FK VEF Riga
Encyclopedia
VEF Rīga was a football
club in Latvia
, one of the strongest teams in the Latvian league between 1945 and 1994.
was founded in the mid 1930s, in 1939 it first won the promotion to the top Latvian league by beating Ventspils Stars 6:2 in the playoff final. VEF was the only Latvian football club to keep its name through the 1940s - it played in the Latvian league under German occupation and it remained where after the second Russian occupation. The Soviet era was the best for the club: VEF won six Latvian titles between 1970 and 1983, it was also a 3 time winner of the Latvian Football Cup
. First half of the Seventies were the best period in the clubs history when it won five of its titles, one cup and also reached the cup final three times]. In that period VEF was managed by former FK Daugava Rīga
star player Georgijs Smirnovs
and another retired Daugava forward - Nikolajs Jermakovs
played in the teams attack.
When Latvia regained independence and the VEF plant was rapidly losing its former glory, the football team was also affected, however it managed to finish 3rd in the first season of Virslīga
. After the 1992 Virslīga season the club was renamed to VEF-Zenta Rīga to the name of the clubs new sponsor. In 1994 it already played as DAG Rīga and won the bronze medals for the second time. The former VEF team ceased to exist in Riga
in 1995 with the merge of DAG with former Olimpija Liepāja under the name DAG Liepāja. However through the merge with Liepāja VEF Rīga can be considered as a predecessor to one of the strongest football clubs in Latvia - Liepājas Metalurgs.
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
club in Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
, one of the strongest teams in the Latvian league between 1945 and 1994.
Team history
A football club with the VEF plantVEF
VEF, Latvian acronym for Valsts Elektrotehniskā Fabrika , is a manufacturer of electrical and electronic products in Riga, Latvia. VEF was the biggest Latvian factory in Soviet era and the leading communication technology producer in the Soviet Union...
was founded in the mid 1930s, in 1939 it first won the promotion to the top Latvian league by beating Ventspils Stars 6:2 in the playoff final. VEF was the only Latvian football club to keep its name through the 1940s - it played in the Latvian league under German occupation and it remained where after the second Russian occupation. The Soviet era was the best for the club: VEF won six Latvian titles between 1970 and 1983, it was also a 3 time winner of the Latvian Football Cup
Latvian football Cup
The Latvian Football Cup is the main "knockout" cup competition in Latvian football. It started in 1937 replacing the previous knockout tournament – Riga Football Cup.The competition is a knockout tournament....
. First half of the Seventies were the best period in the clubs history when it won five of its titles, one cup and also reached the cup final three times]. In that period VEF was managed by former FK Daugava Rīga
FK Daugava Riga
Previously FK Daugava 90 is a Latvian football club located in Riga and currently playing in Latvian First League. Formerly under the name Daugava the team was the headliner of Latvian football where played most of the countries top players but with the collapse of the Soviet Union the team ceased...
star player Georgijs Smirnovs
Georgijs Smirnovs
Georgijs Smirnovs is a former Latvian footballer and football manager. In 2006 Latvian Football Federation selected Smirnovs as one of the 11 greatest footballers in the first 100 years of football in Latvia.-Biography:...
and another retired Daugava forward - Nikolajs Jermakovs
Nikolajs Jermakovs
Nikolajs Jermakovs is a former Soviet Latvian football striker.-Playing biography:After winning the Latvian league with Elektrospludžu rūpnīca in 1966, Jermakovs joined the strongest Latvian football club - FK Daugava Rīga at the age of 19. With Daugava he played in more than 100 matches in the...
played in the teams attack.
When Latvia regained independence and the VEF plant was rapidly losing its former glory, the football team was also affected, however it managed to finish 3rd in the first season of Virslīga
Virsliga
-Past Virslīga winners:-Top scorers:-Riga football league winners:* 1910 Union Riga* 1911 British FC Riga* 1912 Union Riga* 1913 British FC Riga* 1914 British FC Riga* 1915 British FC Riga-Champions of Latvia before Virslīga:* 1922 Ķeizarmežs...
. After the 1992 Virslīga season the club was renamed to VEF-Zenta Rīga to the name of the clubs new sponsor. In 1994 it already played as DAG Rīga and won the bronze medals for the second time. The former VEF team ceased to exist in Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
in 1995 with the merge of DAG with former Olimpija Liepāja under the name DAG Liepāja. However through the merge with Liepāja VEF Rīga can be considered as a predecessor to one of the strongest football clubs in Latvia - Liepājas Metalurgs.
Honours
- Latvian top league:
- Winners: 6 (1970–1971, 1973–1975, 1983)
- Runners-up:
- Latvian Cup:
- Winners: 3 (1956, 1971, 1987)
- Runners-up: 8 (1946, 1960, 1970, 1974–1975, 1977, 1984–1985)