FC Viikingit
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| Full name | FC Viikingit |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Viikkarit Idän punaiset ('Reds of the East') |
| Founded | 1965 |
| Ground |
Vuosaaren urheilukenttä Vuosaari, Helsinki, Finland |
| Capacity | 1,500 |
| Coordinates | 60°13′00″N 25°08′19″E / 60.21667°N 25.13861°E |
| Chairman |
 Jorma Koivukangas |
| League | Kakkonen |
| 2014 | Ykkönen, 10th |
| Website | Club home page |
FC Viikingit is a Finnish football club based in Vuosaari, East Helsinki, and currently playing in the Kakkonen, the second tier of Finnish football. They play their home matches at Vuosaaren urheilukenttä, also called Heteniitty. The club's name and crest refer to Vikings, and they are known for their red colour.
FC Viikingit played the 2007 season in the Finnish premier division (Veikkausliiga), but were relegated to the Ykkönen and competed there until 2014, when they were relegated to Kakkonen. The club's reserve team, FC Viikkarit, were promoted to the Kakkonen for the 2014 season but they had to give it up, because they were not able to play on the same division as the main team.
The club was first founded as Vuosaaren Viikingit ('Vuosaari Vikings') in 1965. The new club started at the very bottom of the Finnish football pyramid, spending their first years in the fifth and sixth divisions. For the 1973 season, they were promoted to the IV division and played there for the next ten seasons. In 1983, the team were promoted to the III division, but this visit was cut short, as they were relegated again the following season. They were promoted again for the 1993 season, and this time managed to stay up. They even made a year-long visit to the Kakkonen in 1996, but were relegated after finishing last in their group. In 1997, the footballing section of the club was split into its own organisation with the name FC Viikingit.
With the new organisation in place, the football club started to enjoy some success in the third division, and were promoted back to the Kakkonen for the 2001 season. The newly promoted team did well in the second division, finishing at first place in their group and winning direct promotion to the Ykkönen for the 2002 season. In their first season in the first division, FC Viikingit finished second to last and had to compete in a play-off against WJK from Varkaus. The Reds won the play-off and remained in the first division. For the 2003 season, Markku Kanerva was appointed the club's manager. He led the club to a successful season, finishing third in a 14-team league, only one point from a promotion play-off spot. In 2004, the club were managed by Steven Polack and finished fourth.
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