Jani Honkavaara

Jani Honkavaara
Personal information
Date of birth (1976-02-02) 2 February 1976 (age 48)
Place of birth Seinäjoki, Finland[1]
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s) Forward / Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Finland (assistant)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1993–1999 TP-Seinäjoki[a] 121 (10)
2000 Joensuun Pallo 18 (1)
2001 TP-Seinäjoki 14 (0)
2002 JIPPO 12 (4)
2002–2004 Viikingit 45 (7)
2005 Someron Voima 16 (1)
2006 Kontu 2 (1)
2006 Viikingit 10 (0)
Total 221 (118)
Managerial career
2007–2009 Viikingit (assistant)
2010–2011 HIFK
2012 Gnistan
2013–2016 HIFK
2017–2019 KuPS
2020–2021 SJK
2023–2024 KuPS
2024– Finland (assistant)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Jani Honkavaara (born 2 February 1976[2]) is a Finnish football manager and retired football player, who is currently an assistant coach of the Finland national football team.[3] Previously he served as the manager of Veikkausliiga club Kuopion Palloseura (KuPS). Honkavaara has won two Finnish championship titles with KuPS, in two separate stints in 2019 and 2024, respectively.

Career

Honkavaara began his football career in TP-Seinäjoki (formerly known as Törnävän Pallo-55). During his time in the club, he played 10 matches in the Finnish top tier Veikkausliiga. Later in his career, he was mainly known for playing for East Helsinki based club FC Viikingit of Vuosaari.

Managerial career

Viikingit

After retiring as a football player, Honkavaara started as an assistant coach of FC Viikingit, in the coaching staff of Toni Korkeakunnas. In 2007, he was appointed the head coach for the 2007 Veikkausliiga season and held the position of coach in the club until 2009.

HIFK and Gnistan

In the autumn of 2009, he was selected as head coach of HIFK where he led the club towards promotion to the Finnish first division Ykkönen after season 2010. He resigned from the role of manager of HIFK after season 2011.[4] After the successful spell at HIFK, he went to coach another Helsinki based club IF Gnistan. Despite a rather successful season, he then resigned from the club after season 2012, citing family reasons.[5] Soon after he was appointed as the new head coach of HIFK which had faced relegation back to Finnish second division, Kakkonen, after the ending season, led by Honkavaara's successor in the managerial role, Juha Moilanen.[6] Right after next and very successful season 2013, he led HIFK back to Ykkönen. After the 2014 season, HIFK was promoted to Veikkausliiga, making it to the top tier of Finnish football for the first time in over 40 years.[7]

KuPS

At the end of November 2016 it was announced, that Honkavaara would be the new manager of Kuopion Palloseura (KuPS), starting from 1 January 2017.[8] He managed the club to finish 2nd in the league in 2017, and in the 3rd place in 2018. In June 2019, he was offered a head coach position of Royale Union Saint-Gilloise. The Belgian club was willing to pay a €100,000 fee for his contract, but KuPS was reluctant to let Honkavaara leave.[9] Eventually, in the 2019 Veikkausliiga season, Honkavaara led KuPS to its first Finnish championship title in 43 years.[10]

SJK Seinäjoki

In October 2019 Honkavaara was announced as the new manager of his hometown side Seinäjoen Jalkapallokerho (SJK).[11] In the 2021 season, the team finished 3rd in Veikkausliiga and won the bronze medal.

In the early 2022, Honkavaara started to work as a specialist for the Football Association of Finland.[12]

Return to KuPS

In April 2023, Honkavaara returned to KuPS, when the club sacked Pasi Tuutti after only three games in the season.[13] Honkavaara led KuPS to finish 2nd in the 2023 Veikkausliiga season, by a goal difference to HJK. In the end of the season, the club first didn't exercise their option, but later announced that Honkavaara's contract was extended for the 2024 season.[14] For the 2024 season, KuPS reduced the player budget and acquired more of young potential players, rather than players who had already proved their league-level.

On 17 June 2024, Honkavaara was also named the new assistant coach of the Finland national football team.[15] It was also announced that he would not continue as the manager of KuPS after the 2024 season. In September, Honkavaara guided KuPS to win the Finnish Cup, and in October they won the Veikkausliiga championship title again, making it the first double win in the club's history.[16] He was awarded the Veikkausliiga Manager of the Year in 2024.

Personal life

Honkavaara has studied Finnish language and literature at the University of Eastern Finland in Joensuu, and has later worked as a teacher.

In 2005, he worked briefly as a host of a TV-program Näytetään kieltä, produced by Yle.[17]

Honkavaara is married and a father.[9]

Managerial statistics

As of 19 October 2024
Team Nat From To Record
P W D L GF GA GD W%
HIFK Finland 1 January 2010 31 December 2011 50 23 11 16 75 53 +22 046.00
Gnistan Finland 1 January 2012 31 December 2012 27 15 7 5 46 26 +20 055.56
HIFK Finland 1 January 2013 27 July 2016 113 46 27 40 199 139 +60 040.71
KuPS Finland 1 January 2017 31 December 2019 116 58 28 30 207 129 +78 050.00
SJK Seinäjoki Finland 1 January 2020 31 December 2021 59 25 12 22 85 80 +5 042.37
KuPS Finland 21 April 2023 present 72 45 11 16 143 79 +64 062.50
Total 437 212 96 129 755 506 +249 048.51

Achievements

As a manager

HIFK

KuPS

SJK

  • Veikkausliiga 3rd place: 2021

Individual

References

  1. ^ Törnävän Pallo-55 before the name change in 1994
  1. ^ SJK aloitti kauteen valmistautumisen
  2. ^ "Honkavaara luottaa pelaajalähtöisyyteen". Keski-Uusimaa. 2015-08-24. Retrieved 2017-06-04.
  3. ^ "Jani Honkavaara johdatti SJK:n pronssille, mutta työt eivät jatku Veikkausliigassa: "Ulkomaille ei noin vain mennä"". Yle. 2021-10-31. Retrieved 2021-11-01.
  4. ^ "Honkavaaran jättää HIFK:n: Koin jatkamisen vaikeaksi ja jopa mahdottomaksi".
  5. ^ "Jani Honkavaara ei jatka Gnistanin päävalmentajana". 7 October 2012.
  6. ^ "Jani Honkavaara HIFK:n valmentajaksi". 27 October 2009.
  7. ^ "Pitkä korpivaellus sai päätöksensä". 14 October 2014.
  8. ^ Jani Honkavaara ryhtyy luotsaamaan Kuopion Palloseuraa‚ kups.fi, 28 November 2016
  9. ^ a b Iso valinta, Helsingin Sanomat, Ari Virtanen, 10 October 2024
  10. ^ "KuPS end 43 years of waiting for Finnish title".
  11. ^ "Jani Honkavaara on SJK:n uusi päävalmentaja". 23 October 2019.
  12. ^ Yllättävä uutinen: Veikkausliigan mestariluotsi siirtyy Palloliiton tehtäviin, suomifutis.com, 26 November 2021
  13. ^ Mestarivalmentaja Jani Honkavaara palaa KuPSiin – lataa suorat sanat alkukauden ongelmista: ”Aika paljon muuttuu”, Yle, 21 April 2023
  14. ^ Honsu ja Siku jatkavat Savossa – molemmille vuoden jatkosopimus KuPSin kanssa!, kups.fi, 24 October 2023
  15. ^ Markku Kanerva jatkaa Huuhkajien päävalmentajana – Valmennusryhmässä iso uudistus, Finnish FA, 17 June 2024
  16. ^ Kuopio villiintyi KuPSin mestaruudesta – Eini ilmestyi juhlahumuun, Yle, 19 October 2024
  17. ^ Näytetään kieltä, vintti.yle.fi
  18. ^ KuPS nousi takaa ohi Suomen Cupin voittoon – Petteri Pennanen ratkaisi pelin upealla laukauksella, Yle, 21 September 2024
  19. ^ Morelos jälleen kuukauden pelaajaksi (in Finnish)
  20. ^ KuPS-komeetta kuukauden pelaajaksi, veikkausliiga.com, 11 September 2019
  21. ^ Ilmari Niskanen lokakuun pelaajaksi, veikkausliiga.com, 7 November 2019
  22. ^ AC Oulun Ashley Coffey kuukauden pelaaja - toukokuun joukkue valittu, veikkausliiga.com, 7 June 2024
  23. ^ KuPS:n Petteri Pennanen Veikkausliigan kuukauden pelaaja lokakuussa, veikkaus.fi, 6 November 2024