Jani Honkavaara (born 2 February 1976[ Markus Karjalaisen uutisanalyysi | Super-Honsu sai KuPSin pelin pikavauhtia raiteilleen – mutta kuinka se oli ylipäänsä mahdollista?, Savon Sanomat, 10 May 2023][ ”Super-Honsu” – Stadin Kingit eivät ole unohtaneet Jani Honkavaaraa, kentällä Super-Mattila toi HIFK:lle täydet pisteet, Iltalehti, 22 July 2020] he lead Veikkausliiga club KuPS to two Finnish championship titles in two separate stints as manager, in 2019 and 2024.
Playing career
Honkavaara began his football career in his hometown club TP-Seinäjoki (formerly known as Törnävän Pallo-55). During his time with the club, he played 10 matches in the Finnish top tier
Veikkausliiga in the 1997 season. While studying in
Joensuu, Honkavaara played for local clubs and
Jippo in the third-tier
Kakkonen, in 2000 and 2002 respectively. Later in his career, he was mainly known for playing for
East Helsinki based club
FC Viikingit of
Vuosaari in the second-tier Ykkönen.
Managerial career
Viikingit
After retiring as a football player, Honkavaara started as an assistant coach of
FC Viikingit, in the coaching staff of Toni Korkeakunnas. In 2007, he was appointed the head coach for the 2007 Veikkausliiga season and held the position of coach in the club until 2009.
HIFK and Gnistan
In the autumn of 2009, he was selected as head coach of
HIFK Fotboll where he led the club towards promotion to the Finnish first division Ykkönen after season 2010. He resigned from the role of manager of HIFK after season 2011.
After the successful spell at HIFK, he went to coach another Helsinki based club
IF Gnistan. Despite a rather successful season, he then resigned from the club after season 2012, citing family reasons.
Soon after he was appointed as the new head coach of HIFK which had faced relegation back to Finnish second division,
Kakkonen, after the ending season, led by Honkavaara's successor in the managerial role,
Juha Moilanen.
Right after next and very successful season 2013, he led HIFK back to Ykkönen. After the 2014 season, HIFK was promoted to Veikkausliiga, making it to the top tier of Finnish football for the first time in over 40 years.
KuPS
At the end of November 2016 it was announced, that Honkavaara would be the new manager of Kuopion Palloseura (KuPS), starting from 1 January 2017.
[ Jani Honkavaara ryhtyy luotsaamaan Kuopion Palloseuraa‚ kups.fi, 28 November 2016] He managed the club to finish 2nd in the league in 2017, and in the 3rd place in 2018. In June 2019, he was offered a head coach position of Royale Union Saint-Gilloise. The Belgian club offered to pay a €100,000 fee for his contract, but KuPS was reluctant to let Honkavaara leave.
[ Iso valinta, Helsingin Sanomat, Ari Virtanen, 10 October 2024] Eventually, in the 2019 Veikkausliiga season, Honkavaara led KuPS to its first Finnish championship title in 43 years.
SJK Seinäjoki
In October 2019 Honkavaara was announced as the new manager of his hometown side Seinäjoen Jalkapallokerho (SJK).
In the 2021 season, the team finished 3rd in Veikkausliiga and won the bronze medal.
In the early 2022, Honkavaara started to work as a specialist for the Football Association of Finland.[ Yllättävä uutinen: Veikkausliigan mestariluotsi siirtyy Palloliiton tehtäviin, suomifutis.com, 26 November 2021]
Return to KuPS
In April 2023, Honkavaara returned to KuPS, when the club sacked
Pasi Tuutti after only three games in the season.
[ Mestarivalmentaja Jani Honkavaara palaa KuPSiin – lataa suorat sanat alkukauden ongelmista: "Aika paljon muuttuu", Yle, 21 April 2023] Honkavaara improved the team's performances and led KuPS to finish 2nd in the 2023 Veikkausliiga season, by a goal difference to HJK. In the end of the season, the club first didn't exercise their option, but later announced that Honkavaara's contract was extended for the 2024 season.
[ Honsu ja Siku jatkavat Savossa – molemmille vuoden jatkosopimus KuPSin kanssa!, kups.fi, 24 October 2023] For the 2024 season, KuPS reduced the player budget and acquired more of young potential players, rather than players who had already proved their league-level.
On 17 June 2024, Honkavaara was also named the new assistant coach of the Finland national football team.[ Markku Kanerva jatkaa Huuhkajien päävalmentajana – Valmennusryhmässä iso uudistus, Finnish FA, 17 June 2024] It was also announced that he would not continue as the manager of KuPS after the 2024 season. In September, Honkavaara guided KuPS to win the Finnish Cup, and in October they won the Veikkausliiga championship title again, making it the first double win in the club's history, and the second title for Honkavaara with KuPS.[ Kuopio villiintyi KuPSin mestaruudesta – Eini ilmestyi juhlahumuun, Yle, 19 October 2024] He was awarded Finnish Football Manager of the Year and Veikkausliiga Manager of the Year in 2024.
Djurgårdens IF
On 20 December 2024, Swedish
Allsvenskan side Djurgården announced that they had appointed Honkavaara as their new manager on a three-year contract, starting in January 2025.
[ JANI HONKAVAARA BLIR NY HUVUDTRÄNARE I DJURGÅRDEN, dif.se, 20 December 2024] His tenure with the Finland national team ended simultaneously. After Djurgården was knocked out of the Svenska Cupen in group stage, in March Honkavaara led the club to qualify for the quarter finals of the UEFA Conference League by defeating
Pafos FC 3–1 on aggregate,
[ Jani Honkavaaran joukkue jyräsi jatkoon – Avauksessa kolme Huuhkajien pelaajaa, Helsingin Sanomat, 13 March 2025] making it the first European quarter final appearance for a Swedish club since
AIK Fotboll in 1996–97. Later they advanced to the semi-finals against Chelsea, after beating
Rapid Wien in the quarter-finals.
Personal life
Honkavaara has studied Finnish language and literature at the University of Eastern Finland in
Joensuu, and has later worked as a teacher.
In 2005, he worked briefly as a host of a TV-program Näytetään kieltä, produced by Yle.[ Näytetään kieltä, vintti.yle.fi]
Honkavaara is married and a father, and has lived in Tuusula with his family.[
]
Managerial statistics
|
|
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| HIFK Fotboll | | 1 January 2010 | 31 December 2011
|
| Gnistan | | 1 January 2012 | 31 December 2012
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| HIFK Fotboll | | 1 January 2013 | 27 July 2016
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| KuPS | | 1 January 2017 | 31 December 2019
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| SJK Seinäjoki | | 1 January 2020 | 31 December 2021
|
| KuPS | | 21 April 2023 | 20 December 2024
|
| Djurgården | | 20 December 2024 | present
|
|
Managerial honours
HIFK
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Ykkönen: 2014
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Kakkonen Group 2: 2013
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Kakkonen Group A: 2010
KuPS
SJK
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Veikkausliiga 3rd place: 2021
Individual
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Finnish Football Manager of the Year: 2024
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Veikkausliiga Manager of the Year 2024
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Veikkausliiga Manager of the Month (6): May 2017,
[ Morelos jälleen kuukauden pelaajaksi ] August 2019,[ KuPS-komeetta kuukauden pelaajaksi, veikkausliiga.com, 11 September 2019] October 2019[ Ilmari Niskanen lokakuun pelaajaksi, veikkausliiga.com, 7 November 2019] May 2024,[ AC Oulun Ashley Coffey kuukauden pelaaja – toukokuun joukkue valittu, veikkausliiga.com, 7 June 2024] July 2024, October 2024[ KuPS:n Petteri Pennanen Veikkausliigan kuukauden pelaaja lokakuussa, veikkaus.fi, 6 November 2024]
