Jalgpalliklubi Narva Trans, commonly known as Narva Trans or simply Trans, is an Estonian professional football club based in Narva that competes in the Meistriliiga, the top flight of Estonian football. Although the club's traditional home ground is Kreenholm Stadium, they currently play their home matches at Kalev-Fama Stadium.
The club was founded as Avtomobilist in 1979, changed their name to Autobaas in 1989 and Narva Trans in 1992. Narva Trans were one of the founding members of the Meistriliiga and are one of two clubs which have never been relegated from the Estonian top division since its inception in 1992, along with Flora. Narva Trans have won three Estonian Cups and two Estonian Supercups.
History
The club was founded in 1979 as Avtomobilist by the workers of the Motor Depot 13 in Narva. In 1984, the club was promoted to the Estonian SSR Championship, but was relegated at the end of the season. The club returned to the top division in 1987, but was relegated again after finishing the season last. In 1989, the club changed its name to Autobaas and returned to the top division once again.
In 1992, the club changed the name to Narva Trans and became founding members of the new Meistriliiga, finishing the inaugural season in seventh place. The club earned their first medals after reaching the 1993–94 Estonian Cup final, finishing as runners-up. One year later, Narva Trans earned their first league medals by finishing the 1994–95 league season in third place. The club made their European debut in the 1996 UEFA Intertoto Cup.
On 24 May 2001, Narva Trans lifted their first trophy by defeating Flora 1–0 in the 2000–01 Estonian Cup final. Narva experienced their most successful period from 2005 to 2011, as the club first came third in the 2005 league season and finished as runners-up in 2006 with club record 83 points, their best league finish to this date. The team won back-to-back Estonian Supercups in 2007 and 2008 by defeating Levadia in both of the finals. Narva Trans finished third for four consecutive seasons in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011.[2] In the years that followed, financial competition with the capital city clubs grew more difficult, and Narva Trans gradually transitioned into a mid-table club.[3] Since then, the team has occasionally been referred to as "cup specialists" in recognition of their strong performances in the Estonian Cup competition. The club won their second Estonian Cup trophy in the 2018–19 season, defeating Nõmme Kalju 2–1 after extra time in the final.[4] In 2023, Narva Trans won their third Estonian Cup by defeating FC Flora 2–1 in the 2022–23 final.[5]
Crest and colours
The former crest which was introduced in 1997, featured the logo of Narva Auto AS, the transport enterprise that was the basis on which the football club was founded.[6] The colour scheme reflected the colours of the city's flag - yellow and blue.
The logo of the club was modernised in 2018. The central part of the current crest of Narva Trans features the city's main symbol Narva Hermann Castle, and the logo of Narva Auto AS. The crest carries the club's colours, which are red and blue.[6]
1997–2017
2018–present
Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors
| Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000–2013 | Nike | Sportland | [7] |
| 2014–2015 | Fama | ||
| 2016– | Sportland |
Stadium
Kreenholm Stadium
Kreenholm Stadium has been the home ground of Narva Trans since its founding in 1979. The multi-purpose stadiums seats 1,065. In 2025, the club announced they will play their 2025 season home matches at Narva Kalev-Fama Stadium due to Kreenholm Stadium's poor condition.[8]
Kalev-Fama Stadium
Since 2025, Narva Trans plays their home matches at the Kalev-Fama artificial turf stadium, having previously used it as their home ground during winter and early spring months. Renovated in 2013 and in 2025, the stadium complex is also the training base of the club.
In 2024, Narva opened an indoor football facility named Narva Jalgpallihall, which serves as the club's training ground during the snowy winter period. With the construction cost of €7 million, it is the most expensive football hall built in Estonia.[9]
Players
First-team squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Under-21s and Academy
Club officials
Current technical staff
| Managerial history
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Honours
League
- Meistriliiga
- Runners-up (1): 2006
Cups
- Estonian Cup
- Estonian Supercup
- Winners (2): 2007, 2008
- Runners-up (4): 2001, 2012, 2020, 2024
Seasons and statistics
Seasons
| Season | Division | Pos | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Top goalscorer | Cup | Supercup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Meistriliiga | 7 | 13 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 23 | 37 | –14 | 12 | |||
| 1992–93 | 6 | 22 | 11 | 2 | 9 | 51 | 34 | +17 | 24 |  Nikolai Toštšev (11) | |||
| 1993–94 | 4 | 22 | 12 | 6 | 4 | 50 | 16 | +34 | 30 | Nikolai Toštšev (14) | Runners-up | ||
| 1994–95 | 3 | 24 | 11 | 6 | 7 | 32 | 24 | +8 | 39 | Nikolai Toštšev (7) | Semi-finals | ||
| 1995–96 | 5 | 24 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 33 | 32 | +1 | 30 | Boriss Nejolov (8) | Quarter-finals | ||
| 1996–97 | 6 | 24 | 7 | 6 | 11 | 28 | 38 | −10 | 27 | Stanislav Kitto (9) | Semi-finals | ||
| 1997–98 | 4 | 24 | 9 | 4 | 11 | 27 | 45 | −18 | 31 |  Dmitri Lipartov (8) | Semi-finals | ||
| 1998 | 4 | 14 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 28 | 20 | +8 | 23 | Dmitri Lipartov (7) | |||
| 1999 | 4 | 28 | 11 | 7 | 10 | 40 | 28 | +12 | 40 | Maksim Gruznov (13) | Quarter-finals | ||
| 2000 | 5 | 28 | 12 | 7 | 9 | 64 | 40 | +24 | 43 | Maksim Gruznov (22) | Third round | ||
| 2001 | 4 | 28 | 16 | 3 | 9 | 79 | 35 | +44 | 51 | Maksim Gruznov (37) | Winners | Runners-up | |
| 2002 | 4 | 28 | 14 | 5 | 9 | 54 | 49 | +5 | 47 | Maksim Gruznov (24) | Semi-finals | ||
| 2003 | 4 | 28 | 14 | 5 | 9 | 58 | 43 | +15 | 47 | Maksim Gruznov (16) | Semi-finals | ||
| 2004 | 4 | 28 | 15 | 2 | 11 | 43 | 39 | +4 | 47 | Maksim Gruznov (9) | Semi-finals | ||
| 2005 | 3 | 36 | 23 | 6 | 7 | 99 | 34 | +65 | 75 | Maksim Gruznov (26) | Semi-finals | ||
| 2006 | 2 | 36 | 25 | 8 | 3 | 106 | 36 | +70 | 83 | Maksim Gruznov (31) | Semi-finals | ||
| 2007 | 4 | 36 | 25 | 3 | 8 | 89 | 28 | +61 | 78 | Dmitri Lipartov (30) | Runners-up | Winners | |
| 2008 | 3 | 36 | 16 | 8 | 12 | 62 | 54 | +8 | 56 | Nikolai Lõsanov (13) | Quarter-finals | Winners | |
| 2009 | 3 | 36 | 23 | 7 | 6 | 82 | 29 | +53 | 76 | Aleksandr Tarassenkov (13) | Semi-finals | ||
| 2010 | 3 | 36 | 23 | 7 | 6 | 67 | 31 | +36 | 76 |  Marius Bezykornovas (13) | Fourth round | ||
| 2011 | 3 | 36 | 22 | 7 | 7 | 107 | 29 | +78 | 73 |  Aleksandrs Čekulajevs (46) | Runners-up | ||
| 2012 | 4 | 36 | 16 | 7 | 13 | 52 | 44 | +8 | 55 | Vladislav Ivanov (13) | Runners-up | Runners-up | |
| 2013 | 7 | 36 | 11 | 3 | 22 | 39 | 55 | −16 | 36 | Albert Taar (7) | Semi-finals | ||
| 2014 | 8 | 36 | 6 | 10 | 20 | 37 | 79 | −42 | 28 | Viktor Plotnikov (9) | Third round | ||
| 2015 | 6 | 36 | 14 | 7 | 15 | 50 | 46 | +4 | 49 | Vitālijs Ziļs (13) | First round | ||
| 2016 | 8 | 36 | 11 | 8 | 17 | 60 | 68 | −8 | 41 | Dmitri Proshin (14) | Third round | ||
| 2017 | 5 | 36 | 13 | 6 | 17 | 46 | 63 | −17 | 45 |  Dzmitry Kowb (10) | Second round | ||
| 2018 | 4 | 36 | 18 | 7 | 11 | 76 | 57 | +19 | 61 | Dmitri Barkov (17) | Semi-finals | ||
| 2019 | 6 | 36 | 13 | 9 | 14 | 57 | 49 | +8 | 48 |  Eric McWoods (13) | Winners | ||
| 2020 | 8 | 30 | 6 | 7 | 17 | 31 | 49 | −18 | 25 | Aleksandr Zakarliuka (8) | Runners-up | Runners-up | |
| 2021 | 6 | 32 | 9 | 6 | 17 | 36 | 61 | −25 | 33 | Aleksandr Zakarliuka (10) | Semi-finals | ||
| 2022 | 7 | 36 | 10 | 8 | 18 | 43 | 58 | −15 | 38 |  Denys Dedechko (12) | Semi-finals | ||
| 2023 | 8 | 36 | 12 | 2 | 22 | 32 | 64 | −32 | 38 | Tristan Koskor (16) | Winners | ||
| 2024 | 6 | 36 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 48 | 63 | −15 | 42 |  Pierre Landry Kaboré Sergo Kukhianidze (11) | Fourth round | Runners-up | |
| 2025 | 5 | 36 | 15 | 6 | 15 | 53 | 52 | +1 | 51 | Pierre Landry Kaboré (12) | Semi-finals |
Europe
- ^UEFA awarded Narva Trans a 3–0 win due to IF Elfsborg fielding a suspended player.
References
- ^"Narva Kalevi staadion". Eesti Spordiregister. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
- ^История [History] (in Russian). JK Narva Trans.
- ^"Narva Trans 45: alatine kõrgseltskonna liige, keda lahutab" [Narva Trans 45: a forever member of top division, separated from perfection by a championship title]. jalgpall.ee. 26 July 2024.
- ^"Trans alistas lisaaja järel Kalju ja tuli karikavõitjaks". ERR (in Estonian). 25 May 2019.
- ^Cole, Michael (5 May 2023). "Narva Trans shock Flora to win Tipner Trophy". ERR.
- ^ ab"Эмблема". JK Narva Trans (in Russian). Retrieved 23 November 2023.
- ^"JK Narva Trans Kit History". Football Kit Archive. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
- ^"Narva Kalev-Fama staadion saab uue kunstmurukatte". jalgpall.ee (in Estonian). 15 April 2025.
- ^"Narva linn sõlmis lepingu jalgpalli pneumohalli ehitamiseks". ERR (in Estonian). 24 July 2023.
- ^"JK Narva Trans" (in Estonian). Estonian Football Association. Retrieved 29 May 2026.
- ^"Main squad of FC Narva Trans". JK Narva Trans.
External links
- Official website(in Russian)
- JK Narva Trans at Estonian Football Association
- JK Narva Trans at UEFA.com