsos (20 June 2024 – 2 September 2024)
• Mikko Isokangas and /Rafinha (caretaker)

Captains

• Aki Karppanen (2003)
• Jani Sipilä (2004)
• Mike Peltola (2005–2006)
• Janne Hietanen (2007)
• Antti Pehkonen 2008–2010
• Dominic Yobe (2010)
• Jani Kauppila (2011–2012)
• Lassi Nurmos (2013)
• Pekka Räsänen (2014)
• Tuure Siira (2015)
• Lassi Nurmos (2016)
• David Ramadingaye (2017)
• Lassi Nurmos (2018—2021)
• Rafinha (2022)
• Rasmus Karjalainen (2023)
• Niklas Jokelainen (2024 – present)

Top goalscorers

Season	Player	G	League
2003	Jeferson Pires	12	Ykkönen
2004	Jeferson Pires	10
2005	Jeferson Pires	5
	Jukka Puurunen
	/ Rafinha
2006	Dragan Pejic	15
2007	Janne Hietanen	5	Veikkausliiga
2008	Donewell Yobe	8	Ykkönen
2009	Donewell Yobe	14
2010	Frank Jonke	8	Veikkausliiga
2011	Randy Edwini-Bonsu	16	Ykkönen
2012	Joonas Sohlo	9
2013	Joonas Sohlo	7
2014	/ Dritan Stafsula	11
2015	Kemo Darboe	6
2016	/ Aristote M'Boma	18
2017	Saša Jovović	8
	Alvarado Morín
2018	Alvarado Morín	17
2019	Juho Mäkelä	11
2020	Aapo Heikkilä	9
2021	Dennis Salanović	4	Veikkausliiga
	Lucky Opara
2022	Michael López	10
2023	Ashley Coffey	13
2024	Ashley Coffey	12

Notable former players

• / Rafinha
• Titi Essomba
• Randy Edwini-Bonsu
• Frank Jonke
• Markus Heikkinen
• Janne Hietanen
• Jarkko Hurme
• Rasmus Karjalainen
• Toni Kolehmainen
• Miika Koskela
• Otso Liimatta
• Juho Mäkelä
• Mika Nurmela
• Matias Ojala
• Tuure Siira
• / Dritan Stafsula
• Dennis Salanovic
• Lucky Opara
• Jeremy Vuolo

References

1. AC Oulun pääomistaja Tomi Kaismo kertoo nyt, miten hän suhtautuu seuran jättitappioihin – "Aion olla pitkään mukana" Archived 2023-11-23 at the Wayback Machine, Kaleva, Kai Nevala, 4 April 2023
2. KAISMO JATKAA AC OULUN HALLITUKSEN PUHEENJOHTAJANA Archived 2024-02-14 at the Wayback Machine, acoulu.fi, 19 April 2023
3. AC Oulun korpivaellus kesti tolkuttoman kauan, mutta nyt se on ohi – tähtipuolustaja avoimena: ”Tämä on ollut unelma koko ajan” Archived 2023-11-23 at the Wayback Machine, Ilta-Sanomat, Jarmo Korhonen, 3 May 2021
4. Jyrki Aholalle lyötiin eteen lohduton valinta: eroa tai tulee kenkää – tyly ”jäähyväislahja” kertoo tilanteesta kaiken Archived 2023-11-23 at the Wayback Machine, Ilta-Sanomat, Janne Oivio, 29 September 2021
5. Professori Duarte aloittaa nyt urakkansa Oulussa, eikä tilanne voisi olla pahempi: ”Mitään taikatemppuja ei ole” Archived 2023-11-23 at the Wayback Machine, Ilta-Sanomat, Janne Oivio, 15 October 2021
6. AC Oulu säilytti sarjapaikkansa – RoPS-hyökkääjä ei sulattanut joukkuekaverin ulosajoa: "Se oli tuomarivirhe" Archived 2023-12-04 at the Wayback Machine, Yle, Hinni Hirvonen, 7 November 2021
7. Sami Hyypiä Trophy jaossa lauantaina – Liigacup 2023 huipentuu finaaliin Archived 2023-11-23 at the Wayback Machine, Veikkausliiga, 31 March 2023
8. AC Oulun päävalmentaja Ricardo Duarte jättää seuran kauden jälkeen Archived 2023-11-23 at the Wayback Machine, Veikkausliiga, 17 August 2023
9. AC Oulu teki uuden päätöksen – Ricardo Duarte jättää seuran jo nyt Archived 2023-11-24 at the Wayback Machine, suomifutis.com, 25 August 2023
10. AC Oulun karmea sulaminen huipentui runkosarjan päätöskierroksella – HJK:lla ja KuPSilla kiivas mestaruustaisto Archived 2023-11-23 at the Wayback Machine, Ilta-Sanomat, 3 September 2021
11. AC Oulun tilillä oli pahimmillaan 10 euroa ja laskuja neljännesmiljoonan edestä – Katso seuran koruttoman rehellinen 20-vuotisjuhladokumentti tästä, Kaleva, 28 June 2023
12. AC OULUN 20-VUOTIS DOKUMENTTI ON JULKAISTU, acoulu.fi, 26 April 2024
13. JANI KOTIKANGAS ON AC OULUN UUSI TOIMITUSJOHTAJA, acoulu.fi, 4 June 2024
14. AC OULUN UUSI PÄÄVALMENTAJA ON VALITTU, acoulu.fi, 20 June 2024
15. "Finland – List of League First Level Tables". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 2010-07-17. Retrieved 2023-12-11.
16. "Finland – List of League Second Level Tables". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 2022-09-24. Retrieved 2023-03-15.
17. ^ "Joukkue 2024" (in Finnish). AC Oulu. Archived from the original on 11 December 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
18. AC OULUN KAPTEENISTO ON VALITTU Archived 2024-04-01 at the Wayback Machine, acoulu.fi, 1 April 2024
19. RESERVIJOUKKUE KAKKOSEEN - TOIMISTO, VALMENNUS JA TAUSTAT KASASSA! Archived 2023-11-23 at the Wayback Machine, acoulu.fi, 22 December 2020
20. Seuraesimerkki Huuhkaja- ja Helmaripolulta: Näin OLS:ssa varmistetaan, että tieto kehittää päivittäistä tekemistä Archived 2023-11-23 at the Wayback Machine, Finnish FA/Palloliitto, 23 August 2023
21. AC OULU / OLS -JUNIORIT TAISTELEE HOPEAMITALISTA LAUANTAINA Archived 2023-11-23 at the Wayback Machine, acoulu.fi, 28 September 2023
22. OTTELUENNAKKO: RESERVIJOUKKUEEN ENSIMMÄINEN KARSINTAOTTELU KOHTI YKKÖSLIIGAA PELATAAN TÄNÄÄN Archived 2023-11-23 at the Wayback Machine, acoulu.fi, 13 October 2023
23. AC OULUN PELAAJAPUTKI PÄIVITTYY Archived 2023-11-23 at the Wayback Machine, acoulu.fi, 13 November 2023
24. Captain's Ball 2023 – Palkitut osa 1 Archived 2024-04-10 at the Wayback Machine, Finnish FA, 1 December 2023
25. AC Oulun uusi valmennuskolmikko: Rauno Ojanen, Tuomas Silvennoinen ja Mikko Viitsalo Archived 2023-11-10 at the Wayback Machine, Yle, 8 November 2023
26. Joukkue 2024, edustus Archived 2023-12-11 at the Wayback Machine, acoulu.fi
27. Joukkue 2024, reservit Archived 2023-12-14 at the Wayback Machine, acoulu.fi
28. "Yhteystiedot" (in Finnish). AC Oulu. Archived from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
29. AC Oulu stats, acokannattajat.fi

External links

• Official website (in Finnish)

• AC Oulu
• Association football clubs established in 2002
• 2002 establishments in Finland
• Sport in Oulu