Nõmme Kalju
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| Full name | Nõmme Kalju Football Club |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Roosad Pantrid (Pink Panthers) |
| Founded | 1923 1997 (re-established) |
| Ground | Hiiu Stadium |
| Capacity | 3,000 |
| President | Kuno Tehva |
| Manager | Sergei Frantsev |
| League | Meistriliiga |
| 2016 | Meistriliiga, 3rd |
| Website | Club home page |
Nõmme Kalju FC (IPA: [nɤmˈme ˈkɑlju], "Nõmme Cliff"), commonly known as Nõmme Kalju, or simply as Kalju, is a professional football club, based in Nõmme, Tallinn, Estonia, that competes in the Meistriliiga, the top flight of Estonian football.
Founded in 1923 and re-established in 1997, the club has played in the Meistriliiga since the 2008 season and have never been relegated from the Estonian top division. Nõmme Kalju has won 1 Meistriliiga and 1 Estonian Cup trophy.
Nõmme Kalju football club was founded in 1923 as a division of the Nõmme Sports Club Kalju (Estonian: Nõmme Spordiklubi Kalju) by two professional wrestlers, Aleksander Šneider and Mart Liiv. Their home ground was Hiiu Stadium in Nõmme and the club remained active until the World War II.
The club was re-established in 1997 by the former Estonia national football team manager Uno Piir, Anton Siht and Värner Lootsmann. Nõmme Kalju joined the Estonian football league system and began competing in the Northern division of the III liiga. The club finished their first season in second place, while Joel Lindpere was the top goalscorer with 13 goals. Nõmme Kalju played in the III liiga for eight consecutive seasons.
In 2002, Kuno Tehva acquired the club with a goal of establishing a professional football club. Nõmme Kalju were promoted to the third tier II liiga in 2004 and in 2005, to the second tier Esiliiga. Nõmme Kalju finished their first season in the Esiliiga in 5th place. In 2007, Brazilian Getúlio Fredo was hired as manager. Nõmme Kalju finished the 2007 Esiliiga season in 6th place and faced Kuressaare in promotion play-offs. The club lost their first match home 0–1 but won the second leg away 2–1 and advanced to the Meistriliiga on away goals.
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