Valmiera FC
Valmiera FC is a Latvian football club from Valmiera. Founded in 1996, they play at Jānis Daliņš Stadium (capacity 1,000). The club is led by chairman Uldis Pūcītis and manager Gatis Kalniņš. They currently compete in Altero.lv LIIGA, Latvia’s third tier.
Club history in brief
The city’s football legacy goes back to FK Gauja Valmiera, which won the Latvian SSR title in 1990. The current club started in 1996 as Valmieras FK in the second division (1. līga). After finishing second, they won a promotion playoff against Skonto-Metāls and reached the Virslīga, Latvia’s top league. They finished 7th in their first season, then 5th in 1998 and 1999.
Financial problems in 2003 forced them out of the top flight, and the club focused on developing young players in the 1. līga. Over the years, several former Valmiera players reached Latvia’s national team.
From 2010, under Gatis Ērglis, the club rose again in the second tier. In 2016 the club became SO Valmiera Glass / Vidzemes Augstskola (Valmiera Glass ViA), named after sponsor Valmiera Fiberglass and Vidzeme University; the organization also added a basketball club.
In 2017 Valmiera Glass ViA won the First League and earned promotion to the Virslīga for 2018. The 2018 season was tough and a coaching change followed. In 2020 the club was renamed Valmiera FC.
Top-flight success and recent issues
In 2022 Valmiera won Latvia’s top league for the first time. They followed with solid finishes, but in 2024 they finished 4th of 10 in the Virslīga and were disqualified due to unpaid debts. As a result, Jelgava was allowed to stay in the top division for the 2025 season.
Valmiera also faced licensing problems in the Latvian First League, but after reducing its debts the club was granted a license to play in the third-tier Altero.lv LIIGA for the 2025 season.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 19:56 (CET).