Tallinna Jalgpalliklubi Legion II
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Tallinna Jalgpalli Klubi, commonly referred to as simply TJK, is a defunct
Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...
n
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
club, based in
Tallinn Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and ...
. Founded in 1921, TJK were one of the founding members of the Estonian Football Championship in
1921 Events January * January 2 ** The Association football club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, from Belo Horizonte, is founded as the multi-sports club Palestra Italia by Italian expatriates in First Brazilian Republic, Brazil. ** The Spanish lin ...
. On 4 January 2008, the club merged with ''SK Legion Tallinn'' and became TJK Legion. TJK were crowned the Estonian champions twice, winning the
Estonian Football Championship Estonian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe * Estonians, people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent * Estonian language * Estonian cuisine * Estonian culture See also * ...
in 1926 and 1928. The club also lifted the
Estonian Cup The Estonian Cup () is the national knockout competition in Estonian football. In 2012, the competition was unofficially rebranded as Evald Tipner's Cup. The winner will compete in UEFA Europa Conference League first qualifying round. Finals ...
in 1939 and unofficially in 1940.


History


Pioneers in Estonian football (1921–1941)

Tallinna Jalgpalli Klubi was founded on 5 May 1921 by Estonian footballers, who had returned from
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
and
Estonian War of Independence The Estonian War of Independence, also known as the War of Freedom in Estonia, was a defensive campaign of the Estonian Army and its allies, most notably the United Kingdom, against the Soviet Russian westward offensive of 1918–1919 and the ...
and had lost their spot in their former clubs
Kalev Kalev may refer to: * Kalev (mythology), a character from Estonian mythology * Kalev (given name), an Estonian masculine given name * Kalev (confectioner), an Estonian sweets company * BC Kalev, a basketball club based in Tallinn, Estonia * BC ...
or
Sport Sport is a physical activity or game, often Competition, competitive and organization, organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The numbe ...
. Coached by Olympic silver medalist in the marathon
Jüri Lossmann Jüri Lossmann ( – 1 May 1984) was an Estonian long-distance runner. He finished second in the marathon at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, at 2:32:48.6, trailing Hannes Kolehmainen by 13 seconds, but beating the third-placed Valerio Arri ...
, the club took part in the first Estonian Football Championship in
1921 Events January * January 2 ** The Association football club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, from Belo Horizonte, is founded as the multi-sports club Palestra Italia by Italian expatriates in First Brazilian Republic, Brazil. ** The Spanish lin ...
, where they finished runners-up to VS Sport. In many ways, TJK were the pioneers in Estonian football. They became the first Estonian sports club to solely focus on football and have it also mentioned in their name. Following the appointment of Hungarian
Ferenc Woggenhuber Ferenc István Voggenhuber (1 July 1894 – 16 January 1942) was a Hungarian football manager who took charge of several clubs all over the world, including in Hungary, Estonia, Portugal, Spain, Romania, Greece, Mexico, Poland, France, Algeria, L ...
in 1922, TJK became the first football club in Estonia to have a foreign coach. In August 1925, the club also opened the first modern football stadium in Estonia. Furthermore, TJK members Johannes Ellip and August Siiber wrote the first
statute A statute is a law or formal written enactment of a legislature. Statutes typically declare, command or prohibit something. Statutes are distinguished from court law and unwritten law (also known as common law) in that they are the expressed wil ...
of the
Estonian Football Association The Estonian Football Association (EJL; ) is the governing body of football (soccer), football, beach soccer and futsal in Estonia. Established on 14 December 1921, it organizes the football league, including the championship which is called Mei ...
. Tallinna Jalgpalli Klubi won the Estonian Football Championship in the 1926 season, where they beat
Kalev Kalev may refer to: * Kalev (mythology), a character from Estonian mythology * Kalev (given name), an Estonian masculine given name * Kalev (confectioner), an Estonian sweets company * BC Kalev, a basketball club based in Tallinn, Estonia * BC ...
6–0 in the semi-final and defeated the reigning champions
Sport Sport is a physical activity or game, often Competition, competitive and organization, organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The numbe ...
4–1 in the final. TJK were crowned champions again in
1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly demonstrating that DNA is the genetic material. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris B ...
. At the end of the same year, TJK player
Arnold Pihlak Arnold Pihlak (17 July 1902 – 1 November 1985) was an Estonian footballer. After joining Austria Vienna in 1928, he became the first-ever Estonian professional footballer. Club career Pihlak began playing football as a school pupil in Pelguli ...
joined
FK Austria Vienna Fußballklub Austria Wien AG (), known in English as Austria Vienna, and Austria Wien in German-speaking countries, is an Austrian professional association football club from the capital city of Vienna. It has won the most trophies of any Austr ...
and became the first professional Estonian footballer. TJK lifted the
Estonian Cup The Estonian Cup () is the national knockout competition in Estonian football. In 2012, the competition was unofficially rebranded as Evald Tipner's Cup. The winner will compete in UEFA Europa Conference League first qualifying round. Finals ...
in
1939 This year also marks the start of the World War II, Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history. Events Events related to World War II have a "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 ** Coming into effect in Nazi Ger ...
by beating Kalev 4–1 in the final. The club also won the cup final in the following year, but the competition was deemed unofficial due to
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. TJK was disbanded in 1941 after Estonia had been occupied by the Soviets.


Rebirth and merger into TJK Legion (1992–2008)

Tallinna Jalgpalli Klubi was brought back to existence in January 1992, less than five months after Estonia had restored its independence. The club quickly became renowned for its successful youth system and was the starting point for famous Estonian internationals
Konstantin Vassiljev Konstantin Vassiljev (born 16 August 1984) is an Estonian professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who is the manager of Estonian Meistriliiga club FC Flora, Flora. With 158 caps, Vassilje ...
,
Tarmo Kink Tarmo Kink (born 6 October 1985) is an Estonian former footballer who played as a winger. He works as a coach at Paide Linnameeskond. Club career Early career In 2001, Kink started his career with S.C. Real, scoring 46 goals in 15 games. In 2 ...
and
Dmitri Kruglov Dmitri Kruglov (born 24 May 1984) is an Estonian retired professional footballer who played as a left-back and a winger. He made 115 appearances for the Estonia national team, scoring four goals. He was known for his powerful shooting and oft ...
. In 2008, Tallinna Jalgpalli Klubi and SK Legion merged and the club was named Tallinna Jalgpalli Klubi Legion. After a triumphant
2019 Esiliiga The 2019 Esiliiga was the 29th season of the Esiliiga, the second tier of Estonian football. Teams A total of 10 teams were contesting the league, including six sides from the 2018 season, one relegated from 2018 Meistriliiga and three promoted ...
season, TJK Legion were promoted to Premium Liiga, marking the return of the TJK name, after its 80-year absence, to the Estonian top flight. The club competed in Premium Liiga for three seasons, from
2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
until
2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
.


Crest and colours

After its founding in 1921, TJK played their first season in white collared shirts and black shorts, but soon, the club affiliated themselves with the colour green. One possible theory for the origin of the traditional green club colours is that it was chosen to symbolise the green grass of their stadium, as TJK's home ground was the first football stadium in Estonia to have a natural grass surface. TJK's crest was created by Estonian artist Jungberg and featured a lion, an animal which is also depicted on the
coat of arms of Estonia The coat of arms of the Republic of Estonia () is a golden shield which includes a picture of three left-facing blue lions with red tongues in the middle, with golden oak branches placed on both sides of the shield. The coat of armes was derived ...
. After TJK was re-established in the 1990s, the club began playing in blue shirts. File:TJK embleem.png, 1921–1941 File:TallinnaJK.png, 1992–2007


Stadium


TJK jalgpalliväli

After being founded in 1921, TJK actively began looking for a site to construct their own football ground. Four years later, in August 1925, the club opened TJK Stadium, which became the first football stadium in Estonia to have a natural grass surface. The stadium's wooden grandstand could seat 3,740 people and with its additional standing capacity of 6,000, the football ground was able to facilitate nearly 10,000 spectators, making it the largest stadium in the country upon completion. The stadium was destroyed in the Second World War.


Wismari staadion

After the club was re-established in 1992, TJK started to operate at the Wismari Stadium. Opened in 1916, Wismari was once the home ground of TJK's arch-rivals Tallinna Sport.


Achievements


League

* Estonian Championship ** Winners (2):
1926 In Turkey, the year technically contained only 352 days. As Friday, December 18, 1926 ''(Julian Calendar)'' was followed by Saturday, January 1, 1927 '' (Gregorian Calendar)''. 13 days were dropped to make the switch. Turkey thus became the ...
,
1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly demonstrating that DNA is the genetic material. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris B ...


Cups

*
Estonian Cup The Estonian Cup () is the national knockout competition in Estonian football. In 2012, the competition was unofficially rebranded as Evald Tipner's Cup. The winner will compete in UEFA Europa Conference League first qualifying round. Finals ...
** Winners (1):
1939 This year also marks the start of the World War II, Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history. Events Events related to World War II have a "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 ** Coming into effect in Nazi Ger ...
, ''1940'' ''(unofficial)''


Managerial history


Notable former players

*
Eduard Ellman-Eelma Eduard Eelma (7 April 1902 – 16 November 1941) until 1937 Eduard-Vilhelm Ellmann, was an Estonian footballer — one of the most famous before World War II. He played 60 times for Estonia national football team and with 21 goals, was their rec ...
– the former
Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...
international footballer *
Otto Silber Otto Silber (17 March 1893 – 23 December 1940) was an Estonian footballer. He competed in the men's tournament at the 1924 Summer Olympics. Silber participated in the first official football game between Tallinn clubs JS Meteor and Merku ...
– Estonia international *
Voldemar Peterson Voldemar Peterson (24 April 1908 – 16 April 1976) was an Estonian footballer. He played in 20 matches for the Estonia national football team from 1930 to 1938. He was also named in Estonia's squad for the Group 1 qualification tournament f ...
– Estonia international *
Dmitri Kruglov Dmitri Kruglov (born 24 May 1984) is an Estonian retired professional footballer who played as a left-back and a winger. He made 115 appearances for the Estonia national team, scoring four goals. He was known for his powerful shooting and oft ...
– Estonia international *
Konstantin Vassiljev Konstantin Vassiljev (born 16 August 1984) is an Estonian professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who is the manager of Estonian Meistriliiga club FC Flora, Flora. With 158 caps, Vassilje ...
– Estonia international *
Tarmo Kink Tarmo Kink (born 6 October 1985) is an Estonian former footballer who played as a winger. He works as a coach at Paide Linnameeskond. Club career Early career In 2001, Kink started his career with S.C. Real, scoring 46 goals in 15 games. In 2 ...
– Estonia international


Seasons and statistics


References

{{Football in Estonia
Tallinna Jalgpalliklubi Tallinna Jalgpalli Klubi, commonly referred to as simply TJK, is a defunct Estonian football club, based in Tallinn. Founded in 1921, TJK were one of the founding members of the Estonian Football Championship in 1921. On 4 January 2008, the club ...
Association football clubs established in 1921 1921 establishments in Estonia 2002 establishments in Estonia 2008 disestablishments in Estonia