FK Metta (also called FK Metta/Latvijas Universitāte from 2007 till the end of 2018 season) is a professional
Latvian
football club in
Riga. As of 2012 they play in the
Latvian Higher League
Latvian Higher League or Virslīga is a professional football league and the top tier of association football in Latvia. Organised by the Latvian Football Federation, the Higher League is contested by 10 clubs. The full name of the league is O ...
. Metta play their home games at
Daugava Stadium. Until June 2018, their home venue was the Riga Hanza Secondary School Stadium.
History
FS Metta was officially founded on May 2, 2006, though the club had been active in youth tournaments since 2000. In 2007 FS Metta and
University of Latvia
University of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Universitāte, shortened ''LU'') is a state-run university located in Riga, Latvia established in 1919.
The ''QS World University Rankings'' places the university between 801st and 1000th globally, seventh ...
(Latvijas Universitāte) merged as a senior professional team and participated in the Latvian Championship first division (
Traffic 1. līga). They finished the season in the fourth position. The club remained at the same level for the next four seasons. Though a professional club, Metta retained the prefix FS (Futbola Skola), since their policy was to invest in youth players. In 2011 Metta won the
Latvian First League
The Latvian First League ( lv, Latvijas Pirmā līga, 1. līga) is the second tier of football in Latvia and is organised by the Latvian Football Federation.
History
The league was founded together with other Latvian football competitions in 19 ...
championship and were automatically promoted to the
Latvian Higher League
Latvian Higher League or Virslīga is a professional football league and the top tier of association football in Latvia. Organised by the Latvian Football Federation, the Higher League is contested by 10 clubs. The full name of the league is O ...
– the top tier of Latvian football.
The affiliation with the university provides the club with a greater financial backing and the players with the opportunity, if wanted, to study at the most prestigious
Latvian University
University of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Universitāte, shortened ''LU'') is a state-run university located in Riga, Latvia established in 1919.
The ''QS World University Rankings'' places the university between 801st and 1000th globally, seventh ...
. The club was created with the aim to gather the greatest youth talents from across the country and surrounding areas to build and shape them into expensive players for sale to bigger clubs.
In 2020 FK Metta were the youngest top-tier team in Europe. At the end of the season, the team's average age was 19,5.
In September 2020, FK Metta forward
Raimonds Krollis made his debut for the
Latvia national football team
The Latvia national football team ( lv, Latvijas futbola izlase) represents Latvia in international football and is controlled by the Latvian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Latvia. They have never qualified for the FIF ...
. He became the first-ever player that has gone through the whole FK Metta academy and played for the Senior national team.
Patron of the University of Latvia
Football school "Metta" is a silver patron of the University of Latvia Foundation. They have supported the University of Latvia since 2016, donating to the football system and scholarships.
Participation in Latvian Championships
Honours
*
Latvian First League
The Latvian First League ( lv, Latvijas Pirmā līga, 1. līga) is the second tier of football in Latvia and is organised by the Latvian Football Federation.
History
The league was founded together with other Latvian football competitions in 19 ...
champions (1)
** 2011
Managers
* Andris Riherts (02.05.2006 – 09.06.2021)
* Andrejs Gluščuks (11.06.2021 – present)
Current players
First-team squad
''As of 10 March 2022''
Player of the year
Club officials
Board of Directors
* General secretary: Ģirts Mihelsons
* Executive Director: Maira Mihelsone
Coaching staff
* Manager: Andrejs Gluščuks
* Coach: Andrejs Karpovs
* Coach: Viktors Mazurs
* Fitness Coach: Jānis Skābardis
* Second team coach: Jānis Goba
* Goalkeeping Coach: Artūrs Biezais
Medical staff
* Physiotherapist: Sergejs Davidovičs
* Physiotherapist: Ēriks Čuhnovs
Staff
* Press Officer: Miks Vilkaplāters
* PR manager: Rihards Krēvics
* Technical manager: Harijs Toms
Shirt sponsors and manufacturers
References
External links
*
Official website*
FS Metta University of Latvia*
Official Latvian Football Federation website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Metta
Football clubs in Riga
Association football clubs established in 2006
2006 establishments in Latvia