Jyri Nieminen (born 1987)

Jyri Nieminen
Personal information
Date of birth (1987-12-02) 2 December 1987 (age 37)
Place of birth Tampere, Finland[1]
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Goalkeeper, Goalkeeping coach
Team information
Current team
 Feyenoord (goalkeeping coach)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
BK-46
Åbo IFK
Managerial career
2012–2013 TPS (assistant)
2012–2013 TPS (gk coach)
2014 Estonia U17–U23 (gk coach)
2015–2018 Aspire Academy (gk coach)
2015–2018 Qatar U17 (gk coach)
2018–2019 San Jose Earthquakes (gk coach)
2019–2020 Orlando Pirates (gk coach)
2021–2023 New York Red Bulls (gk coach)
2023– Feyenoord (gk coach)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Jyri Nieminen (born 2 December 1987) is a Finnish football coach and a former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is currently working as the goalkeeping coach of Eredivisie club Feyenoord.

Nieminen received his UEFA A Goalkeeping license in 2016.[2]

Career

Nieminen played as a goalkeeper for SJK, Jazz, BK-46 and ÅIFK in Finnish third-tier Kakkonen, before he announced his retirement in 2013.[3] Due to his height, he never became a professional player.[4]

Coaching career

Nieminen first started coaching at the age of 14, as a goalkeeping coach of U13 youth team of a local club PP-70 in Tampere.

Nieminen also worked as a goalkeeping coach for Honka youth sectors, recommended by his friend, a fellow coach Jarkko Tuomisto. In 2012, while coaching in Honka, he also occasionally helped with the first team in Veikkausliiga and the reserve team Pallohonka.[4] Simultaneously, he played for Karjaa-based BK-46 in third-tier Kakkonen and coached the club's youth teams. Later in 2012, he started working for Veikkausliiga club Turun Palloseura (TPS) as a goalkeeping coach and assistant coach, and played for another Turku-based club Åbo IFK in Kakkonen.

Estonia

In 2013, while coaching TPS in Kupittaa, Turku, he was noticed by Estonian goalkeeping coach Mart Poom. A month later, he was invited to a job interview, and in 2014 he started to coach the goalkeepers of the Estonian youth national teams, as a goalkeeping coordinator of Estonian FA.[4]

Qatar: Aspire Academy and youth national team

In February 2015, Nieminen was appointed the goalkeeping coach of Qatari Aspire Academy, where he specialized in elite player development and game analysis, and the Qatar under-17 national team. He also reunited with Jarkko Tuomisto in Aspire.[4]

San Jose Earthquakes

After approximately two-and-a-half years in Qatar, Nieminen was appointed the goalkeeping coach of Major League Soccer (MLS) side San Jose Earthquakes on 25 January 2018.[4][5][6][7] He was named in the coaching staff of Mikael Stahre. After Stahre was replaced by Matías Almeyda in September, Nieminen's role was reduced in the team.

Orlando Pirates

In July 2019, Nieminen signed with South African Premiership giants Orlando Pirates.[8] After approximately a year-and-a-half with the club, Nieminen announced his departure in late December 2020, partly due to COVID-19 pandemic.[9][10]

New York Red Bulls

Nieminen returned to United States and MLS, when he was appointed the goalkeeping coach of New York Red Bulls in early 2021.[11]

On 6 July 2023, the club announced that they had reached an agreement with Feyenoord on the fee for his contract, and he will depart the club.[12] In all three seasons Nieminen was in New York, the club ranked in top five in MLS with the least goals allowed in the league.[4]

Feyenoord

In July 2023, Nieminen was appointed the goalkeeping coach of Dutch champions Feyenoord on a three-year deal.[13][14][15][16][17][18] He joined the coaching team of Arne Slot. At the end of the season in 2024, the club won the national KNVB Cup[19] and the Johan Cryuff Shield.

Personal life

Nieminen is married and a father of a daughter.[4]

References

  1. ^ Playmakerstats
  2. ^ NEWS: Earthquakes Announce Full Coaching Staff for 2018 Season, San Jose Earthquakes
  3. ^ WorldFootball, J. Nieminen
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Oman polun raivaaja, Helsingin Sanomat, 1 January 2024
  5. ^ NEWS: Earthquakes Announce Full Coaching Staff for 2018 Season, San Jose Earthquakes
  6. ^ WorldFootball, J. Nieminen
  7. ^ Miten alasarjavahdista tuli ammattivalmentaja USA:n jalkapalloliigaan? Tampereelta lähtenyt Jyri Nieminen kertoo tarinansa, Aamulehti, 25 August 2018
  8. ^ BREAKING NEWS: Orlando Pirates appoint Jyri Nieminen as new goalkeeper coach, goal.com, 24 July 2019
  9. ^ Jyri Nieminen explains Orlando Pirates departure, SA goalkeeping issues, snl24.com, 29 December 2020
  10. ^ WorldFootball, J. Nieminen
  11. ^ The future is now for New York Red Bulls goalkeeping, onceametro.com, 13 April 2021
  12. ^ New York Red Bulls Goalkeeper Coach Jyri Nieminen Departs Club, New York Red Bulls
  13. ^ Tätä ei ole ennen nähty – suomalaiset jalkapallovalmentajat saavat huimia kansainvälisiä pestejä: ”Kyse on aivan Euroopan huippuseuroista”, Yle, Jussi Vainikka, 7 July 2023
  14. ^ Suomalaisvalmentajalle huippupesti Hollannista, Iltalehti
  15. ^ Huippupesti: suomalaisvalmentaja liittyy Mestarien liiga -joukkueeseen, Ilta-Sanomat
  16. ^ Tässä on Suomen kuumin valmentajakaksikko juuri nyt — jäätävä määrä uhrauksia vei ystävykset Euroopan huipulle: "Harva näihin töihin pääsee", MTV Oy, 12 July 2023
  17. ^ fmtransferupdate
  18. ^ OFFICIEEL: JYRI NIEMINEN NIEUWE KEEPERSTRAINER FEYENOORD, OneFootball
  19. ^ Euroopan huipulle kiivennyttä Jyri Niemistä on yhdistetty jopa Liverpooliin – uraa ja kehittymistä on ajanut pelko omasta asemasta, apu.fi, 1 June 2024