Harju JK Laagri, commonly known as Harju JK, or simply as Harju, is an
Estonian professional
football club based in
Laagri,
Harjumaa. Founded in 2009, the club currently competes in
Esiliiga, the second-highest division in the
Estonian football.
History
Harju Jalgpallikool was founded on 27 August 2009[1] with the aim of focusing on youth football and developing players for the Estonian national youth teams and foreign academies. Harju JK entered senior football in 2015, when their first team entered
IV Liiga, the lowest level of football in Estonia.
In 2019, Harju JK appointed Portuguese Victor da Silva as their manager and in the following seasons gained promotion four years in a row. During the period, Harju's team consisted mostly of their youth system players, which resulted in youth prospects Karel Mustmaa signing a three-year professional contract with
Benfica[2] and Imre Kartau moving to
Venezia F.C.[3] Harju JK won
Esiliiga in the
2022 season and were promoted to Estonian top flight league
Premium Liiga for the first time in its history. Despite a number of strong performances,[4][5] the club finished the
2023 season in last place with 23 points and were relegated back to Esiliiga.