Tartu JK Tammeka

Tartu JK Tammeka is a professional football club based in Tartu. The club was founded in 1989, shortly before Estonia regained independence. Initially, it was only a youth football club by Hillar Otto, Avo Jakovits and Heino Ligi. Blue and white were chosen as team colours, derived from the colours of the flag of the independent Estonia as direct statement of support for the Estonian independence movement.

Even though the club was founded in 1989, they joined the Estonian football pyramid only in 2000. Securing back to back promotions in their first two seasons they made it to the Esiliiga, where, following two unsuccessful seasons of attempting promotion to the top tier, they finally won the Esiliiga in 2004.

In 2007, Tammeka merged with city rivals Maag in an effort to establish a club in Tartu which could try to challenge the big Tallinn clubs. This project did not go well and, after the 2008 season, Tammeka continued to operate as an independent club.

In the summer of 2009, the team was acquired by Babak Ashfar and his wife Jane Afshar, the latter of whom was appointed the club president. The new owners did not prove to be all that great, however, and Tammeka were denied Premium liiga license in 2014 due to unmet financial obligations. In the end, the license was granted to the team’s academy, Jalgpallikool Tammeka, ensuring continuation of Tartu Tammeka but as a new legal entity. The team is currently managed by Marti Pahn.