FK Metta (also called FK Metta/Latvijas Universitāte from 2007 till the end of 2018 season) is a professional

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

n football club in

Riga Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the B ...

. 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 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 1 ...

). 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 1 ...

championship and were automatically promoted to the

– 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 ''QS World University Rankings'' is an annual publication of un ...

. 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 Raimonds Krollis (born 28 October 2001) is a Latvian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Serie B club Spezia and the Latvia national team. Career Valmiera Krollis joined Valmiera in 2021 and was a key part of the 2022 season ...

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 FI ...

. 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

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